“Listening to the stories of pregnant women and newly mothers I realised that another name for water is life” she said. She heard about a pregnant woman who had travelled miles for water, only to return and find her domestic animal dead from dehydration. “The women were crying,” Jaya shared softly. “ I have never seen such pain and strength intertwined” she said and that moment stayed with her.

Salinity intrusion is an issue in Dacope making water and soil adverse for agriculture. Yet, the people continue to endure. And during the appropriate occasion they shared the struggle with her explaining how they have to find out vegetables that are climate resilient and sometimes have to migrate to other cities just for cultivation.

“I prefer to identify as a farmer myself. But I do not have to fight with the climate to grow food in my land. But people living in the coast has to. They have learned to fight with the environment and win,” Jaya said. The residents cultivate whatever land remains arable, preserve rainwater, and innovate new ways to survive in an unforgiving climate. Their determination, she said, is a lesson in adaptation itself. “I offer my heartfelt gratitude to UNDP for being with the communities during their hardship” she said. 

Beyond the hardship, what moved her most was the humanity and humility of coastal life. “The way people here value relationships, resources, and each other is extraordinary,” Jaya said. “The inter-religion bond is strong - as if, the shared struggle has erased all divisions.” That sense of togetherness, she believes, is what keeps the communities grounded even as the tides rise higher every year.