Help flood devastation recovery in Odisha, India

“May- June-2021 is the dry period in Odisha when the community has no waged employment, so we took this opportunity to help them recover the community further following the floods and to supply rations that have been essential during the second wave of coronavirus. 

We have reached 7500 people of Dalit background and other communities outside of the caste system. The expressed need from community themselves is there for immediate relief, livelihood restoration, agriculture restoration and disaster resiliency. We have worked hard with the community to revive community ponds.  

Despite the flooding, because of drastic weather change, the area will face acute water scarcity during the summer months. There was no water in community pond on which the poor villages depend heavily. The tube wells have dried up. There is problem of drinking water as well as water for cattles. Thus there is a need of reviving the community ponds in order to increase its water retention capacity and to charge the ground water level.”

Our partners in Odisha tell us that it’s been positive to engage the community to build this resiliency, as usually men migrate for difficult low paid work in the cities, and this has been affected by the coronavirus. Our partners want to support livelihoods and sustainability to mean that this migration is no longer needed on such a scale and that women are not left behind struggling to face the problems in their communities alone.

Thank you for your support, it is reaching communities facing the double hardship of the pandemic and environmental disaster. 

Our partners explain:

After the floods, because the crop was totally washed away, the agricultural workers, especially Dalit people, did not have any work or daily labour. The only option was either to migrate out or to distressingly sell their few assets like bicycles, goats, cows etc.

We supported them by providing rations to meet their needs while the clearing of the floods was undertaken. Dry food provisions were given and ponds were drained, so not only helped improving the water and sanitation situation post-floods, but also ensured food security for at least a week in that critical period.

We continue to work in the area. We’re now helping organise people into farmers groups and migrant labour groups, conducting trainings etc. We’re also trying to link people up with Govt schemes.

We would like to develop livelihood interventions in dairy, fishery, goatery, backyard poultry, kitchen gardening, horticulture and bee-keeping but require further funds to do so.

Thank you for your support of this project, which continues to help community recovery from devastating floods.