Women in the Dashmath fishing community along the coastal belt of Orissa are able to enjoy the benefits of their hard work after they became owners of boats with the help of World Vision.
Following the Orissa Super Cyclone, World Vision’s response saw the emergence of ADP Nirman to bring sustainable development to the communities devastated by the tidal waves.
Rebuilding the livelihood security of the people was a key aspect of the programme and various activities had been undertaken to increase the income base of families dependant on agriculture, fishing and casual labour.
In the fishing village of Dashmath both men and women depend on the fish that they get from the backwaters for their livelihood. 'Though the people got more fish, they couldn’t enjoy the profit because they had to pay a rent for the boats they hire', says Darmendra Nayak, Programme Manager of Nirman ADP.
Getting a boat on rent also meant that the people also had to handle issues of availability of boats, fixed timings apart from the money they will have to pay for the day.
Women Self Group were determined to come out of this situation and with the help of ADP Nirman provided 15 women with 6 ‘dangs’ (a boat that can accommodate 2 – 3persons).
'Now women own these boats, they are able to take the boats any time they want, sometimes as early as 3 a.m. and get lot of fish. The profit of the sale is shared among them and sometime they market this for export through other agencies', says Darmendra.
'Earlier they used to give almost half of their earning as rent. Now all the money they make is used for their families. Owning the boats have enabled this group of women to take home their earning and they are able to take better care of their families, especially children and also save money', adds Darmendra.
World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organisation working to create lasting change in the lives of children, families and communities living in poverty and injustice. World Vision serves all people regardless of religion, caste, race, ethnicity or gender.
