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The villages where Maya Ben, Rashik, Tara Ben and Navin live are between the towns of Anjar and Bhachau, in a part of Gujarat called the Kutch – a low-lying, marshy place between the sea and the Pakistan border. Even before the earthquake in 2001, this area was already very poor.
It is quite hard to farm there, because the land is so low that salty water seeps into it from the sea. To get water, people have to drill deep boreholes to reach the fresh water underneath. There is only just enough for drinking, cooking and washing – not for watering the crops. Farmers have to rely on the rains to get their crops to grow.
Most people have some land for farming, but it is often a long way from their home. In the dry season, and when the rains fail, families depend on the vegetables and castor oil they grow in their backyard gardens. Because these gardens are close to their house, it is easier to water them when they need it.
Many families have animals too – chickens, goats, a cow or two or perhaps even a camel. They use them for eggs and milk. Most people are vegetarians so don’t eat meat.
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