©InfoLike many of the volunteers, it was a painful personal experience that led Rani to volunteer. She recalled: “I was dedicated to volunteer because when I was a child I listened to sad stories from my father about how he lost his four sisters and his first wife in a cyclone—that inspires me to volunteer.”
Changing how a community reacts during a disaster is difficult, but changing cultural attitudes about who has access to information is extremely hard. Rani considers herself lucky because her voluntary work has always been supported by her husband. She said: “I have been volunteering since 1991, and my husband encouraged me by saying that I could volunteer. He worked in the army and realized that it was good for women to volunteer, but other people—particularly religious and family men—did not see this so easily.
“I had one bitter experience after I went to Barguna for a month to take part in some volunteer training. When I returned home some people told me I had become a prostitute because I had stayed away from home for a month, being out of my house with other men who were not my husband or brother.
“Luckily my husband supported me and helped tackle the situation.”
Rani has seen people’s attitudes start to change. “Developing a good image for our female volunteers has taken a long time. People have now seen that we are doing a good job helping other people. The situation has changed for the better, but it will take a long time.”
Read Hashi and Koli's story
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