--- BURMA CYCLONE RELIEF -- BURMA AID -- BURMA CYCLONE RELIEF ---

THIS IS A MESSAGE FROM A VERY GOOD FRIEND WHO IS IN BURMA NOW!
ANYONE WHO IS INTERESTED IN HELPING, DONATING OR JUST RELIABLE,
ON-SITE INFORMATION, PLEASE READ THIS !!!

at 10:26pm on May 12th, 2008:

Dear Friends,

Thank you for all your thoughts and well wishes – I am sorry for my inability to reply to you all properly now. Myanmar is not an easy place to write from and we are still without water and electricity in all but a few places in Yangon.

However, this is nothing compared with what is happening just 30 km away from my desk. The most recent UN estimates say that between 1.3 and 1.9 million people are affected by Cyclone Nargis. The death toll is between 60 and 100,000 with about 200,000 missing.
In truth we will never know an exact figure. You can read the stories of bodies still lying, now rotting in the rivers of the Irrawaday Delta (iht.com, alertnet.org, timesonline.com particularly good coverage).

I am not at liberty to write very much of what I am seeing and hearing here – except to urge you to read more about what is going on. It is indeed the tragedy that is being reported.

At the present time monasteries and local people are providing much of the care to the displaced and vulnerable – but towns are overwhelmed by the sheer number of refugees. Villages that I have visited less than 5 hours from Yangon are drinking contaminated water and living in the wreckage of their damaged homes. In some villages no one has survived.
The second wave of deaths will occur because of lack of basic sanitation and the upcoming failure to plant next season’s rice. The children I spoke to last week already were suffering from diarrhea and the beginning of waterborne diseases. The NGO world fears a cholera epidemic could spread any day now and a lot of them are still struggling for access to the affected areas.

Here at my office we are giving blood, clothes, rice and whatever we can – but money to buy water purification tablets, rice and basic household supplies could make a massive difference. On Wednesday of this week we will be visiting a village 2 hours from Yangon. It is called Kune Nyan Kone and has 99% destruction. There are 20,000 people there. It is the worst hit area of Yangon Division.

Merlin (a British medical NGO) has some of the best access to the affected areas in the Delta region, while ActionAid, another NGO, is also doing some wonderful work here. I have spent many hours in the last few days with both of these NGO’s and can assure you that down the line these are NGO’s that are going to make a difference in Myanmar and to the people whose lives even now hang in the balance.

Thank you for anything that you give. You are all in my thoughts.
B.


at 7:19am on May 14th, 2008:

Hello people,
If anything has re-assured me not only of the good of humanity, but the usefulness of facebook it has been the last few days.

Thank you to all of you who have written and donated.

There are 100,000 refugees in the town of Boagaly- most of whom are living at the monasteries. When I was there last week it was the local people who were providing the rice and clean water for the people - however medical supplies are essential - and even last week they were worried that supplies were running out)

One person I spoke to was from a village where there are no children remaining. Only those who could swim survived. Another man showed us his scars, across his chest and arms - they are the vivid marks of a night spent hanging on to a mango tree to hold himself above the tidal surge. They were already infected. Everyone had lost someone - and most were lone survivors who had comandeered abandoned boats through rivers of corpses to arrive in Bogalay.

One man had tried to carry his 6 year old son on his back as he swam to safety. Half way through the 12 hour Cyclone he realised he could not continue with the child's frightened arms wrapped around his neck. He was forced to abandon his son. Many refugees arrived without clothes - they too were ripped off in the storm.

I now urge you to give money to organisations like ActionAid or Merlin or UNICEF. These NGO's are doing an amazing job - and will use your money to reach people directly.

Thank you again - all the best to you,
B.

http://www.merlin.org.uk
http://www.actionaid.org

--- BURMA CYCLONE RELIEF -- BURMA AID -- BURMA CYCLONE RELIEF ---