Women led disaster task force: creating differences in their society

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Recurrent flooding has affected the lives of community in Darbhanga district in Bihar both socially and economically. Most of the communities in Maulaganj village of Darbhanga district are poor farmers who depend on small land farming and daily labour. The community has traditional practices of coping mechanism in floods for many years. Due to the NGO SSP and Kanchan Seva Ashram’s intervention in the villages of Sadar and Hanuman Nagar block at Darbhanga district, women groups has organized themselves and systemized the community practice in prevention and mitigation practices.

Recurrent flooding has affected the lives of people in Darbhanga; most are poor farmers dependent on small land farming and daily labour. Due to Swayam Shikshan Prayog (SSP) and Kanchan Seva Ashram's (KSA) intervention especially in the villages of Sadar and Hanuman Nagar block, Darbhanga district, women groups have organised themselves and systemized the community practice in prevention and mitigation practices. Take for instance, Leela Devi and Manju Devi from a village, Maulaganj. They have taken the lead in organising the community under women led disaster task force. The Task Force was formed in 2010 and was the beginning of spreading the message and scaling up of initiatives to neighbouring villages. In less than two years, the task force guides the village communities in preparing dry foods, ensuring grain banks, updating the knowledge of task force teams, arranging medical kits, etc., especially before the monsoon season. A training manual on Disaster Task Force has also been prepared to teach other villages. The manual has been released by Zilla Parishad and Adarsh Women Federation at Darbhanga on 6^th July 2012.

This story showcases women’s resilience initiatives and their role in risk reduction activities and local development. Given the opportunity women leaders emerge in the community and take up problems and challenges of local development and resilience initiatives.