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Six months ago, May 2, 008, Cyclone Nargis devastated Myanmar. The Red Cross announced today that while major milestones have been reached, important and difficult work remains ahead if people and communities are to fully recover from this tragedy.
“The needs have been enormous and the services provided by local tens of thousands of local Red Cross volunteers have been absolutely essential,” said Bridget Gardner, Head of Delegation for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in Myanmar. “It is this capacity of the Red Cross in Myanmar to mobilize volunteers at the community level which enabled access to affected communities and a swift response in the first place, but our work together is far from over.”
To date, over 27,000 Myanmar Red Cross Society volunteers and staff, supported by over 30 disaster response experts from the International Federation, have provided relief to half a million survivors, eighty per cent in the worst-hit Ayeyarwady Delta region.
In response to this emergency the Canadian Red Cross deployed logistics delegate Luc Dumoulin. Dumoulin was deployed to Myanmar at the end of May to provide logistics support for the International Federation of Red Cross Red Crescent Societies’ relief operation.
In addition, the Canadian Red Cross coordinated the deployment and distribution of 2,000 Government of Canada shelter kits. These kits have helped provide urgently needed shelter to up to 10,000 people in affected communities.
As efforts shift from relief to recovery, Gardner highlighted MRCS and IFRC plans for psychosocial support to ensure the emotional recovery of those affected and programmes to create income for families whose livelihoods have been destroyed. “We are working closely with the MRCS and other humanitarian organizations in the delivery of livelihoods programmes that will impact 80,000 households, water and sanitation programmes to ensure the well-being of communities, health education programmes, and trainings that boost disaster preparedness at the community level,” she said.
“We could not have achieved anything without our volunteers; they have been outstanding,” said Prof. Dr. Tha Hla Shwe, the President of the MRCS. “When you ask them about their own experiences and losses, even some of them break down. Clearly more work needs to be done.”