Story Originally posted in Reliefweb in 2011, reposted now:
A small wooden boat and a net to catch fishes are Jharna Mistry’s two biggest assets. A native of southern Bangladesh, Jharna lost her home, livelihood and asset to the devastating cyclone Aila of 2009.
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In a country hard hit by poverty and many mouths to feed, Jharna’s story is not new. A struggling daily labourer; her husband worked on others’ boats and caught fishes in a system of share fishing (Ga Bhagi in the local language) where he had to give away part of what he caught to the boat owners as lease.
The catch was never sufficient to cover the costs of a family of five and Jharna often tried her luck catching fishes with her hand. Sometimes she managed to catch some; submerged in waters for hours, other times she returned empty handed.
The cyclone Aila took everything A hand to mouth existence on the tethers of poverty pushed the family into the dark recesses with the cyclone that hit the south western coast of Bangladesh in 2009, hitting as many as 15 coastal districts. The Aila, described as a severe cyclonic storm, caused extensive damage to life and property, killing several thousands and in rendering more than 1 million homeless in Bangladesh itself. Jharna too lost everything.
DanChurchAid partner helped them live Immediate as well as long term support received from DanChurchAid partner DSK with assistance from ECHO not only kept the family up-float but has today also given them the independence to earn and own their own living.
“We lost everything to Aila; our home, the little savings that we had and all our belongings. The boat and the net owned by others that my husband used to lease was also lost and in that our livelihood. For days we lived under the open sky on the embankment where we took shelter to escape the violent river,” tells Jhanrna and continues: “In our darkest crisis DanChurchAid partner DSK came to us and gave us food and water. They helped us live. Many people had lost their assets in the cyclone and work was hard to come by; realizing the need of the people, DSK started cash for work programme in the area. My husband started working there.”
Fish net and boat given to Jharna In the days to come, DSK also carried out a household survey on losses and based on extensive discussions with the community, the community and DSK identified the very vulnerable and poor for aid - boats and fish net. Jharna was identified as one of the vulnerable who had lost everything to the cyclone and received a fish net and a boat. To ensure quality products, DSK ensured that the boats were made at the homes of the beneficiary and all payments made only afterwards.
Extra income for the family
“Today, we have my own boat and a net that I use for fishing while my husband goes out to work. Sometimes both of us go out fishing and this way the boat and the net allows extra income for my family. And what we earn is completely ours,” Jharna mentions excitedly.
Cash for work and group savings
As a preparedness activity within the project, the villagers have been motivated to form groups for taking up saving. The process has already started with group members opening their own group saving account in the local bank. With ownership over resources, the villagers have new found strength to articulate their thoughts. Many of them speak of the regular payments received for the cash for work programme initiated by DSK, as against the Government programme where payments are irregular and untimely.
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