INFORMATION ON HOW TO DONATE TO METTA DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION

This post contains excerpts from a Metta Foundation update on the work they are doing in Burma. You can see the full report on the Metta Foundation website

Updated information as of 10 May 2008, 1300 hrs

Metta has been present in the area since the aftermath of the tsunami, and this has enabled us to mount a quick response. In Yangon, the Program director and Communications Officers are working day and night, supported by many volunteers with useful skills. We have been able to mobilize local organizations and people from the area who can act there. They are supported by our staff and volunteers. In Pathein we have 3 Metta staff and 12 volunteers. Laputta and Myaungmya share 17 Metta staff, including an ECCD teacher, and many volunteers from churches, communities, etc. A medical team of Seventh Day Adventists is being sent today to Bogalay. In Pyin-hka-yaing Island where Metta was carrying out mangrove replantation, Metta is running a camp managed by three staff that received Disaster Management and Preparedness training from Oxfam Hong Kong.

Latest situation and our response

We received news from our colleagues in Delta that in Kaing Taung Island, 400 HH out of 600 HH have been destroyed but luckily there is no loss of life. As for drinking water, there is just one well near the mangrove forest that is still ok, the rest can no longer be used due to salt pollution. Metta provided an initial 50 rice bags for survivors. Drinking water, water guard, food and medicine and other necessities are also being provided.

With the rainy season approaching, the immediate needs are shelter, medicines and storage facilities for food. Thousands of people will be without homes for many months to come. In Myaungmya, camps are supervised by local authorities, and Metta provides assistance in collaboration.

We are learning that in the relief camps of Myaugmya, Laputta and Pathein, there are many orphans and children under 5. Before Nargis, Metta had 15 Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) centers, but we have been able to find one ECCD teacher only among the survivors so far[1]. We do however hope to identify more people with skills to support and care for these orphans and children.

10 cars from Myaungmya have gone to pick up survivors from Laputta and take them to Pathein camps. We learned that 80 survivors from Myaungmya 7th day Adventist church camp will arrive in Pathein today, and also 200 survivors from makeshift camp at Sago Karen church, and about 200 from Po Karen church camp.

Today ships with starving and sick survivors from remote areas have arrived in Pathein and Myaungmya about 4 times so far (yesterday 5 times). Metta provides fried rice, fried noodles and biscuits as they arrive. Local authorities, churches, communities, and relief camp personnel are all working together to take care of these people. Moreover, in Pathein, the team will distribute instant noodles, footwear, men and women’s underwear and shirts, tooth paste, tooth brushes and towels.

In Myaungmya today, Metta will continue to feed survivors as they arrive. Metta is buying 12,000 rice bags, 12,000 bottles of water, beans and oil, tarpaulin to be send to Pyin-hka-yaing camp. Also buying 50 straw mats for camp in front of Metta office.

One Metta staff went to check out the situation in Laputta and is participating in coordination meetings with other organizations, including international. No news yet about the results.

Yangon Metta team is preparing oil and salt, medicines, mosquito nets, candles, touch lights, and batteries for Bogalay survivors to be sent today. Rice will be bought locally.

INFORMATION ON HOW TO DONATE TO METTA DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION

Updated information as of 09 May 2008, 14:00 Hrs

Metta has been assisting the cyclone affected communities in Delta since 05 May 2008.

The main activities that we are doing are –

• supporting rice bags to the relief camps in Laputta, Myaungmya and lowest parts of Delta along with Metta personnel
• providing medical supply to the clinic in the relief camps and hospital in the affected area
• sending boats to rescue the remaining people in the lowest part of the Delta.

News just came in from Metta Myaungmya that the Pyin-hka-yaing Island, one of the Metta’s main project sites in Delta, situated in the lowest part of Delta have been damaged badly by the cyclone. There are altogether 6 village-tracks on the Island; Deedukone, Pyin-hka-yaing, Chaungwa, Thet-ka-thaung, Oak-twin, and War-kone. In Oak-twin villages, 1,357 out of 4,027 are dead and only 2,670 populations could survive. We hope to receive the rest figure in this late evening. The most need of the survivors is food, medicine and drinking water. 6 of Metta personnel have been residing in the island. They are now running the relief camp there. The affected communities are urgently in need of the rice for their survival.

In Myaungmya, the survivors are increased by time to time and now it is nearly reach 20,000 people from the cyclone direct hit area, villages from Labutta Township. The relief camps have also increased to 17 from recent 11 camps as of yesterday which include churches, schools and monasteries. Metta is now providing 150 rice bags to the relief camps. Moreover, medicines, water guard (to purify water) and instant noodles are ready to send from Yangon to Myaungmya this evening.

In Pathein also, survivors has been increased to 1,397 as of this afternoon (figures may vary from time to time). Metta is also taking care of 3 camps in Pathein; Sagaw and Poe Karen Baptist Church and Koe-thein Sport Centre run by the government. We are now supporting them with the blankets, sarongs, towel, soap, drinking water, foot wears, toothpaste and toothbrush for 937 people of which 391 female and 501 male. Metta is also running the Farmer Led Extension center near Pathein and the team is now doing the relief work along with the churches and local communities. Moreover, Metta also supports fuel for Sagaw Karen Baptist Church’s rescue team for their transportation.