Survivors use a boat to ferry water to people in need. Picture: Tearfund partner
The self-sufficiency and resourcefulness of the people of Myanmar in the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis has been praised by a Tearfund worker who has visited the country.
International Projects Officer Kate Bowen, who has just returned from Myanmar where she has been working with partners on the relief effort, played down concerns that survivors will develop a dependency on outside aid.
It’s just over two months since Cyclone Nargis struck the southern tip of the country, killing nearly 80,000 people, although that figure is likely to rise as 50,000 are still considered as missing.
Tearfund has been working with two church-linked and Christian partners since the cyclone on 2 May but three new ones are now being financially supported, providing for survivors’ immediate relief needs and helping their long term recovery.
Kate said, `The churches responded very well, particularly in the initial period after the cyclone when they distributed food to their own congregations and to Buddhist households around them.
`The needs assessments done by the churches were really good and of high quality.
Tearfund's Christian partners in Myanmar responded quickly in the aftermath of the cyclone. Picture: Tearfund partner
`As the period of emergency distributions is beginning to develop into an early recovery period, the requests from the field are less for food and more for livelihood items, such as buffalo, livestock, fishing nets, boats, tools, seeds and ploughs.
`These are a people who are unlikely to become dependent on food handouts and are keen to re-establish themselves as soon as possible. Their own impetus is driving the speedy move to early recovery.’
This attitude was also exemplified by the keenness of local staff in disaster training sessions run by Kate.
However the psychological damage of the cyclone remains very evident. With the country still in the grip of the rainy season, it’s been widely noted that heavy downpours cause panic among children and many are experiencing nightmares in their sleep.
Tearfund partners are planning to publish a book telling the story of the cyclone from a child’s perspective with the aim of helping young survivors come to terms with what has happened, particularly those who have lost family members.
A similar idea came out of the 2004 Asian tsunami when many children in Thailand and Sri Lanka were given a book called The Day the Tsunami Came.