Let us Proudly Commemorate International Year of Small Scale Fisheries & Aquaculture - 2022

What she says...?

Chitra SuriyaKumar [56], is a fisher woman, with 2 male children and 5 female children from the Inbacity fishing village at Vadamarachchi area of Jaffna district in the northern province of Sri Lanka. There are 2 female children married and the rest of the children are still unmarried.

K.Suriyakumar, her husband was the former chair person of the Vadamarachchi fisheries cooperative society union and also an active member for any of the development activity in the village. So, Chitra, happened to be also in the forefront when the women engage such development work in the area. In 1990, the situation was changed as the war affected on their life and also badly damaged their livelihoods. But, Chitra and her husband did not give up the activities to keep the community in a united position to face the difficulties. They worked together to gain the land back which captured for security purposes while people are in the displaced camps at the vicinity to their lands and houses. So, there were some plans to destroy Suriyakumar family. Due to the death threats, Chitra had to leave their village at Vadamarachchi and shifted to Kilinochci as a displaced person with her son while her husband continue the fishing activities at Vadamarachchi which is the only source of income for their family. Chitra was living at Kilinochci with the money sent by her husband. But in 1997, the situation became worse as her husband faced serious difficulties to live at Vadamarachchi area. So, he also shifted to Kilinochchi and the family lived together though they faced serious economic difficulties read more