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Six Months On Cyclone Nargis Emergency Response - November 2008

The Cyclone Cyclone Nargis hit Myanmar on May 2 2008, severely affecting some 2.4 million people. Almost 140,000 people were killed or remain missing from the Ayeyarwady (Irrawaddy) Delta and Yangon Divisions, according to state figures. Up to half of the missing and dead were children. A further 800,000 were displaced in what was the country’s worst natural disaster in recorded history. A12-foot high sea surge proved deadly for those in the low-lying Delta. The affected communities had little or no warning of the disaster. Nargis decimated livestock, destroyed homes, rice stocks and agricultural tools. One million acres of rice paddy were inundated with salt water, severely damaging the quality of future harvests. Drinking ponds were contaminated with debris and salt water. A relief response was coordinated by the Government of Myanmar, the international community and the formation of the Tripartite Core Group, comprising of representatives from the UN, ASEAN and the Government of Myanmar. The UN launched a flash appeal for 500 million USD for the emergency response. Six months on from the emergency, little more than half of this amount has been committed.

A young boy stands in front of the wreckage of his church. Around him is the wood that used to make up the building that had stood for nearly one hundred years.

World Vision’s Response Within 24 hours of the event, World Vision began drawing on its local staff of 600 in order to respond to the wide-spread devastation in Yangon. Relying on locally procured supplies, World Vision then turned its attention to the hardest-hit areas in the Ayeyarwaddy Delta. International teams of relief experts joined the response effort in late May, to support those already in country. Below are the main areas covered by World Vision’s emergency relief response to Cyclone Nargis:

Food Security World Vision has been distributing emergency food aid and monthly food

World Vision Canada’s CEO, Dave Toycen, helps out at a food distribution in a hard-hit delta village near Bogole.

packages in partnership with the World Food Programme (WFP). Through World Vision’s food aid programme, 275,000 people have been reached with some 4,700 metric tones (MT) of rice, pulses, oil, and salt. Supplementary food has also been provided to lactating mothers, pregnant women, and children under five. During the first few weeks of the response, food was distributed in both the Delta and Yangon, but once markets began operating in Yangon, World Vision shifted its focus to areas hardest hit in the Delta region.

Shelter and Non-Food Items To minimise the vulnerability of cycloneaffected communities, World Vision has been distributing temporary shelter kits

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and tarpaulins across the Ayeyarwaddy delta and Yangon. Locally designed kits - consisting of a tarpaulins and bamboo poles - were distributed to nearly 57,000 households. World Vision distributed emergency items such as blankets to more than 50,000 households, clothing packs to over 45,000 households, and cooking sets to more than 32,000 households.

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Immediately after the cyclone, World Vision made sure that the communities it served had access to safe drinking water. Thousands of litres of bottled water along with water containers were provided to children and their families immediately following Nargis. World Vision has cleaned up more than 250 drinking water ponds in the Delta, removing saline and debris. The cleaned water ponds are frequently tested to ensure they remain safe to drink from. Eight water purification systems, each of which can produce 1,200 litres per hour, have been installed at the hardest-hit areas to cover the needs of local communities. Water and sanitation activities also include the distribution of hygiene and sanitary kits, and hygiene workshops. Over 53,000 households have been given mosquito nets, about 50,000 households have received water containers and more than 40,000 households have received hygiene kits which contain soap, toothpaste, and other family supplies. The construction of standard latrines and

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provision of latrine materials is continuing in the Delta.

Child Protection Nearly 15,000 children from Yangon and the Delta have participated in World Vision’s 94 Child-Friendly Spaces (CFS). These are a safe environment in which children can play, learn, express their feelings, meet with their peers, and enjoy appropriate care and assistance from trained staff and volunteers. The basic needs of a child are met in these safe havens, including the right to education and play in an environment that invites trust and brings back a sense of normalcy. The Child Friendly Spaces also offer children protection from potential threats such as trafficking. World Vision is also involved in the tracing and reunification of separated children with their families. To date, 104 unaccompanied children have been identified and registered for In his arms Ko Ko holds his little sister whom he rescued from the cyclone by climbing a tree with her.

Child Friendly Spaces Help Children Cope After Cyclone Nargis struck, eight year old Ei recalls her escape: '' When our house collapsed, we got into the boat and floated around. Then the boat broke into pieces," she said in a very distant voice. The young girl was carried away by the sea surge and later washed ashore in a nearby village. In an effort to recognize and reduce the effects of trauma, World Vision creates safe havens for children to strengthen their resiliency to face the future. Ei is one of many children who attended World Vision’s ‘Child Friendly Spaces’ to receive support and comfort in a time of overwhelming grief. When Ei is done with school for the day, she spends her afternoons reciting poems, singing songs and joining group activities at the Child Friendly Space. ''I love playing but I also love reading. I want to be a big teacher," says the little girl, with new found confidence.

Farmers in the Delta celebrate as tractors provided by World Vision are given to the community to share. Seeds and fuel to plant their rice crops were also given; an important step on helping them back on their feet.

reunification. World Vision shares information with inter-agency child protection groups and more than 50 cases have been put forward for reunification. The reconstruction of seven primary schools with reinforced concrete to resist against future disasters - including the provision of furniture, education materials, and back-to-school kits - is underway, and due to finish before the end of 2008. Local staff, volunteers, and community members have been trained in child protection. Community watch groups have also been set up to prevent and monitor cases of abuse in cyclone-affected areas.

Residents of this remote Delta village help off-load shelter supplies brought by World Vision.

Health Medicines are being distributed in 11 townships across Yangon and the Delta. World Vision has completed the renovation and repair of 11 existing health structures in the Yangon Division; four rural health centres in the Delta are currently under construction. Furniture and equipment is being provided to health centres. Two mobile clinics have been operating since August 2008, reaching remote communities that would otherwise not have access to health care following the devastating cyclone. World Vision continues to provide basic health education, covering topics such as the prevention of diarrhea, malaria, dengue.

Community members pull together to clean the debris out of this drinking water pond on the outskirts of their village. World Vision provided pumps to give residents increased access to safe drinking water.

Public awareness is also promoted in regards to personal hygiene care, the use of safe drinking water, and clean sanitation practices.

Livelihoods The cyclone killed more than half all farm animals across the delta – animals relied upon to provide an income, and to plough the fields. Thirty hand tractors and fuel were distributed in July, just in time for the planting season, in one of the hardest-hit areas of Bogale. The tractors will enable more than 350 farmers to till more than 1,750 acres of rice paddies.

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Accountability Community feedback and participation mechanisms have been set up, providing communities with avenues and opportunities to express their ongoing needs and concerns. Key activities will focus on information provision to communities, information gathering on World Vision’s programme quality, and maintaining regular dialogue with target communities.

Coordination and capacity-building with non-beneficiary programme stakeholders is also taking place. Training in accountability for local staff and volunteers continues to be an important aspect of our work in accountability.

Ongoing needs Many affected households are still in need of food aid. This reliance is expected to continue through to the end of November, when monsoon-paddies will be harvested.

Many villages, however, are expecting below average harvests due to saline contaminated fields. Ongoing food aid will likely be needed until April 2009. Livelihoods recovery is a major priority for most communities. Large and continuous interventions will be required in this area. According to state reports, approximately Kyat 25 billion worth of farm equipment and over half of farming animals were lost during Nargis. Immediately following the cyclone, most residents of the Delta relied on monsoon rain for safe drinking water. Despite an enormous effort to clean up drinking water ponds, many are still unfit for consumption, leaving communities vulnerable to water shortage in the coming season. Recent reports from the field have revealed that children from cyclone-affected areas are still struggling to overcome the mental aspect of experiencing loss and stress associated with natural disasters. Continuous psychosocial care and support is needed for the young, as well as educational and health care for affected children. Furthermore, entire Delta areas are still in need of disaster preparedness training and capacity building to reduce the risk communities will face in future disasters. Children happily pose for the camera in this river-side village south of Bogole. Up to half of the children here were killed when Nargis struck, and the village is heavily reliant on the support that aid agencies can bring.

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Facts and Figures Dead and missing: 138,000 *** 84,537 dead *** 53,836 missing *** 19,359 injured *** 2.4 million severely affected ** UN Flash Appeal: 55% funded (out of US $ 486 million, as of October 23, 2008) ** Livestock lost: 2 million * Acres of land inundated with salt water: 1 million * Nearly 700,000 children still in need of assistance 3 months after Nargis ** 4,000 schools damaged or destroyed ** Cost of damage: US$ 4 billion *

Children turn out for a World Vision food distribution in a hard-hit village in the Delta.

Cost of recovery: US$ 1 billion *

Next Steps

World Vision’s Response

World Vision has extended its six-month emergency response to run until the end of November.

Total funds raised: US$ 32 million Spent so far: US$ 12 million Target beneficiaries 338,000 Over 2,000 MT of commodities distributed

* Post-Nargis Joint Assessment (PONJA), 2008 ** United Nations *** State figures, June 24, 2008

A medium-term programme will begin in late 2008, aimed at recovery and rehabilitation for affected populations. World Vision’s oneyear plan, beginning December 2008, will focus on four main sectors: livelihood recovery, disaster risk reduction, child protection, and water and sanitation.

Livelihood Recovery

households will also receive support for recovery in two critical livelihood sectors: agriculture and fishing. Activities such as livestock management and community-based microfinance enterprise are also included in World Vision’s programme.

Disaster Risk Reduction Communities will be taught disaster mitigation skills and projects will be undertaken to increase community resiliency. The programme will also work on environmental protection and natural resources management.

World Vision will continue its food aid programme through partnership with the World Food Programme. Cyclone-affected Six Months On - Cyclone Nargis Emergency Response

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Child Protection The programme will provide informal education support through existing community groups. Health care services and nutrition assistance will be available for children in need. Capacity-building activities for community members, including teachers and parents, are also planned.

While implementing the project, World Vision will make sure that there is accountability and transparency among all stakeholders at all levels, seeking opportunities to help change negative policies and structures that make the community vulnerable.

WV Response Funding

Recovery

Water and Sanitation World Vision has already positioned the necessary tools should its targeted communities face water shortages in coming months. The programme will further develop water sources for the longterm benefit for target communities. Hygiene and sanitation promotion activities will also be carried out.

Relief 56%

44%

Total funds raised: US$ 32 million Total funds spent (May to Sept ’08): US$ 12 million Total relief budget (May to Nov ’08): US$ 18 million Total rehabilitation budget: US$ 14 million

Contact Us World Vision Myanmar

Asia-Pacific Regional Office

Ashley Jonathan Clements

Pamela Sitko

Email: [email protected]

Email: [email protected]

Cell: +95 95 035 983

Cell: +66 (0)843 600 345

Office: +95 1 525 191 or 510 148 or 511 265

Office: +66 2 391 6155

Web: www.wvasiapacific.org

Web: www.wvasiapacific.org

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