A month has elapsed since Cyclone Nargis lashed the shores of Burma and affected more than 2.4 million people. In recent weeks, the government announced that, in addition to accepting donations in cash and kind, it would now permit much needed international relief workers into the country to assist with aid distribution.
As part of our own relief effort, 6 medical doctors, 9 nurses and 15 other volunteers (engineers plus media, logistics and church members) from Irrawaddy Relief Mission embarked on a relief expedition on May 29, 2008, to the southern region of the Irrawaddy delta. Our objectives were twofold: Provide cyclone victims with immediate relief through medical treatment and material aid, e.g. tarpaulins, bottled water, energy food, clothing, slippers and small tractors; and assess the extent of the damage done, so as to determine how we can help rebuild the villagers' lives and livelihood.
After spending a night in Pathein (formerly Bassein) our team of doctors, nurses and other volunteer workers headed south in boats towards Ngapudaw and Latbutta. Our first stop was at Ayodah village – a location that was not directly affected by the cyclone, but which housed numerous refugees who had fled from their villages further south in Pyinsalu. There were no major ailments here and the medical team saw 280 patients in a local Church hall.
Over the course of five days, the doctors and nurses treated a total of 1,216 patients. Though this fell below the number of the team expected, we came to understand that most of the villages we went to had already been wiped out, and that the remaining inhabitants survived only because they had the physical strength to avoid death and sickness in the first place and depended on rainwater for survival. With water being so scarce, villagers gladly welcomed the 20 to 30 gallons of bottled water we distributed at each village. We also had survivors from neighbouring villages come to us on their small fishing boats and ask for water. Despite the fact that their store of rainwater was also limited, the mostly Christian Karen (Kayin) villagers we met unselfishly invited us into their homes for a shower. Their belief was that this rainwater had been provided by God at no charge, and He was bound to send more – why then should they snub our request for some bath water?
Though they have shown great vulnerability to the unpredictability and force of tempestuous weather, the villagers have also shown us their resilience and determination to survive these difficult times. With or without outside aid, they have begun piecing back together their lives with whatever that has been left behind by the storm. For as pitiful as their conditions are, they know that they need to begin rebuilding their huts and replanting their crops; otherwise they will end up destitute and starve.
It is not an easy task, which is compounded by the lack of clean water, sustenance, livestock and farming/fishing tools. These villagers have lost close to everything, and will continue to need external help for at least the next six months to obtain food, water, medicines, clothing, livestock, paddy seeds, farming equipment, fishing tools, artisan/tube wells, et cetera. Thus it is imperative that we continue our contributions of cash and kind, and ensure that they receive the physical or emotional support they require.
As for our team we decided, after five days at sea, not to make our way to the mouth of the Irrawaddy where the villages of Pyinsalu once stood. The river was getting too rough and we did not have with us the necessary safety equipment or a sufficient number of life vests. On top of that, we saw from satellite photos that the area around Pyinsalu has been submerged by seawater – any survivors from those villages would have already travelled up north to seek medical treatment, and the scale of devastation would have been beyond our means for providing relief.
Thus in this manner our journey within the delta ended. We returned to our homes in Pathein and Yangon to carry on with our lives and more importantly, to continue with the relief and rebuilding efforts for these people who badly in need and looking forward to our return.
