International Women’s Day: How women are leading their community to safety.

Women and children are 14 times more likely than men to die when a natural disaster strikes. On International Women’s Day, we honour women who are taking the lead in their communities, and sharing their knowledge to rebuild their communities after a disaster.

CAFOD’s Disaster Risk Reduction specialist Dr. Kate Crowley met47-year old mum Sabita Biswas who lives on the coast in Bangladesh.

“Meeting Sabita was an inspiration,” says Kate. “She’s a fantastic role-model. She runs a women’s group, which makes sure women know what to do when the village is hit by cyclones and floods.

When her local area created an emergency committee, she was the first woman to speak up. She demanded practical improvements – like separate spaces for women in cyclone shelters, life-jackets, radios and better early-warning systems.

The area she’s living used to be very traditional: a lot of women never had the chance to go to school and some still can’t even leave their homes without permission. Sabita and her women’s group are making an enormous difference.”

This is Sabita’s story:

“My family and I live in the coastal area of Bangladesh and we are caught between many calamities. We have to cope with tidal surges, cyclones and floods.  We have no choice.

“I lost everything in a cyclone in 2007. When I saw the water rising we took shelter in my neighbour’s house. Our neighbour’s house started to collapse around us and part of it fell down. We were covered in rainwater and mud. We had a horrible night.

“The next morning we returned to our house and saw that it was completely washed away. We lost everything. I was helpless.

“This year, we had more heavy rain: after just one hour my courtyard was flooded in a foot of water. All our things inside the house – our furniture, our beds and our clothes – were ruined. We spent the whole night wearing wet clothes and sleeping on polythene sheets on the floor.

“But my vegetable plot wasn’t ruined by the flooding, because CAFOD had encouraged me to raise it off the ground. My husband and I raised it about two and a half feet higher than it was last year. I become very passionate when I think about my vegetable garden. This year, I produced red spinach, basil, pumpkin, bitter gourd, okra, potatoes and beans. I sell my vegetables twice a week, making about 200 – 250 taka (£1.50 - £2) each time.

“I am now a leader in the community, giving advice to everyone, but especially women, on how to protect themselves and their land – it’s important for them as  if our vegetables are destroyed, we can’t make a living.

“Heavy rainfall also causes health problems like diarrhoea, skin diseases and other illnesses.  I give my neighbours advice on how to stay healthy. I tell them to boil water before drinking it, to cover their foods, to eat more vegetables each day, and I show them how to take oral rehydration salts when they have diarrhoea.

“I also show them how to prepare for future floods. We can’t stop natural disasters, but we can try to keep the damage low.

“Before, people in my community had a negative attitude towards women. Gradually this is changing. Now people understand how important it is for all children to go to school, including girls.

“Before I was a leader, I felt hesitant speaking to men in authority. Now I’m happy because I’m more confident. When I go to meetings, I believe that men in authority listen to me. It’s good to be able to speak out.

“I am very happy to able to help other women. My house is open to any community member who needs my help.”

Sabita features in our Emmaus Meal: A Lenten resource for parishes and communities>>