Chandra is a person with visual impairment. She started losing vision at 19 and acquired blindness at 24. As a widow with two sons living in a cyclone and tsunami-prone area, people like Chandra and her family are especially vulnerable to climate change. 

 

Chandra supports herself and her family by selling the fish and prawns she catches by hand from the river. Chandra’s family first benefitted from OMCAR Foundation’s work in 2015 during Cyclone Gaja.

 

OMCAR Foundation is an NGO that focuses on conserving the Palk Bay ecosystem, especially the conservation of dugongs, seagrasses, and mangroves using scientific and traditional knowledge. The organisation also has cyclone response, livelihood, marine restoration, and educational programmes to ensure that the communities that live in these areas equally participate in conserving the biodiversity of the area while addressing issues of disaster preparedness and resilience.  

 

During Cyclone Gaja, OMCAR Foundation provided Chandra and her family with food and shelter for ten days after their house became inhabitable due to the floods. The extensive flooding meant that Chandra and her family didn’t have access to safe shelter and they could not earn their daily wages. As they got ready to move back to their homes, OMCAR Foundation also provided them with a tarpaulin to protect their house. 

 

It was as a result of this unfortunate event that her family’s association with the organization began. Belonging to a vulnerable community, Chandra and many others in her neighbourhood are often dependent on OMCAR Foundation’s intervention during times of crisis. Chandra and her family have come to trust the organization and know that they can turn to them during trying times.

 

The support has continued over the years. Chandra’s family was also provided with rice and groceries during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020. Chandra and her family are extremely thankful for OMCAR Foundation’s timely interventions which have greatly helped them.