30 April 2009
U Twint Lwin is a community leader who has proved his mettle in the toughest of times.
Village leader U Twint Lwin. Photo: Tearfund partner
A year ago he was a family man and a successful fish seller living on the southern tip of Myanmar’s Ayeyarwady Delta.
Then on 2 May 2008 Cyclone Nargis struck. U Twint was away from his village but the storm killed his family and devastated his community where out of 1,400 residents only 80 survived.
Despite his great personal loss, U Twint quickly got involved in cleaning-up the village. His natural leadership skills were recognised and he became head of the community.
Pulling together
A Tearfund partner has been working closely with U Twint and the village to restore life and hope.
Our partner has been shipping in clean water to the community along the delta’s waterways.
`Now it’s the dry season, without this distribution, many families in the village would be having to cut back on other essentials such as food, in order to buy water,’ says U Twint.
`So Tearfund is ensuring that communities here not only have access to clean water but they are able to eat properly too.
`The community has really pulled together to help rebuild the village. We’ve had new families arriving here from other villages because they recognise our progress.’