Gitameit Volunteer

Meditation center, Pagoda in Hlaing Thaya
I think our method of providing aid is effective only because the abbot supervised our activities. We should continue to visit this location in the future.

Shwe Pauk Kan
The refugee camp is not so far from the city. So the situation doesn’t seem so bad. I don’t think their spirits are down because aid works come regularly.

South Dagon
I think that all the refugees are depressed and miserable. I don’t see their situation improving soon. I am sad, fed up, and feel sympathy for these refugees.

Gitameit Volunteer- North Dagon

I feel bad for the villagers and children because many people are working without shoes. But I am happy when I see the faces of refugees when the receive donations of rice and roofing. I feel that their lives are so terrible. They are struggling without depending on anyone but themselves. They will be ok if the government provides the necessary economic infrastructure for the community.

Gitameit Volunteer- East Dagon

I feel really sorry to see so many the refuges. But at the same time, I am happy to use all my strength to help. I had some difficulties when I went to East Dagon. But I am so satisfied that I am trying my best. I am so happy that I have a chance to help. After helping only once, I want to help again and again.

Gitameit Volunteer- East Dagon

All the refugees went back to their former places of residence now because the camps have been closed, not because their houses have been repaired/ reconstructed. In light of the current situation, it is urgent to rebuild their houses. At least, they need to cover their roofs with tarps.

I want monks to distribute all the roofing because it is the most efficient method. The rice was not sufficient for the refugees. Even though I distributed six cans of rice for each household, it was still
not enough. I distributed the rice until it was gone. But the need had not yet diminished.

Our aid giving was a success even though we were disturbed by certain individuals. I want to give to the refugees directly. But to personally hand them everything is exhausting.

Aung Saing

I am from Katchin state. When I was coming to Yangon from Katchin state, I was thinking that I didn’t want to see my fellow countrymen in trouble. I am so grateful that Gitameit was so welcoming. The first day I felt a little strange because I was so far away from home. But I went to Hlaing Tha Yar with my friends. I spoke with some of the monks from the monastery. I felt bad for the Burmese people because of this situation. Then I went to South Dagon with five nurses and two friends from Gitameit. When we arrived, many people crowded around us when they saw us giving. There were also other local aid workers. But the other groups were having a lot of difficulty because of not having much organization. I was so happy to see the organization of our group.

Yan Aung Bo - East Dagon

When we went to East Dagon, we saw some houses that had collapsed due to the cyclone. We asked the people from that area about the refugee camps. They told us that the refugee camps were dispersed and that we should go to the monastery to find more information. So we went to the monks and asked them about the refugees’ need. He explained that the refugees needed fuel to power water pumps, rice, and roofing.

After taking down the information from the monk, we visited refugee populations in the surrounding areas. The conditions were worse than the previous area and we tried to identify the camps’ locations. But again, the camps had been dispersed. We did our best to find groups of villagers that had no food and roofing. After drafting a list of their basic needs, we distributed various goods. I really felt bad for these people when we were give out food. They were so hungry and we didn’t have enough rice to give to everyone. So we did our best and then returned to Gitameit.

Sophia- East Dagon

This was my first trip as a volunteer. I was not expecting to go out today but I felt really lucky to have the opportunity. Today we went to East Dagon to identify new refugee camps but unfortunately there were none except one monastery. A monk was organizing and managing a camp several days before, but the camp had been broken up and the refugees were sent back to their homes. Noticing that there were a number of children remaining who seemed to need attention, we chatted with the monk and asked him how we could help. A four-year-old girl named Chit Su broke her right leg when the storm brought a tree down on her home.

After contributing to the best of our ability at that monastery, we went to a nearby village to give rice and sheets of tarp. We went inside the village on foot with a list of households that required
assistance. When we started distributing supplies, we began to notice that the amount of food was not sufficient for this population. Though I felt so happy and proud to help these refugees and be a member of this team, I felt terrible for the refugees and their suffering. But there’s really nothing I can do beyond volunteering and going on trips like this one. I would like to continue to do the best I can to help these refugees and I look forward to going on another trip like today.