Post-disaster recovery processes are often centrally planned and implemented, and they sometimes follow a top-down approach that does not engage affected communities in their own recovery process. Given that post-disaster contexts are particularly difficult environments that can cause large-scale damage and human suffering, demanding speed in the delivery of humanitarian aid and recovery services, community participation can be sometimes be perceived as an additional time-consuming process that adds even more to the challenge of dealing with a disaster. Experience shows, however, that recovery interventions can be inappropriate or ineffective when communities are not consulted and involved actively in the process.
