Thousands of people are moving into Yangon, Myanmar's largest city, from cyclone affected regions in the Irrawaddy Delta. With very little aid reaching the delta region, these people are coming to the city in hope of finding help.
Thousands of people who have lost their homes in the Yangon area are still waiting for aid to arrive. There are rumors that major aid has reached other places, but people in communities we are serving have yet to see any government or international aid.
NMSI's team is reaching out to both of these populations as we speak. We will be deploying several water systems ($3000 purchases a system which will provide water for 1000 people indefinitely) in the next two weeks. We are also dispersing food aid in the form of rice ($5 will provide a meal to 55 people).
We will soon begin rebuilding homes ($400 each home) which were destroyed. Many of those coming into Yangon are hoping to stay with family, but their family also lost their homes. Reconstruction of homes is critical to alleviating disease related deaths as the monsoon season continues.
NMSI is accepting donations toward relief efforts and continues distributing relief supplies. With your gift, we can:
Provide help to an entire family--$100
Construct digging wells--$100
Rebuild a home--$400
Build a water system to supply clean water indefinitely for 1000 people--$3000
Urgent need: $30,000 for vehicle to deliver relief supplies
As the monsoon season arrives, a quality 4x4 vehicle is needed to carry the team and relief supplies into the devastated areas.
The worst is not yet over.
As international efforts have been stalled and the government of Myanmar has not successfully responded to the crisis, 2 million people are at risk of disease, starvation, and the consequences of exposure. Myanmar is also in its rice planting season. Seed stocks have been destroyed by the cyclone. The next rice harvest after this one will be in May 2009. These aftereffects of the cyclone have the potential to overshadow the immediate effects of the storm itself.
To donate to Myanmar cyclone relief:
2. Select Checking/Savings Account donations OR Credit Card Donations
3. Enter your information and designate your gift to "Cyclone Relief - Myanmar". If
you know some of our staff there and want to donate to their specific efforts, please
designate the gift to them.