"We have regained our self-respect"

Dipankar Patnaik reports from Bihar where Oxfam has been providing water and sanitation support as part of our response to the floods that have displaced more than two million people.

Ankila Devi and Sukumari Devi were both forced to flee their homes to escape the marauding waters of the Kosi river when it burst its banks in the early hours of 18 August. All they had with them were their children, and a few items of clothing.

Belonging to marginalised caste groups, and having lived a life of impoverishment, they arrived at Belhi camp in search of refuge and food. However, they found to their dismay that facilities in the camp fell far short of their expectations.

Belhi camp in the early days after the floods was a cauldron of human emotions – some heartrending and some opportunistic. The facilities in the camp were desperately inadequate and, with no electricity, the nights were long and hard. Compounding an already difficult situation was the need for sanitation.

Back in their villages, camp residents like Ankila and Sukaumari used to go to the nearby bushes and forested land to relieve themselves. But in the camp, they found themselves surrounded by a sheet of water covering all the nearby vegetation, and having to compete with hundreds of other people for available space. Privacy and security were the issues on every women’s mind. This led to a situation where many women had to get up in the early hours to avoid prying eyes when performing their daily ablutions. This also meant a lot of newfound hygiene and water supply problems.

With humanitarian support from the European Commission, Oxfam started work in Belhi camp in the first week of September and began running a public health programme. Our work included constructing a series of toilet and bathing cubicles for women. All facilities also included shallow water tube wells to comply with international SPHERE standards.

Sukumari Devi is all praise for the work Oxfam’s public health team has carried out as “the bathing cubicles provide us with a much-needed space for women to change.” The community as a whole, and the women in particular, have welcomed the toilets and bathing cubicles. One significant benefit is that, given their proximity to the shelters, night use is now also safe. But this is not the only benefit that the new facilities have brought with them. Ankila Devi feels very strongly about the positive effect of the new amenities, “I feel that the other women and I have been empowered again with the self-respect that was snatched from us the moment we left our homes.”

Written by Dipankar Patnaik, 30 October 2008

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Oxfam's response to the floods in Bihar