  This paper is part of an ongoing project that seeks to address a gap in
disaster information coordination and collaboration in Zimbabwe. There is lack
of coordinated information and knowledge in natural disaster and emergency
situations in Zimbabwe. This results in weak collaboration links among the
various organizations that respond to emergencies, leading to slow decision
making processes and long response times. This negatively affects the affected
communities, exacerbating poverty in Zimbabwe. This has been evidenced in the
recent catastrophic cyclone Idai where many people were left dead,
infrastructure destroyed and some people marooned. To address this, the
research seeks to develop an integrated Knowledge Management and ICT framework
that aid in coordination and collaboration among the various crisis responders.
This will be achieved through a case study approach using Zimbabwe's Civil
Protection Unit. PAR within DSRM will be used to gather data from CPU as well
as with NGO respondents, traditional leaders and disaster response experts.
Findings will be compared and contrasted with secondary data gathered in
literature, this, with collected data will be used in developing a home grown
coordination and collaboration solution. Qualitative approach to data
collection will be adopted using interviews, visioning workshops and document
analysis.
