Abstract: Introduction: Advanced activities of daily living (A-ADLs) are an important indicator of adult functional status and active aging. However, few studies have investigated the influence of two personality attributes (openness to experience and resilience) on A ADLs, and there is no data in the Argentine context. The relationship between A-ADLs and openness and resilience were analyzed, and secondarily the relationship between openness and resilience was examined. Methods: 151 Argentineans (M age = 66) were evaluated with the Scale of Expansive Activities of Daily Life, the IPIP-NEO Personality Inventory and the Brief Resilient Coping Scale. Partial correlations and regression were carried out, controlling for age and education. Results: there were significant (moderate) correlations between all the variables of interest: openness, resilience and A-ADLs. The measures of resilience, openness and education explain 21 % of the variation in the A-ADLs score. Resilience was the variable that most influenced A-ADLs. Conclusion: a personality with more resilience and openness is associated with greater achievement of A-ADLs in Argentines ≥ 50 years old. It is suggested that the Argentine state implement public policies that promote recreational activity and social integration in older and middle age.

Resumo: Introdução: as atividades da vida diária avançadas (AVD-A) são um importante indicador do estado funcional adulto e do envelhecimento ativo. No entanto, poucos estudos investigaram a influência de dois atributos de personalidade (abertura a novas experiências e resiliência) sobre o AVD-A e não há dados no contexto argentino. Foi analisada a relação entre AVD-A, abertura e resiliência, e secundariamente foi examinada a relação entre abertura e resiliência. Materiais e métodos: foram avaliados 151 argentinos (M idade = 66 anos) com a Escala de Atividades Expansivas da Vida Diária, o Inventário de Personalidade IPIP-NEO e a Escala Breve de Enfrentamento Resiliente. Foram realizadas correlações parciais e regressão, controlando por idade e educação. Resultados: Foram encontradas correlações significativas (moderadas) entre todas as variáveis de interesse: abertura, resiliência e AVD A. As medidas de resiliência, abertura e escolaridade explicam 21 % da variância da pontuação do AVD-A. A resiliência foi a variável que mais influenciou o AVD-A. Conclusão: uma personalidade com maior resiliência e abertura está associada a maior realização de AVD-A em argentinos ≥ 50 anos. Sugere-se que o Estado argentino implemente políticas públicas que promovam a atividade recreativa e a integração social na meia-idade e terceira idade.

Resumen: Introducción: las actividades de la vida diaria avanzadas (AVD-A) son un importante indicador del estado funcional adulto y del envejecimiento activo. Sin embargo, pocos estudios investigaron la influencia de dos atributos de personalidad (apertura a nuevas experiencias y resiliencia) sobre las AVD-A y hasta donde se tiene conocimiento no hay datos en contexto argentino. Se analizó la relación de AVD-A con apertura y resiliencia, y secundariamente se examinó la relación entre apertura y resiliencia. Materiales y métodos: fueron evaluados 151 argentinos (M edad = 66) con la Escala de Actividades Expansivas de la Vida Diaria, el Inventario de Personalidad IPIP-NEO y la Escala Breve de Afrontamiento Resiliente. Se efectuaron correlaciones parciales y regresión, controlando por edad y educación. Resultados: se hallaron correlaciones significativas (moderadas) entre todas las variables de interés: apertura, resiliencia y AVD-A. Las medidas de resiliencia, apertura y educación explicaron el 21 % de la varianza del score de AVD-A. La resiliencia fue la variable que más influyó sobre las AVD-A. Conclusión: una personalidad con más resiliencia y apertura está asociada a mayor realización de AVD A en argentinos ≥ 50 años. Se sugiere al Estado argentino implementar políticas públicas que promuevan la actividad recreativa e integración social en mediana y tercera edad.

Abstract:The impact of confined masonry walls made of brick and block on the seismic response of reinforced concrete structures commonly used in regional housing is investigated. The membrane stiffness factors of the masonry walls were determined using a combination of equivalent diagonal modeling techniques and Shell elements. The results obtained from both modeling approaches were compared and iteratively adjusted, showing peaks at wall opening percentages of 5% and 25%. These factors depend on the type and percentage of opening, type of masonry, and frame span, with reductions ranging from 80% to 90%. The analysis revealed significant changes of approximately 25% in the center of rigidity during the initial seismic cycles due to confined masonry walls. This behavior can induce torsional effects and severe structural damage, including collapse. The masonry walls modeled as compression diagonals allowed a better understanding of their contribution to the lateral load resistance. The membrane stiffness factors obtained for Shell elements provide a valuable tool for accurately modeling confined masonry in reinforced concrete structures, improving seismic design and evaluation of housing structures, thus enhancing their safety and resilience against seismic events.

Resumen:Se investiga el impacto de los muros de mampostería confinada de ladrillo y bloque en la respuesta sísmica de estructuras de hormigón armado comúnmente utilizadas en viviendas de la región. Utilizando una combinación de técnicas de modelado de diagonales equivalentes y elementos tipo "Shell", se encontraron los factores de rigidez de membrana de los muros de mampostería. Los resultados obtenidos con ambos enfoques de modelado fueron comparados y ajustados iterativamente y muestran picos en porcentajes de abertura del 5% y del 25%. Dichos factores dependen del tipo y porcentaje de abertura, tipo de mampostería, y luz del pórtico, con reducciones que van del 80% al 90%. El análisis reveló cambios significativos de aproximadamente 25% en el centro de rigidez durante los ciclos sísmicos iniciales debido a la presencia de muros de mampostería confinada. Este comportamiento puede generar efectos torsionales y daños estructurales graves, incluyendo el colapso. El modelado de los muros de mampostería como diagonales de compresión permitió comprender mejor su contribución a la resistencia a cargas laterales. Los factores de rigidez de membrana obtenidos para los elementos tipo “Shell” proporcionan una herramienta valiosa para modelar con precisión la mampostería confinada en estructuras de hormigón armado, lo que ayuda en la mejora del diseño y la evaluación sísmica de estructuras de viviendas, aumentando su seguridad y resiliencia ante eventos sísmicos.

Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound effect on food security worldwide. Colombian farmers were adversely affected by prolonged periods of lockdown, disruptions in the agricultural supply chain, increased poverty levels, and heightened socioeconomic uncertainty. The objective of this study is to evaluate the perceptions of pea producers with regard to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. To this end, and ex-ante (2019) and ex-post (2020-2022) diagnostic analysis was conducted in the south of Nariño. We carried out semi-structured interviews with 35 farmers, four key informants, and three focus groups. A sentiment analysis (text mining) was conducted to process sensitive information on environmental, economic, and intrinsic aspects of the productive system. The results revealed that participants maintained constant levels of happiness and confidence across the two-time periods. However, in the period subsequent to the pandemic, higher levels of anger and sadness were reported, attributed to effects of the pandemic itself and the inherent challenges associated with pea cultivation. The implementation of confinement measures resulted in an increase in feelings of uncertainty and sadness, in addition too the emergence of challenges in fieldwork context. Moreover, the increased production costs were attributed to the greater demand for agricultural inputs and labour in 2020. However, in 2022, the increased the price paid per kilogram of pea grains helped mitigate the adverse impact of the pandemic. The study concludes that the econ economic uncertainty introduced by the COVID-19 pandemic affected crop profitability. Nevertheless, small-scale farmers exhibited remarkable resilience and adaptability, allowing them to persist in growing and selling their pea harvest.

Resumen La pandemia de COVID-19 ha tenido un impacto significativo en la seguridad alimentaria en todo el mundo. El agricultor colombiano se vio afectado por bloqueos prolongados, interrupciones en la cadena de suministro agrícola, mayores niveles de pobreza y una mayor incertidumbre socioeconómica. Este estudio tiene como objetivo evaluar la percepción de los productores de arveja sobre el COVID-19, realiza un diagnóstico ex ante (2019) y ex post (2020-2022) en el sur de Nariño. Se realizaron entrevistas semiestructuradas a 35 agricultores, 4 informantes clave y 3 grupos focales. A través de un análisis de sentimiento (Text Mining) se procesó información sensible sobre aspectos ambientales, económicos e intrínsecos del sistema productivo. Los resultados revelaron que los participantes mantuvieron niveles constantes de felicidad y confianza durante dos períodos de tiempo. Sin embargo, en el período posterior a la COVID-19, se informaron niveles más altos de ira y tristeza, atribuidos a los efectos de la pandemia y los desafíos inherentes asociados con el cultivo de arvejas o guisantes. Las medidas de confinamiento intensificaron los sentimientos de incertidumbre y tristeza, además de desafíos en el trabajo de campo. Asimismo, atribuyeron el aumento de los costos de producción a la mayor demanda de insumos agrícolas y mano de obra en 2020. Sin embargo, en 2022, el aumento del precio pagado por kilogramo de granos de arvejas ayudó a mitigar el impacto adverso de la pandemia. El estudio concluye que la COVID-19 introdujo incertidumbre económica en la región y, en consecuencia, afectó la rentabilidad de los cultivos. Sin embargo, los pequeños agricultores mostraron una notable resiliencia y adaptabilidad, lo que les permitió persistir en el cultivo y venta de su cosecha de guisantes.

Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic had an unprecedented negative impact on women’s mental well-being, especially on mothers. This article proposes the concept of “burnout resilience” and introduces “structural support” as a variable that influences job burnout in women, mothers working in executive positions. Different support measures may promote resilience: in this case, the structural, organizational, and family-related. The study focuses on resilience enablers in a disaster scenario like the COVID-19 pandemic. The study highlights the relevance for public policy and organizations of ensuring organizational and structural support that contributes to develop resilience for mitigating burnout, especially during natural catastrophe periods and war environments, among other negative scenarios. The investigation aimed to quantify job burnout among 704 executive mothers during the COVID-19 pandemic, using the Maslach Burnout Inventory General survey. The data-collection method employed was a non-probabilistic snowball sampling technique, and the hypotheses were tested using a comparison of means t-test and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). Results showed the relationship between job burnout and organizational, familial, and structural support. The findings also reveal that organizational and structural support attenuated burnout, while familial support is not correlated with burnout mitigation. Moreover, compared to the pre-pandemic period, executive mothers seemed to have experienced an increase in burnout during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Resumen La pandemia de COVID-19 tuvo un impacto negativo sin precedentes en el bienestar mental de las mujeres, especialmente de las madres. Este artículo propone el concepto de “resiliencia al burnout” e introduce el “apoyo estructural” como variable que influye en el burnout laboral de las madres ejecutivas. Existen diferentes tipos de apoyos que promueven la resiliencia, en este caso estudiamos el estructural, el organizacional y el familiar. Examinamos la influencia de los tres tipos de apoyo: estructurales, organizacionales y familiares que permiten la resiliencia en un escenario de desastre como la pandemia. Se destaca la importancia de asegurar apoyos organizacionales y estructurales en las políticas públicas y en las empresas para desarrollar resiliencia cuando se experimenta burnout, en especial en catástrofes naturales, ambientes de guerra, entre otros. La investigación tuvo como objetivo cuantificar el grado de estrés laboral entre 704 madres ejecutivas durante la pandemia, utilizando el Maslach Burnout Inventory General. El método de recolección de datos empleado fue una técnica de muestreo no probabilístico tipo bola de nieve y las hipótesis se comprobaron mediante la prueba t de comparación de medias y el análisis de varianza unidireccional (ANOVA). Los resultados mostraron la relación entre los apoyos organizativos, familiares y estructurales y el burnout, asimismo reveló que el apoyo organizativo y estructural atenuaba el efecto del burnout, mientras que el apoyo familiar no lo hacía. También las madres ejecutivas experimentaron más burnout durante la pandemia COVID-19 que en épocas anteriores.

The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated swift changes to remote teaching and learning. This study explored the experiences of student support champions comprising teaching assistants, tutors, mentors, and retention officers) in providing affective and content support via remote modalities to first-year students. The study focused on insights gained during remote learning. This adaptation to change speaks to resilience thinking, 'being able to withstand or overcome adversity and unpleasant events and successfully adapt to change and uncertainty'. Learning to be resilient and adaptable to rise above challenges, is simultaneously transformative to create new ways of thinking to deal with current situations. This study resides within the interpretivist paradigm and draws on the subjective experiences and understandings of research participants within a university of technology. Surveys were conducted to garner insights and experiences and were analysed according to emergent themes of challenges, improvements, and future practices. Data revealed that despite the demands placed on student support champions, they managed to cope with their studies and acquired attributes, dispositions, and values beyond the formal curriculum. Thus the study shows that times of complexity present opportunities for resilience and transformation to changing circumstances.

The global Covid-19 pandemic resulted in an economic downturn that influenced behavioural and participation patterns of fishing sectors around the world. Monitoring changes in fisheries is essential for understanding their human dimension and informing decision-making for development, conservation and management of fish resources. This study documented and described fishery patterns and participation during the Covid-19 pandemic through roving creel surveys. In addition, due to historic surveys of the recreational and subsistence fishery, it was possible to compare the current patterns to previous results and to show the potential Covid-19 related impacts. Subsistence fishing dominated the fishery, with 94% of 431 regular fishers utilising the resources for home consumption or sale. Compared to historic surveys, a marked decline in estimated recreational fishing was observed, but no significant change was identified in participation patterns of subsistence fishers. This downturn in recreational fishing affected the socio-demographic characteristics of the fishery, where changes in ethnic participation were noted; there was also an increase in the number of unemployed fishers during the pandemic. Utilisation of the fish resources was dominated by subsistence users and 97% of fish caught was for self-consumption or sale. This underlines the importance of fish for subsistence users, who rely on the resource for food or income and could not avoid fishing during the pandemic, as they had no alternative. This study highlights the importance of socio-demographic and participation data on fisheries, to provide scientific advice to policymakers on ideal responses to events such as a pandemic. This evidence of temporal changes in hook-and-line fisheries provides inland fishery authorities the opportunity to develop mitigation measures with greater resilience to cope with future global crises. Lastly, the study emphasises the importance of access to fisheries, especially during times of high regional economic and societal stress.

RESUMO A variação das características de precipitação sob o fenômeno El-Niño-Oscilação Sul (ENSO), como parte dos impactos da variabilidade climática, aumenta os potenciais riscos de declínio da produtividade nas áreas de cultivo de arroz ao redor do mundo. O impacto dos eventos ENSO em áreas de cultivo de arroz no Delta do Mekong (MD) foi examinado. O estudo explorou como o ENSO afeta os padrões de precipitação e, subsequentemente, influencia a produtividade do arroz na região. A análise de dados de precipitação de 12 estações entre 1985 e 2022 revela mudanças significativas no tempo da estação chuvosa devido aos eventos ENSO. Eventos La-Niña levam a um início médio de 22 dias antes da estação chuvosa, enquanto eventos fortes de El-Niño causam atrasos de até 24 dias. Essas mudanças impactam diretamente a produtividade do arroz, com La-Niña associado a ligeiros aumentos de produtividade e El-Niño com reduções substanciais. O estudo destaca a vulnerabilidade das áreas de cultivo de arroz no MD à variabilidade climática causada pelo ENSO, enfatizando a necessidade de estratégias proativas de adaptação para assegurar a segurança alimentar.

ABSTRACT The variation of rainfall features under the El-Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phenomenon, as part of the impacts of climate variability, enhances the potential risk of rice yield decline for rice cultivation regions around the world. The impact of ENSO events on rice cultivation regions in the Mekong Delta (MD) is examined. The study explores how ENSO affects rainfall patterns and subsequently influences rice yield in the region. Analysis of rainfall data from 12 stations between 1985 and 2022 reveals significant shifts in wet season timing due to ENSO events. La-Niña events lead to an average 22-days earlier onset of the wet season, while strong El-Niño events cause delays of up to 24 days. These changes directly impact rice yield, with La-Niña being associated with slight yield increases and El-Niño with substantial yield reductions. The study highlights the vulnerability of rice cultivation regions in the MD to ENSO-driven climate variability, emphasizing the need for proactive adaptation strategies to ensure food security.

Improved drought and flood management in semi-arid transboundary basins requires a better understanding of the connections between dry and wet extremes, surface water and groundwater, upstream and downstream, and local communities and formal governance actors. This study describes a multi-disciplinary and mixed-methods research in the Limpopo River Basin, southern Africa. The methodology included hydrometeorological data analysis to identify drought and flood events, group discussions with 240 local community participants about drought and flood processes, impacts and preparedness, and interviews with 36 (inter)national and regional water managers and policymakers about drought and flood governance, early warning and communication. Additionally, we co-created drought and flood management scenarios through transboundary and national workshops and modelled these with an integrated surface water-groundwater model. We found that floods are crucial for aquifer recharge, providing baseflow during droughts, but also impactful for communities, who receive less training and support for floods than for droughts. Flood early warnings (if provided) are often not acted upon because of cultural values or limited resources. Drought and flood adaptation strategies were simulated to be effective, but factors like investment and maintenance costs, technical capacity and community uptake impact implementation. Furthermore, technical measures alone are inadequate to reduce community risk if underlying vulnerabilities are not addressed. Therefore, strengthening connections between communities and formal governance actors and better transboundary management of surface water and groundwater connections could yield significant benefits. CONTRIBUTION: This study provides 11 distinct recommendations for managing drought and flood risk, focussing on the four connections analysed.

Integrating disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate change adaptation (CCA) has gained traction among scientists and development practitioners, given their complementary benefits of reducing vulnerabilities and enhancing the resilience of ecosystems, livelihoods and protection of assets while concomitantly enabling the achievements of the Paris Agreement, Sustainable Development Goals and the Sendai Framework on DRR. However, guidance on integrating climate and disaster risk is poorly understood because of insufficient scholarship. Although common concerns exist, the effective integration of DRR and CCA faces diverse challenges in various countries and contexts, and no study has addressed this topic in the Indian Ocean Region and Seychelles. To address this knowledge gap, a content analysis of relevant policies and strategies and in-depth interviews with 40 stakeholders were conducted to identify the challenges of integrating DRR and CCA alongside their proposed strategy for improvement. Barriers that impede the effective mainstreaming of DRR and CCA include issues about (1) governance and politics; (2) policy integration; (3) competing actors and institutions; (4) coordination and collaboration; (5) resources and funding mechanism; (6) scale mismatches; (7) implementation and mainstreaming; (8) community involvement; and (9) information, communication and knowledge sharing. This study reveals that structural coherence was weak on the strategic rather than conceptual levels, leading to poor institutional, operational and financial coordination. This led to incidental integration and collaboration happening on an ad hoc basis with the Disaster Risk Management Division positioned towards emergency preparedness and response. Proposed recommendations to enhance DRR and CCA integration are provided. CONTRIBUTION: This study serves as a guide for Seychelles and other countries on how to effectively link DRR and CCA to minimise duplication of efforts and enhance the efficient use of human and financial resources while concomitantly achieving the objectives of DRR - to reduce vulnerability and enhance resilience.

This research used descriptive statistics to analyse rainfall trends in the Cuvelai- Etosha Basin (Namibia) over a 50-year historical period (1968 to 2018). The results revealed that rainfall fell over a period of 6 months between the months of November and April. Rainfall amounts were also observed to be higher in the first 3 months of each year, and annual levels ranged between 200 mm and 700 mm. The trend revealed that rainfall levels between 1977 and 1992 were consistently below the calculated average of 410 mm, and the rainfall amounts, and rain season were observed to have significantly shortened between the years 2009 and 2018. The rainfall trend observed over the 50-year period did not provide a definitive indication of whether the pattern followed a specific trajectory. The trend line's position was below the average line for many seasons, and it indicated that many of the seasons experienced rainfall levels below the annual average; however, an increase was observed from the years 2008 -2012 and the year 2018 wherein the rainfall received was above average and fell intensely over a brief period and these are the years where flooding was reported. CONTRIBUTION: An epileptic pattern was observed that could not be used to definitively define a trend but was useful to highlight that there was an occurrence of episodes of heavy rainfall being experienced in the months of January through March and any resilience efforts need to be prioritised during this time.

Malawi faces severe climate change impacts, with 30 climate-related disasters recorded in 20 years, causing over 4000 deaths, affecting 2.6 million people and resulting in economic losses of over $1 billion. The southern region, especially Chikwawa District, is hit the hardest, experiencing 40% of these disasters. In light of this, the study aimed to assess organisations' capacity and obstacles to collaborative approaches for adapting and building resilience to climate change-induced extreme weather events. Primary data were collected through a questionnaire distributed among 25 organisations, involving 325 participants. Thematic analysis was employed for qualitative data analysis, and the analytical hierarchy processing (AHP) method was applied to analyse intra-organisational challenges or obstacles to adopting climate resilience strategies. Alarmingly, 90% of organisations suspended operations because of climate-related disasters, with only 5% engaged in flood mitigation approaches. About 67% lacked flood abatement measures, and only 4% had conducted risk assessments. Most enterprises relied on government (80%) and Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) (70%) for resilience. Additionally, 85% of the organisations did not act collectively during extreme weather events, facing challenges such as lack of planning, adaptive capacity, leadership and funding. The results of this research offer a baseline for the organisations within the study area to map the way forward in making sure that the relentless impact of climate change-induced hazards should not always turn into disasters for their livelihoods and also the community at large. CONTRIBUTION: This study provides a methodology for the identification of barriers to fostering a culture of proactive organisational adaptation to the escalating impacts of climate change for safeguarding lives and livelihood within a neighbourhood.

This study explores the dynamics of emotional expression of freshmen students at a public university in Indonesia, focussing on the role of gratitude in helping them overcome challenges and maintain academic vigour. Using qualitative methods with open-ended questionnaires and in-depth interviews, this study involved 20 freshmen from one public university. The results showed that the majority of students expressed gratitude to God as the main expression, while a minority also valued the role of social support and personal achievement. The findings also revealed that despite uncertainties, fears and disappointments, gratitude remains a fundamental and culminating emotion. Gratitude not only helps students overcome challenges but also enhances their resilience and motivation. Spiritual Meaning Construction Theory serves as an analytical tool, highlighting that spiritual experiences and expressions of gratitude are strongly influenced by an individual's social and cultural context. The theory emphasises that the experience of religion or spirituality has no universal truth, but rather varies according to each individual's interpretative framework. The findings suggest that the expression of gratitude in freshmen not only reflects universally inculcated spiritual beliefs but is also a result of the meaning-making processes by individuals within their social and cultural context. Implications for higher education institutions include the importance of developing orientation, counselling and academic support programmes that support students' expression of gratitude and resilience. Programmes that promote resilience and gratitude can help students overcome challenges and stay motivated throughout their academic journey. CONTRIBUTION: This research contributes to a deeper understanding of the complexity of emotions experienced by freshmen as well as the important role gratitude plays in helping them overcome challenges and maintain enthusiasm in pursuing their academic goals

ORIENTATION: Conserving ecosystems including a culture that respects life in water and on land, aligned to the sustainable development goals (SDGs), could prevent future pandemics and natural hazards, but this cannot be achieved without establishments such as environmental non-profit organisations (NPOs) that operate across business and government sectors servicing the environment and vulnerable communities. Environmental NPOs could promote green Human Resource Management practices boosting scalable actions to achieve the SDGs. RESEARCH PURPOSE: The objective of this article is to explore the contemporary role and practices of Human Resources Management (HRM) within the NPO realm and the possible alignment and underwriting of the SDGs. MOTIVATION FOR THE STUDY: Non-profit organisations can be found to work across most, if not all, of the 17 United Nations' SDGs. The HRM function plays a significant role in contributing towards society's progress in achieving the SDGs with its focus on people management. RESEARCH APPROACH/DESIGN AND METHOD: This qualitative study applied an interpretivist philosophy with an inductive research approach, a case study strategy and multiple data collection techniques. Eleven cases were studied and limited to environmental South African NPOs selected purposively. MAIN FINDINGS: Developing sustainable practices within the realm of HRM could augment non-profit organisational resilience by accentuating their work within the SDGs framework. PRACTICAL/MANAGERIAL IMPLICATIONS: With a long-term view to sustainable HRM, including a view to greening HRM practices, practitioners can support their organisations with the achievement of the SDG targets. CONTRIBUTION/VALUE-ADD: This study contributed to the academic literature on organisational resilience and could assist policymakers in the understudied South African NPO sector with HRM practices and alignment to the SDGs.

BACKGROUND: Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) have long been central to African communities, providing critical solutions to health and disaster challenges. Traditional medicine, a significant component of IKS, continues to play a vital role in addressing health needs, especially in rural areas. AIM: This study sought to gain insights on the use of traditional medicine to address the COVID-19 pandemic in five rural villages in the Joe Morolong Local Municipality, Northern Cape, South Africa. SETTING: The study was conducted in Joe Morolong Local Municipality, Northern Cape, South Africa. METHODS: By adopting a qualitative research design with a phenomenological approach, the study investigated participants' lived experiences. Focus group discussions were conducted with 100 participants, conveniently sampled based on availability. Data were analysed using thematic analysis, uncovering key themes and patterns. RESULTS: Findings revealed that most participants and their households relied on traditional medicine to treat COVID-19 symptoms. This study identified seven key medicinal plants commonly used in the community and their detailed preparation and administration methods. The findings demonstrate the essential role of traditional medicine in fostering community resilience during the pandemic, complementing conventional healthcare services. CONCLUSION: This study underscores the potential of IKS, particularly traditional medicine, in addressing biological hazards such as COVID-19. CONTRIBUTION: The study highlights the importance of integrating traditional practices into disaster risk reduction strategies to enhance health and resilience in vulnerable communities.