Keeping in view the recurring disaster in the Subarnarekha Basin, Unnayan has planned its disaster mitigation operation with a long term perspective. These volunteers who have been trained and are engaged in the current humanitarian work have been organised under the banner ‘SUBARNAREKHA SURAKSHA SENA’. Subarnarekha Suraksha Sena is a civilian corps consisting of individuals, institutions, organizations who are direc tly or indirectly affected by river ‘Subarnareknarekha’ and have taken a vow to protect themselves and the people in the river basin from severe flood that comes almost every year. It works on issues concerning preparedness, relief and rehabilitation during flood and going to take up advocacy activities on term strategy for flood control, which is a major cause of poverty in the area of north Balasore.

This is the second time Unnayan is partnering with Oxfam. In 2002-04, Unnayan received the support of Oxfam for an All- women’s cooperative of mudhi (puffed rice) producers called ‘Mayurbhanj Mahila Association’. The support was under the market access programme for the production, sale and distribution of Mudhi. It is significant that 40 quintals of mudhi produced by the cooperative that was distributed as relief in the first few days of the flood. Coincidently, the office of ayurbhanj Mahila Association has been the base for all coordination work for the Flood Response programme this year.