Is it possible if we can spend about Ks.25 lakhs ($2500CAN) for next trip? Please we want to give more. Not enough food to give.
Last trip, we delivered Rice 20 bags. And added 20 more bags of rice once we realized how much needed. Then we had enough to deliver to 4 villages.

The neediest things are;
FOOD: Rice, Water, Salt and Oil.
Even for meat/protein, they can make fishing as their custom!
Our estimation for about 400 families/I hope at least 800 peoples will be able to eat the rice for 5 days!

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In brief we (efforts of a private individual) aim to organize 1 to 2 trips per week spending approximately USD $2500 per trip, of which approximately USD $250 – $300 is spent on transport, packing, accommodation and daily allowance for our staff. Transport, of course, is the single largest factor.

Township: Number of Families (est.) = 64
Village Group: Number of People (est.) = 221

Delivery Details

The combined efforts of Metta Development Foundation, AZG, Save the Children Myanmar and MFH & Medical Relief Society Hospital.

AZG (Medicine Sans Frontieres – Holland), in fortunate position, because could divert national staff from the large existing programmes in Myanmar (over 1,000 staff) and could use the large medical reserves they had in country. In the early weeks have reached 200,000 people, have moved 200+ staff into the fields along with 9 international aid workers. In the first week 40 trucks were sent with goods to Delta, 10 boats are distributing goods and staff further south. Two cargo planes flew into Yangon airport with medical supply, mosquito nets, and water and sanitation equipment, including water treatment kits that produce 10,000 liters of drinking water per hour, 30,000 liters water bladders and other materials. 2 more planes followed. AZG has planned 8 million USD for the activities in the initial 3 months

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Our trip is the first visit for them (villagers) to get donations from people. But Pwyal Tan villages had received the donations before because that village is located beside the river so it is easy to go there, not so for the rest of the 3 villages…The other three we visited are difficult to due to the narrow stream and when tide is low it is not possible to even go to those villages (Aung Hlaing village, Nyi Naung Gyi and Nyi Naung Lay village).

Current their situation is, next day of after storm (storm was on 2-5-08) most of villagers moved to Mawlamyaingkyun (MLMG town) to get food and stay. They stayed to the Monastery, hoped and waited for food and clothes to come. But I think Sayataw (presiding monk) and the people from Mawlamyaingkyun just couldn’t provide enough foods. So some people went to a teashop, got food and then didn’t pay the cost so run away.

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Dear Friends,

RE: Balloons over Bagan/ Malikha Lodge (BOB/ML) Cyclone Relief donations

I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you and provide a short update. Thanks to all for your generosity together with Friends of the Rainforest Myanmar (FORM) we have raised over USD $20,000 so far. From this amount Balloons over Bagan and Malikha Lodge has spent approx USD 2500 in local currency in purchasing supplies and arranging their safe passage down to the delta area. Our efforts and your donations have been divided as follows:

1) Two of our managers with specific skills have been provided on a full time basis for the next 3 months to Save the Children UK. Our financial controller from Putao is assisting with stock and inventory at the company warehouse in Yangon for international aid arriving by air. Our Operations Manager and crew chief from Bagan has received specialist training to lead and crew a specially imported relief supply boat to more remote areas. This boat will operate from one of the famous Pandaw boats which has been generously given over to the relief effort as a floating hospital come forward logistics hub.

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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.

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Thank you! Metta would like to thank all the support that is pouring in from our friends abroad (see bank information below for more donations). We are much encouraged by it, and it keeps us going even in these difficult times. Many of you are asking us for proposals, and we are happy to announce that our staff is in the last stages of finalizing the global budget and proposal!

Metta has been present in the area since the aftermath of the Tsunami in 2004, and this has enabled us to mount a quick response. In Yangon, the Program Director and Communication Officers are working day and night, with additional help from many skillful volunteers. We have been able to mobilize local organizations and people from the area who can act there. Here is a breakdown of the most current number of staff members and volunteers.

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Press Release
Yangon, 13 May 2008 – Yoma Strategic Holdings Limited, SPA Myanmar and First Myanmar Investment Company (private non government related businesses) have taken over responsibility for Cyclone Nargis relief support for two of the hardest hit areas in the Irrawaddy Delta, Ngaputaw Township and Hainggyi Island on the tip of the Delta on Pagoda Point at Cape Negrais.

Initially, as a group, we envisage supporting 20,000 people in these two Delta towns – Cyclone Nargis passed directly through Hainggyi Island, and past just below Ngapudaw. Our initial assessment team returned to Yangon last night from the Delta to report to us on the situation on the ground, and we have established our Relief Command Centre in Yangon at the Grand Meeyahta Suite Apartment 309 to coordinate the main relief effort.

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Two days after we left Myanmar with high hopes and plans for our next few months of aid work, Cyclone Nargis hit the most vulnerable areas of Myanmar along the Iraraddy River. While we were still in Bangkok, John and I began to receive news updates from the field and were forced into a state of shock at the level of devastation and destruction the cyclone had created.

…”Cyclone Nargis” destruction is massive due to 3 – 8 meter surges that went deep inside the country, in effect worse than the Tsunami. Entire villages swept away even 50km behind the coastline… There go your children, there go your wife and there go yourself. We began immediately without assessment of damages to send truckloads full of food, shelter material and a medical team with medicine on a boat to an island. The next truck, boat to another island and so forth. There were many many dead bodies…..

We knew that the logistics and challenges of bring emergency relief aid to the 1.2 million Burmese in remote areas was going to be a challenging undertaking. The best solution for immediate aid was for us to join together with other private donors, local businesses and local NGOs to help those in distress. Returning home through Taipei, we committed to our friends and partners in Myanmar that we would begin fund-raising and co-coordinating relief aid supplies as soon as we arrived home.

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The goal of M’Lop Tapang’s Health Care Program has always been to ensure free access to medical care for every vulnerable child in Sihanoukville. Our program objectives are to:

• provide efficient, comprehensive, holistic medical care to the children & families of MT
• provide medical care with compassion, empathy and respect for the individual patient
• educate families about basic hygiene and prevention from illness
• educate and empower children to better manage their own health and their family’s health

Click here for M’Lop Tapang’s 2007 Medical Report