Myanmar (Burma) Appeal Summary at 6 months - January 2009
Background to Appeal
Myanmar is the largest country in mainland South-East Asia with a population of 51.5 million. Its long coastline of about 2,000 km covers almost the entire east coast of the Bay of Bengal. Cyclone Nargis (category 3 Cyclone) struck Myanmar on 2 and 3 May 2008, making landfall in the Ayeyarwady Division. With wind speeds of up to 200 km/h accompanied by heavy rain, the damage was most severe in the Delta region, where the effects of the extreme winds were compounded by a 12 foot (3.6 meter) storm surge.
The official death toll stood at 84,537 with 53,836 people missing, and 19,359 injured. Assessment data shows that some 2.4 million people were severely affected by the cyclone, out of an estimated 7.35 million people living in the affected townships. Estimates suggest that the number of people displaced by the cyclone may have been as high as 800,000, with some 260,000 people living in camps or settlements throughout the Delta in the initial days after the cyclone.
The disaster affecting an area almost twice the size of Lebanon caused widespread devastation of peoples’ lives, destruction to homes and critical infrastructure, including roads, jetties, water and sanitation systems, fuel supplies and electricity. A large number of water supplies were contaminated and food stocks damaged or destroyed. The winds tore down trees and power lines, while the accompanying storm surge submerged countless villages
Financial Summary
£19.2 Million in total has been generously donated by the British Public to DEC Myanmar (Burma) Cyclone Appeal – £11.7 million to the DEC and £7.5 million direct to the Member Agencies.
Expenditure to 30th November 2008 from the initial allocation of £8.8m amounted to £6.1m as per the table below.
A further allocation of £2.7m has been made for expenditure commencing in February 2009.
Expenditure £
ActionAid 491,496
British Red Cross 1,178,148
Care International UK 579,692
Christian Aid 718,887
Help the Aged 171,840
Islamic Relief 309,732
Merlin 123,054
Oxfam 898,856
Save the Children 993,072
Tearfund 178,666
World Vision 440,384
Total 6,083,827
Programme Progress
The Burmese people have proven to be amazingly resilient and purposeful. Every Member Agency reported there had been a remarkable effort by the survivors. People, who received little in the first week, held on living off the land, coconuts, rain water and what they could scavenge.
Despite the political and huge logistical constraints and without there being the much reported fear of a second wave of deaths the initial relief effort has clearly been a success. In contrast to early concerns that aid could not reach the affected people, DEC Members, working directly and funding local partners, have helped tens of thousands of families in the worst hit districts. Many of the families will have benefited from more that one of the benefits listed below.
Water and sanitation - water containers, village pond purification, water pumps and latrines and water catchment systems for buildings to provide safe drinking water. Members and partners constructed simple rainwater harvesting containers from bamboo frames and plastic lining which hold up to 1,000 litres of water. Water purification tablets ensure the water is safe to drink. Each tank filled with purified water or rainwater can provide enough drinking water for 450 people each day.
- Emergency water collection/treated water for 100,000 households
- Pond cleaning or Tube wells for 68 villages
- Latrines for 16,000 households
- Hygiene kits for 56,000 households
Impressive levels of food aid were delivered by DEC Members, provided by WFP, either imported or locally purchased.
- Food distribution to 78,000 households
Shelter - plastic sheeting and shelter kits and some permanent wooden homes were also constructed.
- cash for temporary shelters for 6,000 families
- tarpaulins and Shelter kits to assist 75,000 families
Distribution of Family kits and distribution of clothes, cutlery, jerry cans, and mosquito nets.
- Non Food items to 68,000 families
Health support - distribution of oral re-hydration salts, first aid kits, and support to local clinics across the Delta including the training and support to a large network of Village Health workers.
- nutritional screening and referral in 389 villages
- training and support for 410 Village based Community Health Workers
- 4000 disabled people have been helped with mobility and referrals.
Livelihood support - Substantial numbers of small cash grants around $50 to individual families and communities, these are used to repair homes, improve the local environment, repair jetties, buy domestic animals, and invest in small business ventures. The distribution of seeds, hand tractors and diesel has been extremely important in the recovery effort and very strongly welcomed by affected farmers.
- Cash distributions to 40,500 household
- Seeds/tools for 2000 households
- Fishing nets/Boats for 1000 households
Affected communities have benefited from psycho-social care and have offered children play therapy with protection and child tracing;
- Safe spaces for children in 33 village centres or schools
- School furniture for 100 schools
- Psychosocial care to 20,000 families including books for children
Challenges
DEC agencies had little emergency experience in Myanmar and of the Delta, which was not a priority area, and this has been compounded by the need to take on hundreds of new staff. Training therefore has been a central part of the operations but this lack of experience compounded the problem of targeting i.e. finding a way to channel scarce resources to the most needy. Community leaders have preferred equal shares to affected communities.
The overall investment from the Myanmar Government and the International community has not been sufficient. There is little evidence of infrastructure that could serve as cyclone shelters in the future other than the monasteries and churches and some poorly built schools and government buildings. Although a high percentage of the affected communities did get help with basic shelter the longer term investment in housing does not seem to be in place.
Conclusion
The political situation in Myanmar remains very tense and despite significant progress in relief and recovery assistance to date, the relief stage is still not over and more assistance is needed, particularly in nutrition, food, and shelter. The DEC Agencies will continue their efforts with the remaining funds which will be spent by mid 2009
