By Dr. Shakuntala Pratihary, Centre for Research and Community Action (CeRCA), India

As natives of Odisha, we have been experiencing disasters every year in different forms, and this has impacted our personality so much that all our literature, cultural, and various forms of expressions get influenced by the narratives of disaster-related sufferings. As a researcher, I have been reading Southasiadisaster.net regularly, and it has been a truly liberating feeling to know that we can overcome this scenario and build community resilience to withstand the vagaries of these disasters. The impact of disasters on women and children has been devastating, and it affects the capabilities of women and girl children in the long run. The vast diversity of articles published on Southasiadisasters.net provides a vivid description of the struggles and successes of local communities in overcoming the impact and building resilience through participatory methods, with a particular focus on women and children.

While reading these stories and articles, one actually gets the feeling that there is an option to escape from these situations, and this can be achieved by collectivising local communities. This has had a positive impact on me while pursuing my doctoral studies and has also shaped my career as an action researcher. These narratives have inspired me to work with women and the marginal communities to break their culture of silence and initiate social change at their own level. Various examples of advocating with the government and other agencies have inspired us to initiate a similar process to bring evidence from the field to suggest progressive policy changes.

The published articles and literature inspire many of us to build a positive narrative around disaster risk reduction and have helped in collectivising local communities to find local solutions. The repository of articles from global experiences has truly promoted local initiatives and sparked many of us not only to conduct research but also to engage with communities to facilitate change.

I wish Southasiadisasters.net all the power and strength in the coming years.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this piece are those of the author/s and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of AIDMI.