Myanmar: Save the Children Warns Of New Risks
Six months after Cyclone Nargis swept across Myanmar, a looming water crisis and the impact of lost livelihoods threaten
the well-being of children and families made vulnerable by the storm.
Cyclone Nargis cut a swath of destruction across Myanmar's southern coast on May 2 - 3, 2008. More than 130,000 people
— including tens of thousands of children — died or disappeared, while more than 1 million people lost their homes.
In addition, the agriculture and fishing industries in the Irrawaddy Delta were devastated, leaving families with no way
to earn an income or feed themselves.
The storm also flooded low-lying areas, contaminating wells, containment ponds and rivers. Salinity of these traditional
sources of drinking water remains high. As the dry season begins this month in Myanmar, families will have few options
for obtaining clean drinking water, increasing the risk of disease.
"The water shortage that typically comes with the dry season is being exacerbated by the unusually high salt content in
water sources in the Delta — a lingering result of the cyclone," said Andrew Kirkwood, Save the Children's country
director in Myanmar. "The lack of clean water will directly impact the health of children. Scarce family resources will
be further strained if they must purchase water, as will relationships among communities if they must compete for this
resource."
Save the Children is planning to implement a variety of measures to increase access to safe water (including setting up
reverse-osmosis desalination plants) and improve families' ability to cope over the coming months and monitor children's
health. Save the Children will also continue to assist farmers, fishermen and others to rejuvenate their livelihoods and
incomes, a program all the more critical if families are to deal with the potential financial shock of a water shortage.
"Restoring the means to earn a living is vital to helping vulnerable families pay additional expenses, including medical
costs," said Kirkwood. "It is expensive to rebuild one's life, and even more so for the poor. Any new financial
obligations could force people to make difficult choices in regard to the food they buy or whether they can send their
children to school."
Save the Children has been working in Myanmar for 13 years and is one of the largest nongovernmental organisations
operating in the country. Save the Children's ongoing emergency-response programs are focused on child protection, food
aid, health and nutrition, education assistance, shelter, and water and sanitation. To date, the organisation — which
is working in 14 of the 15 hardest-hit townships — has reached nearly 500,000 people with lifesaving food and water,
shelter materials, and household and hygiene items.
MEDIA ADVISORY
Save the Children experts, including Myanmar Country Director Andrew Kirkwood and Bangladesh Country Director Kelly
Stevenson, are available to comment on the status of emergency response efforts in their countries, as Asia next month
marks the 6-month and 1-year anniversaries of two deadly cyclones in Myanmar and Bangladesh respectively.
Please contact Kate Conradt (Myanmar) on + 1 202-294-9700 or Mike Kiernan (US) on + 1 202-460-0614 if you would like to
arrange an interview with either or both country directors.
We are prepared to talk about a range of issues - including: • how a current water crisis, plus credit
problems, are hindering recovery efforts in the delta region of Myanmar; • how years of emergency preparation work
in coastal communities in Bangladesh greatly reduced the death toll from Cyclone Sidr • how officials in
Bangladesh and Myanmar have succeeded in helping tens of thousands of storm-impacted children return to school •
how more work needs to be done throughout Asia, including Myanmar, to prepare coastal communities for future emergencies
RESOURCES
To view the video of Myanmar 6 Months On please visit
To view the photo essay Myanmar 6 Months On: Family Tracing and Reunification please visit
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