Cyclone Nargis - Aftermath - International Relief - Other Relief Efforts

Other Relief Efforts

On 15 May, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) launched the Burmese HIC website. The purpose of the site was to improve information exchange and collaboration between operational agencies responding to Cyclone Nargis. Based in Bangkok, the HIC was providing support to the Humanitarian Partnership Team and other humanitarian partners in Yangon, as well as those based in Bangkok.

As of May 8, 2008, the Foundation for the People of Burma had a team on the ground in Rangoon and beyond providing direct assistance to thousands of refugees. Since this organization was administered by Buddhist volunteers and already had tacit permission from the Burmese government, all donations went directly for supplies.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies had pledged $189,000 for relief. The federation had also launched an appeal of a further CHF73.9 million. Red Cross spokesman Matt Cochrane said that cyclone survivors needed everything. They needed emergency shelter to keep them dry, including food supplies. He said stagnant waters were a perfect breeding ground for the malaria mosquito, so insecticide-treated nets were needed. The Red Cross suffered a setback when a boat carrying supplies sank when it hit a submerged tree. Everyone aboard survived, but most of the cargo was lost. Ten Red Cross/Red Crescent relief flights carrying medical and shelter supplies were due to land in Yangon on 12 May.

Trocaire has been active in Burma since 1995 and were the first Irish aid agency to gain access after Cyclone Nargis. Relief work has been conducted mainly through local partners and membership of the international federation Caritas Internationalis. Trocaire had appealed for the focus of humanitarian work in Burma not to be lost in the wake of China's more recent earthquake.

Save the Children, one of the few agencies allowed to work in Burma, said the toll would likely sharply grow in the next few days as help reached isolated areas. On May 18, it announced that it believed that thirty thousand children younger than five were already facing malnutrition and could starve in under a month if food did not reach them.

Médecins Sans Frontières landed a plane of 40 tons of relief and medical supplies in Rangoon. After clearing customs the supplies were transferred to local MSF warehouses. They have approximately 200 workers in the region, many of whom have been involved in long-term projects there and were already in the region.

World Vision launched a US$3 million appeal and sought to get international aid into the country. Staff on the ground were working to distribute food, water and other non-food items while WV Myanmar managers sought approval from the government to work in the worst affected areas and to bring in aid from outside.

Avaaz.org raised over US$2 million for relief efforts in Burma, through over 25,062 individual donations. They entrusted delivery and dissemination of the aid to the Burmese monks, bypassing the military junta. This unique approach proved successful. As of 25 May 2008, US$550,000 was confirmed delivered to the religious establishment with another US$1,000,000 en-route.

Local NGOs also responded to the emergency, many adapting from human-rights or women's focuses to humanitarian emergency relief.