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Second Rotary Report from Myanmar |
 While
the Yangon capitol very slowly regains its footing with
improved operational infrastructure, its people remain
shell-shocked over the cyclone cataclysm, the city
continues largely dark at night, and many businesses,
including restaurants, are yet damage-closed. The
Yangon riverbank harbor dock area was destroyed; many
ships and boats sank.
Progress includes more relief-supply airlifts arriving
daily, but with Disaster Central in the Irrawaddy Delta
just south of here strictly closed to all foreigners.
Western print media have been sup-pressed since last
Thursday due to uncomplimentary exposition. Therefore,
you're reading what we're not!
However, I can share a good bit of what's going on "on
the ground," who's doing it, and some ways you might
help. First, Rotary did land the first 1035 shelter
boxes here last Friday, and they were delivered at once
to the disaster zone, by two private contract businesses
based in Yangon with close ties to Rotary colleagues and
also acceptable to the government. I've verified that
these reached their destinations, and intended donees,
at the weekend. And, it was so well-handled by our
Rotary colleagues that Rotary received favorable
television and print coverage never, ever before
accorded our organization here before; in many ways, a
"10-strike" for all concerned.
Sadly, I've learned there was one rather large downside
for the recipient victims: while the boxed supplies
were a great help, the tents themselves are only
functional on not inundated ground, absent elevated
platforms!
Rotary II: Our now three-year-plus initiative with
Myanmar Compassion Project continues construction of
self-contained water systems at two more orphanages. By
next month, we will have completed five separate
orphanage projects - just 55-60 more to go! (we will do
it). This week, I've personally inspected and
use-tested each of the three site-systems we built last
December, and all are being properly maintained and
operating flawlessly.
Rotary III: Deploying most of the Thai Baht 105,000
(about $100.00) generosity of Pattaya Rotarians, we
oversaw purchase and operational installation of three
powerful 6.5kv diesel generators to pull large flows of
water from beneath orphanages with unusually deep, large
water reservoirs; enough to serve their entire
surrounding village communities suffering severe water
shortfalls. Remaining about 10 percent will go to
direct food aid.
Rotary IV: Sug Kitahara, 29-year-old President of
Cerritos Rotary arrived Tuesday; he will be followed
here this weekend by Jan Von Koss of Pattaya-Jomtien
Rotary, our super-talented video documentarian, and Sue
McGinnis of the Rotary East Asia Expansion Committee.
Now, let's further address who's effectively doing what
here now and how to help them. First you need to
recognize that, because of the draconian government
restrictions on disaster area access, the best real help
is from non-official Burmese volunteers. For example, a
close friend and key permanent member of my Myanmar
project team last weekend organized from the local
business community US $80,000 in cash donations, secured
three large trucks and purchased food-stuffs and other
life-necessities including water-purifying tablets, and
went deep into the delta. My 17-year-old "adopted"
Myanmar son, our team photographer, participated, and,
though a strong person, came back rather traumatized for
a few days by the sights, sounds and smells they all
experienced. Both of them captured many digital still
images within the "closed" area, which we have.
Already, my team-mates have trucked down on a second
such mission this week.
Careful vetting I've done here the past week, virtually
unanimously pushes four relief organizations here to the
forefront: especially Save The Children - well
established throughout the world, they've served
Myanmar's kids since 1995. Consistently, Save The
Children has reached the hardest places here with
what's needed first. Their consistent results have
earned an extraordinary trust by even this obtuse
government. Amidst maelstrom here, Save The
Children Country Director Andrew Kirkwood gave me a
full half-hour in a Monday personal meeting and told me
how they're doing it.
With a Burma staff of 400, he temporarily furloughed,
with pay, about 260 of his staff of nationals, each with
deep roots in a respective, cyclone-leveled delta
community. Thus freed, they returned to their homes,
assessed real needs and, with their employers' and other
support, are delivering exactly the help needed where
they are. Ingenious.
Please access the SaveTheChildren.org website.
Andrew Kirkwood assures me that donations to Burma aid
can actually best be made in your own country through
the respective website, with full accountability and
deductibility for the donor.
Very early arrival of monsoon rains here now greatly
complicates both disaster aid and rescue operations, as
well as daily life here. Torrential rains flooded some
major city streets to as deep as three feet and heavy
rainfall continued Tuesday, lessening Wednesday.
Tuesday, I spent two hours at United Nations
headquarters here. In a scene of "ordered pandemonium,"
many hundreds of talented specialists from multiple
nations throughout the free world are converging to help
coordinate aid to the disaster area. None of these
still are allowed to enter the totally restricted area,
save for Burmese nationals, so these must be recruited
to go into the region while UN agencies plan, direct and
respond by "remote control" as best they can. It's all
like something out of a Franz Kafka novel. UN
Undersecretary for Relief Affairs, John Holmes, was
helicoptered into the area Tuesday, but under a strictly
military-controlled escort. We have it here that UN
Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon is expected here Friday to
focus further global pressure on the desperate need, but
I and others I respect here believe nothing will change.
The best (and only) way to help these hurting, desperate
refugees in their own land still is to transfer hard
funds to the private charitable entities which have the
continued ability to field knowledgeable and trustworthy
locals into the Irrawaddy Delta on a continuing basis.
Contributions to these are lawful, and tax-deductible.
Asia Heartbeat (Myanmar Compassion Project here) in
Colorado Springs:
P.O. Box 63720
Colorado Springs, CO 80962-3720
Telephone: (719) 332-8172
Save The Children - globally at info@savethechildren.org
Rotary Myanmar Project c/o Maesai Rotary
Bangkok Bank Transfer Acct. # (to be supplied later)
Roman Catholic Missions to Myanmar, through Fr. Emile
Louis-Tisserand,
email procupic@netvigator.com
or telephone in Hong Kong (852) 2849-8187 & 2849-8186
Best regards,
J.T. Warring
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