Rising From the Rubble: Rukhsana's Battle Against Climate Disasters

The reality of the impact of climate change disasters disproportionately affects many individuals, especially smallholder farmers and micro-entrepreneurs like 43-year-old Rukhsana, who resides in vulnerable rural communities like Sindh in Pakistan, where the landscape is marked by the struggles of people grappling with the impact of climate change.

According to the UN report "The Human Cost of Disasters 2000-2019," released in 2019, approximately 4.2 billion people have been affected by disasters related to climate change over the past two decades. For members of Sindh in Pakistan, this is their lived reality.

In 2022, monsoon rains caused devastating floods that claimed over 800 lives and left more than 2 million houses, 8000 roads, and 165 bridges in ruins. Crops covering about 3.7 million acres were damaged, and more than 400,000 livestock were lost. A staggering 12.3 million people were affected, with 7.4 million displaced.

“All was going well until heavy rains and a big flood hit and ruined my crops and destroyed my home,” said 43-year-old Rukhsana, a mother of two and a small-holder cotton farmer from the district of Sanghar, Sindh province in Pakistan.

“Before the disaster happened, my cotton farming was a success. I consistently secured a loan from SAFCO microfinance institution to expand and invest in equipment to improve the quality of my crops. I provided for my family and had a simply comfortable life. As I watched the flood wash away my farm and break down our home, my dreams and hope came crashing down with it,” Rukhsana added.

It’s unfair that vulnerable communities like Sindh, who contribute little or nothing to climate change, should suffer such magnitude of loss and damage caused by the changing climate.

Learning from the disaster and many others, we went into learning and re-strategized with our partner, SAFCO on a disaster-resilient framework at client level, the organizational (SAFCO) level and the industry level.

SAFCO will also conduct a pilot  which include clients like Rukhsana are provided with crop loan credit bundled with affordable insurance. Bundling insurance with loans provides clients with a safety net to protect their assets and livelihoods in the event of climate-related losses. To complement these products, they will invest in client education and training programs on disaster preparedness and risk reduction strategies. Educated clients are better equipped to make informed decisions and take proactive steps to protect their assets.

“One day while we were at the camp and thinking of where to build back from the rubble, we got a call from SAFCO asking about our situation. They told me that they wanted to help us weather the storm. It was a lifeline for me and my family,” said Rukhsana.

“I was not only given a loan of PKR 200,000 (€650) but they also gave me an additional grant of Rs. 30,000 (€100) to help revive my business. The counseling sessions they provided strengthened my heart to build again, and the awareness of the impact of climate change they provided me and how to be better prepared for the future was an eye-opener for me,” Rukhsana said.

“SAFCO offered a helping hand when I needed it the most. Now, when I look at my fields, I see how strong I can be when I don't give up. Even when things are tough, with determination and some help, we can turn things around,” Rukhsana added.