Indra's son with one of her goats. © CARE/Romayne AnthonyThe floods in Indra Kumari’s region of Sri Lanka have stretched her whole community to breaking point. But Indra has a determination which has seen her through. She is partially deaf, so could be seen to be at a disadvantage – but with a little help from CARE’s Bridge project she already had enough economic independence, knowledge and skill to rebuild her world herself.
One week after the floods hit the Polonnaruwa district, thousands flocked with their families to relief centers for food, water and other critical supplies. But in the village of Bogaswewa one single mother did not collect her supplies. Not feeling she needed them, she chose not to.
Indra Kumari has been part of CARE’s Bridge (Building Relationships in Development and Gender Equity) project since 2010. Bridge aims to help women who head households learn to stand up for their rights and participate more fully in society.
A grant for goats
Indra received a grant of 10,000 rupees through CARE. With it she bought two goats to supplement her income as a labourer. Despite having very limited resources she has always refused to borrow money.
Her 4 year old son and 12 year old daughter both attend school on the strength of Indra’s hard work, but even such resilience has been stretched thin following the disaster.
“All my chickens died and I lost some of my goats as well. Since I can’t hear I checked on my goats every hour so I managed to save three of them including one who had just been born.”
The newborn goat’s mother was lost in the flood. He has found a place in Indra’s heart and by her hearth, where he sleeps to keep him warm in the continuing chilly weather. Every 3 hours Indra feeds him warm kanji (rice porridge).
Training
Indra goes out to work in the fields with her cousin who helps her communicate on the job. She has also not let her deafness stop her from getting to grips with CARE’s training workshops on animal husbandry.
A major reason Indra was in a better situation than many others in her community was her own resilience and ingenuity. Just one week after the floods she had already begun to mix cement to rebuild her flooded kitchen. Her 4 year old son had returned to primary school and her 12 year old daughter was back in school too, complete with shoes and uniform.
Indra Kumari is among the thousands of women who have been affected by the floods, having already been very poor before they struck. Women who are often in charge of growing and gathering food, water and preparing meals, bearing harsh responsibilities with little economic independence.
Independence
For Indra Kumari CARE’s Bridge project has meant things are different. It has been a life-saving opportunity, giving her much needed financial independence, knowledge and skill to handle her life and run her household – even in the face of disaster.
