Description
This paper explores how the sharing of humanitarian assistance has implications for social capital-building in conflict-affected contexts. Technocratic approaches to humanitarian response view sharing as, at best, leakage and, at worst, aid diversion, overlooking the potential for social capital-building inherent in reciprocal sharing practices employed by communities. Drawing on research conducted in Northeast Nigeria, the paper highlights how people frequently shared humanitarian assistance (food or cash). The insurgency in the region has severely weakened social fabric, eroding trust and disrupting social interaction. However, the act of sharing, motivated by reciprocity (the expectation of future return or a sense of community), fostered social cohesion by strengthening both ‘bonding’ (within groups) and ‘bridging’ (between groups) social capital. While, in this context, sharing appears largely voluntary, some intended beneficiaries reported a risk of being pressured to share due to social dynamics or threats from non-state armed groups. The paper calls for research that looks beyond the material benefits of humanitarian aid to consider the social and political dimensions of sharing within humanitarian responses to food insecurity. Peacebuilding approaches allow for exploring the reciprocal elements of food aid to develop a more nuanced understanding of the impact of humanitarian aid in conflict-affected societies.
