19 June 2008

THE Salvation Army relief team in Myanmar (Burma) is beginning to work on projects that will provide longer-term relief to the victims of Cyclone Nargis.


Tidar Saw in what remains of her home

Among the people The Salvation Army hopes to assist is Tidar Saw. When International Emergency Services worker Damaris Frick met Tidar, she was standing in the wreckage of what used to be her house. Like thousands of other people in Myanmar she lost everything when Cyclone Nargis hit her village. But unlike many others she is still alive – and that's something she is deeply grateful for. She also has a neighbour who has a house with a wooden foundation which, apart from some minor damage, is still intact. The neighbour took Tidar and her elderly parents in, and he explains that in Myanmar neighbours are considered family members. 'It is essential to assist each other in times of need,' he says.

This sense of people helping each other goes much further and there are touching stories about normal people in Myanmar who started to collect clothes, blankets and food as soon as they heard about the cyclone that hit other parts of their country. Some gathered what they could, got in their cars and, despite huge difficulties, drove to the affected areas and handed out goods to people in need.

The Salvation Army in Myanmar also reacted quickly and, under the leadership of Regional Officer Major James Aaron, Regional Headquarters staff have been distributing food and non-food items in six different locations.

Thanks to dedicated staff members The Salvation Army has established a very good relationship with the people in these areas. In addition to food The Salvation Army has provided tarpaulins, blankets and mosquito nets. Using the tarpaulins, the people have created some temporary shelters.

While continuing to deal with some immediate needs, The Salvation Army team is now looking into possibilities for medium-to-long-term intervention. In Tidar Saw's village there is a plan to commence a reconstruction project for the 90 destroyed and 57 partly damaged houses. The Salvation Army will provide the materials and, under the supervision of a locally hired builder, the families will build their own houses. As wood is readily available in this area, all the new houses will have wooden poles instead of bamboo, which will make them more stable than the ones that were destroyed.

 

 

A temporary shelter, made weatherproof with a Salvation Army tarpaulin	A Salvation Army officer visits Daw Aye Aye, a widow with three children, at her temporary shelter

In addition to the houses, toilets will be reconstructed and there are also plans to provide assistance with clean water and training in health and hygiene. Tidar Saw will be among the beneficiaries who should soon have a new home.

Plans are in place to increase the Salvation Army response and initial investigations are also being undertaken for some longer-term projects in other locations, including areas where The Salvation Army has not yet been able to respond.

There is still much to do for the people affected by Cyclone Nargis. The Salvation Army is preparing to continue the relief and early recovery work for several months.

 

 

 

 

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