Distributions

• Save the Children has now reached a total of 208,953 people.
• In Yangon 124,259 in the Western Delta 69,510 and in the Eastern Delta 15,184.
• Save the Children are distributing food, water purification tablets, plastic sheeting for shelter and protection, kitchen equipment and re-hydration salts to families whose homes have been destroyed.
• Child Protection: Assessments will shortly be taking place in Mawlamyinegyun are also being planned for the Kyauktan township and Ma U Pin.
• Health: A team has gone to Mawlamyingeyun to conduct an assessment.
• Nutrition: We are continuing assessment in Myaungmya and starting an assessment in Pyapon tomorrow.
• Advocacy: There have been improvements in access over the past week and people are being reached, but more assistance is needed to respond to the scale of need and prevent a higher death toll.
• Child protection: Dangerous threats to children ‘s protection often follow in the aftermath of natural disasters. There have already been reports about trafficking of children and dangers in the IDP camps. Save the Children is particularly concerned about the separation of children from their parents, extended families or improvised foster families. In desperation children are often handed over to organisations and groups by their families in the belief they will be better off.
• Education: Children’s needs are best assessed and responded to when education and protection sectors work closely together. Education is too frequently an under-funded and under-recognised emergency sector.
• Food security / livelihoods: While focus on immediate needs remains critical, real investment is needed now to strengthen food security.

Save the Children cautiously welcome the potential for progress after the ASEAN talks on 18 May which ended with an agreement for Myanmar to open up to more aid from ASEAN countries and accept 300 medical experts from ASEAN countries. It is important that the 300 ASEAN medical experts who are given entry are experienced in medical humanitarian response, have supplies of vital drugs and equipment on hand, have unrestricted access to all areas affected by the cyclone and are able to build upon the work of other agencies to carry out independent assessments in affected areas in the upcoming days.

Children make up some 40% of the deaths of this crisis, and nearly half of the survivors. Save the Children is particularly concerned about reports of lower respiratory tract infections, diarrhoea in children and the high risk from malaria and dengue fever. We also expect that pregnant women have poor access to safe deliveries and neonatal care. Water and sanitation programming, as well as health and hygiene, will be vital to save lives. Save the children is currently operating a floating clinic with Mercy Malaysia in the delta area but is concerned about access to all those affected especially given the lack of basic health services for babies and reproductive health services for women. There are also concerns about children ‘s nutritional status.