Rural Women Response to Climate Crisis & Food System

It was a bright new day in August 2020 and Ikata, an agregarian, quiet & serene community, tucked up in Ahoada East LGA in Rivers State woke up as usual, early, to carry out their morning chores before heading to their only means of livelihood - Farming. But that day did not end well. Towards afternoon, as the sun was riding to its peak, there was great noise, behold it was torrent water with very high current flowing and covering the community. It cut up with so many people on different positions and situation like buying of groceries, children just leaving the school back to their homes, some still in the farm and others on the road to different places. Rose Nwikata, a widow, like others were in the farm when the flood came and they was no shelter in sight to run to. They struggled, walked, floated, swarmed to get home. On reaching her community, most community members who was around the homestead was seen trying to run to safety. As she got home, her mud home has been destroyed by the flood. Part of her roof and walls has been swept away together with some of her properties. She stood and cried, but there was no help anywhere. She started finding her way to safety. It was not easy as the horde of community members and children struggled along in the flood without knowing where the water wells or drainages were located. She left without change of clothes, water or food like the other community members. The confusion was great every where. They drank & defacated into the same flood water. Long after the flood that washed away all their cassava and other crops, she and other community members have not recovered. They have no food, no money and cannot go back to the farm as they neither have cassava stems to plant or money to purchase stems to replant. Please come to their rescue. Donate clothes, food, money and water to support them. And of course, the widow that lost her home had her remaining properties stolen by others.

We agreed after a long deliberation and interactions that they will start putting little money aside in a collective bank to enable them purchase food items between June and july since the flood always come in August. these food when they get to the safe shelter which is usually about 4 story buildings in their community. they will be able to share it per family or cook in a collective pot and dish out to all who are their. these food items will be shared out for the 4 buildings so people taking shelter in any of the houses will have their share of food while the flood period last.

My team & I visited them to encourage them and hear their story.  Unedited videos of these women sharing their ordeal and challenges on our facebook pages https://fb.watch/4j3AkKHvbk/   https://www.facebook.com/213029782641666/posts/784565338821438/   https://www.facebook.com/thisisolphi/posts/790546454889993