What Oxfam is Doing
June 2008
Cyclone Nargis cut a huge swath of devastation through Myanmar, destroying homes, crops, and property, and killing tens of thousands of people. The survivors are struggling to meet their basic needs for food, water, and shelter; they are also facing health hazards related to the severe flooding, such as increased risks of mosquito-borne diseases, and poor sanitation due to overflowing latrines. And while farmers in the delta region will soon be able to grow rice again, they now need help to restore and plant their paddies, which are their central source of food and incomes.
Working through partners, Oxfam is making steady progress responding to the huge humanitarian needs in the affected region. To date, we have reached nearly 250,000 cyclone survivors with some form of assistance.
Water and sanitation
One of the greatest threats to disaster survivors is waterborne disease. Contaminated water supplies combined with the crowded, chaotic living conditions of emergency settlements can lead to the rapid spread of deadly diseases like cholera. Oxfam partners are constructing emergency latrines and distributing soap and other hygiene supplies to people gathered in temporary settlements, as well as to those who have been able to remain in their villages.
They are also using every means at their disposal to ensure that supplies of clean water reach the people in need. With trucks and boats, they are transporting clean water over long distances, and they are finding ways to make local water potable, as well. Lakes and ponds have been the traditional source of drinking water for many communities, but dysentery outbreaks have been reported, and these water bodies, which are now contaminated with new sources of bacteria, are a likely cause. An Oxfam partner is providing the design and materials for 200-gallon tanks that can be filled with local water using a treadle pump and then chlorinated before drinking.
The next challenge will be to restore sustainable supplies of clean water to the affected villages.
Shelter
Immediately after the cyclone, Oxfam partners provided temporary shelter materials to families whose homes were destroyed during the cyclone but who remained in their villages. As thatch was initially unavailable, Oxfam partners provided heavy-duty plastic sheeting and rope for each household, helping build shelters that not only protect residents from the rain but also channel some of that rain into water-collection systems. Soon, we hope to assist people in rebuilding homes out of traditional materials such as bamboo and thatch.
Food and supplies
Oxfam partners have distributed biscuits, rice, noodles, oil and other emergency rations to affected communities in Yangon and throughout the river delta. Sometimes we help provide food through cash transfers instead of direct distributions, in order to ensure that people receive what they most want and need. Blankets, mosquito nets, candles, cooking pots and utensils, clothing, water cans, and other emergency supplies have also been provided.
Vulnerable groups
Throughout the emergency response, Oxfam partners are working to ensure that the most vulnerable groups within the affected communities receive the help they need. For example, women-headed households, families with many young children, pregnant women, seriously ill patients, and families whose homes were seriously damaged or completely destroyed are being given priority in the shelter programs. Children under five were given priority in an emergency medical project. And people living with AIDS are receiving assistance with shelter, food, water, and transportation to clinics; plans are in place to provide help with rehabilitating their homes and reviving their incomes, as well.
Looking to the near future
As quickly as possible, Oxfam partners will help the cyclone survivors recover their ability to make a living. The river delta is a key rice-growing region of the country, and both incomes and food supplies depend on rapidly restoring paddies to productivity. Oxfam partners will provide inputs such as irrigation pumps and seeds as needed, and will look for opportunities to help community members make sustainable improvements to their lives and livelihoods.