Supporting girls' in climate emergencies: Shilpa's story

Life living on the coast of West Bengal wasn’t easy for anyone, and Shilpa’s family was no different. With little available work, her father worked as a migrant labourer in faraway cities; she would see him maybe once a year when he was able to return home. Her mother spent dawn to dusk as a fisherwoman along the banks of the Ganges, catching and selling whatever she could. It was, then, Shilpa’s duty as the eldest to manage the house, get all the chores done, and take care of her siblings. It was a busy life; and one that didn’t leave any time for anything else, like play, or friends, or school.

But Shilpa still had dreams. She dreamt about visiting Kolkata one day. Of being a policewoman perhaps, putting all that responsibility to good use, standing up for people in need. But they were just dreams. She would be married soon, anyway. Her mother had found her a husband who might take her, even though she only had one pair of clothes.

In 2020, when Cyclone Amphan hit, it started with rain. Some houses in the next village lost their roofs, then the trees started to fall. It wasn’t long before the water began to seep into Shilpa’s house, too. She spent three days on the roof with her siblings, waiting for the water to recede. When it did, it had taken everything that they owned with it.

They moved to a rescue centre nearby. A big group of women came through distributing essential food, health kits and clothing. Shilpa asked the women where they were from. The support workers told her about their project, about its work ensuring girls have access to education and stay out of child marriage.

Shilpa couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She asked for their help. A lot’s changed since then.

The project was able to prevent Shilpa’s marriage, and those of other teenage girls like her. Even more than that, they were able to support Shilpa to get an education. Her mother is so proud of her, and excited for her future. Now, when Shilpa dreams of becoming a police officer, her mother dreams along with her.

Shilpa was one of hundreds more that we were able to support as a result of our presence in the area following the Cyclone. As we work to improve our emergency response capabilities, our ability to act quickly in identifying and supporting those most in need in times of crisis is only possible because of your support.