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Burma cyclone - two years on
Donations to MRDF's Burma appeal have helped to support long-term rebuilding work. Photo credit: ACT International
Two years after a devastating cyclone hit Burma, MRDF has helped thousands of people to rebuild their lives.
Over 130,000 people died in the country's worst natural disaster when Cyclone Nargis swept across Burma in May 2008. Winds of 200km per hour caused widespread devastation, leaving 2.4 million people homeless and destroying thousands of buildings, particularly in the Irawaddy Delta and Yangon.
We immediately allocated £20,000 to help those affected by the disaster and launched an appeal which raised over £97,000. We channelled the funds through one of our emergency partners, Action by Churches Together (ACT), which has a long history of work within Burma.
These funds helped to provide food, water and shelter to the survivors in the days and month after the disaster. They also helped to ensure that families affected by the cyclone received visits from local doctors, nurses and students trained in psychosocial care.
Over the last two years, donations to our appeal have also helped to support longer-term rebuilding work. This has mainly focused on people living in remote areas with limited access to clean water and where no other agencies are working. This includes places like Pyapon Township on the southernmost fringe of the Delta, which is only accessible by an eight hour boat journey. About 95% of all houses, school buildings and clinics were severely damaged or totally destroyed.
The rehabilitation work across Burma includes building homes and constructing wells and latrines. We also helped to fund the construction of new school buildings with school furniture in 50 villages, as well as providing school books, stationery and uniforms for 1,500 children.
The appeal also helped to provide seeds, fertiliser and water pumps to over 55,000 farming households in nearly 2,000 villages. These were vital supplies for many families who depended on the land for survival, as the cyclone had left heavy silt on the soil and heavy rains during the monsoon had affected their harvests.
Donations also helped to support provide villagers in Kyun Tharyar with over 200 fishing boats and nets. This helped to reduce their reliance on external assistance and enabled them to start earning a living again.
Our thanks go to everyone who supported the appeal