Faith groups work toward relief in Myanmar
A survivor sits in a makeshift shelter after Cylcone
Nargis devastated Myanmar's coast on May 3. A UMNS photo courtesy of
DCA-ACT International.
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May 13, 2008 | NEW YORK (UMNS)
As aid trickles in to cyclone survivors in Myanmar, United Methodists
and other faith-based groups are cooperating on relief efforts.
The United Methodist Committee on Relief is working with partners in the
Action by Churches Together network, including Church World Service.
Local partners have distributed water purification tablets, food and
materials for shelter reconstruction, according to the Rev. Sam Dixon,
UMCOR’s top executive.
About 1.5 million people are thought to be at risk following the May 3
cyclone in the Southeast Asian nation, formerly known as Burma. The
Myanmar government now puts the official death toll at 34,273, but the
United Nations believes that 62,000 to 100,000 may have died.
Government restrictions in Myanmar have hampered efforts by other
nations and relief organizations to rush aid to the cyclone survivors.
The military has ruled the country since 1962.
"The United Methodist Committee on Relief is persistently pursuing all
avenues to provide relief in Myanmar," Dixon said. "The faith-based
disaster response community is working closely together to bring relief
to those suffering following Cyclone Nargis, and it’s working."
He added that recovery from the cyclone––the worst to hit the region
since 1991––will require both immediate and long-term response.
ACT has established a rapid-support team in Yangon and Bangkok,
according to John Nduna, international director. The team is assisting
with coordination and communication for ACT members and supporting local
organizations.
“The United Methodist Committee on Relief is persistently pursuing all avenues to provide relief in Myanmar.” –The Rev. Sam Dixon A
preliminary response in the coming days aims to assist at least 10,000
families through water, shelter and cash for work programs, he said.
Frustration at pace of relief
During a May 12 press conference in New York, U.N. Secretary-General Ban
Ki-moon expressed "immense frustration" with the pace of cyclone relief
efforts. Citing the risk of an outbreak of infectious disease, he
called upon Myanmar’s government to prevent the disaster from becoming
even more serious.
An ACT member-supported local organization reported that in the Irwaddy
delta region, "many townships are totally destroyed with much loss of
life and infrastructure. Electricity supplies are cut off, while diesel,
natural gas and petrol are unavailable."
An ACT member representative expressed shock at the overwhelming
devastation in the delta region. "During the three hours we sailed in
the delta, I saw around 30 bodies including children," said the
representative, adding that they also witnessed two mass burials.
"Just next to the corpses, women are standing, washing clothes in the
river and fetching water," the representative reported, expressing
concern about cholera and other waterborne diseases.
ACT members are concerned about food shortages, increasing food costs
and the fear that many communities might miss the next planting season.
They are coordinating efforts with the U.N. World Food Program. Sixty to
70 percent of Myanmar’s rice production is grown in areas affected by
the cyclone.
The World Food Program estimates that the amount of food assistance
allowed into the country so far is less than one-tenth of what is
needed, according to a U.N. report.
Contributions
Dixon said financial gifts will allow UMCOR to respond immediately
and generously when the appropriate structures are in place to provide
further assistance.
Donations to UMCOR Advance No. 3019674, Myanmar emergency, can be made online at www.givetomission.org.
Checks also can be dropped in church offering plates or mailed directly
to UMCOR, PO Box 9068, New York, NY 10087-9068. Write the Advance
number and name on the memo line of the check. Credit card donations are
accepted by phone at (800) 554-8583.
*UMCOR and ACT contributed to this report.
News media contact: Linda Bloom, New York, (646) 369-3759 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
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