Pratima Behera, 33, lives with her husband, Mohan Kumar Behera, and 6-year-old son, Dinesh, in Panichatra village of Gop block in Puri, Odisha. 5 months pregnant when Cyclone Fani made landfall in the state (i.e. on May 3, 2019), Pratima, along with her husband and son, moved to a nearby pucca house on May 2 for shelter.

“We returned home on May 7 and found all our food material and other household items completely damaged by the cyclone. We felt helpless,” recalls Pratima. Immediately after Cyclone Fani, as part of its emergency response, ActionAid India reached out to the affected families in Panichatra village, including Pratima’s family, with dry food ration kits. Subsequently, with support from Asian Paints, ActionAid India also distributed hygiene kits in Panichatra, comprising household items such as buckets, mugs, soaps, water purifier tablets, bed sheets, sanitary napkins, tarpaulin sheets and mosquito nets.

With a smile on her face, Pratima thanks ActionAid India and Asian Paints for their timely support to her family and other community members in this hour of crisis. Another reason behind her smile could perhaps be the dreams that she has for her young son, Dinesh, who is currently studying in Class I. “I want my son to become a teacher when he grows up,” shares Pratima, as her eyes shine bright with optimism.

Recognizing that emergency situations affect vulnerable communities disproportionately, ActionAid focuses on people living in poverty and exclusion, and amongst them women, children, the elderly and persons with disability. ActionAid works with proven processes of accountability and transparency to all stakeholders, including the communities it serves.