Cyclone Nargis: Our response #8

Although foreigners are not able to go into the Delta area, some of the nationals are able to continue to visit villages there, bringing rice and other items to distribute, including buckets, shower cups, blankets, prawn paste, bamboo hats, gas light, iodized salt, spoons, bowls, plates,and noodles.

One village that was visited is in the area of the Delta worst affected by the cyclone.  Before the cyclone struck, over 800 people lived there; over 700 have now died, leaving just 100 inhabitants.

The villagers cannot get from their village to anywhere else because of the cost of the boat trip, and have been surviving only on donations.  The village leader goes to the port town once a week to obtain supplies from charities there; the food they receive falls far short of the need: he is given 15 cans of milk to nourish 200 people.  To travel to these villages takes three hours by boat from the port town.  This journey costs 80,000 Kyat, or US$12,440 each way, of which 60,000 Kyat, or US$9,330 is just the price of diesel!  

These economic realities hit those who visit, but above all, those villagers still endeavouring to keep body and soul together.

One housewife has had no money since the cyclone and cannot imagine how she might now obtain it; in fact the whole concept of money has become irrelevant. 

Another mother asked for medicine because her son had a pain in his chest. No medicine or doctors were available this time, so the team gave her a bottle of diesel as fuel to help her travel to the nearest clinic.

In another village, the need was for men’s traditional clothing: tragically, most of the ladies here had died.

Again the team saw that in many villages people are crowded into inadequate housing.  In one house 70 people are now living together while they rebuild their own houses.  As the roof of this house had been destroyed, the team donated tarpaulin as a temporary roof to keep out the rain until tin roofing was obtained.  Tarpaulin was given to five other families who were in the process of rebuilding their houses.

Still the team came across villages where no relief work has yet reached the needy.  In one particular small remote village, there had been fourteen houses, but as three quarters of the population had died in the cyclone, seven of the families, a total of thirty people, were living together in one small house whilst they began rebuilding their own homes.
“We were touched by their situation because their need was very great and they had received nothing until we came,” said one of the team.

In the area known as the “rice-pot of Myanmar”, most of the people are farmers or fishermen working in the waterways.  Now their greatest need is for rice seed to plant, and tractors or buffalo to work the land. The government has given some tractors on loan, to be repaid in installments. However many more are needed.

The price of a tractor is 1500,000 Kyat, or US $1500.  A buffalo can be bought for US$300, also to plough the land. Diesel is, of course, necessary to run the tractors.   One 50kilo bag of rice seed costs US$9.  
Many fishermen have lost their boats and nets, and with it their livelihood. The lowest price for a boat is US$100. Nets will cost between US$5- US$8.
Water pumps, costing between US$800- US$1000, tarpaulin material and cooking oil are also very much needed.

On another occasion the team returned to an area they had visited before the previous week, and took rice, cooking oil, tinned fish, fish paste, and noodles.  Again the monastery was the distribution centre where over 250 families were able to receive goods.  Many had come from surrounding villages and requested the team to visit their villages in future trips, which may well be possible soon. 

These relief trips have given rise to many discussions about God and His love.