Helping the People of MyanmarNote of thanks to all who gave to Pact's relief efforts in Myanmar following Cyclone Nargis. In the months following the cyclone, over 230 people and groups sent donations to help the people of Myanmar through Pact. Together these generous donors contributed over $145,000. This support was combined with funds from UN agencies, governments and private foundations to ultimately bring $3 million in aid to cyclone survivors. The support of each individual donor was critical to ensuring a complete response, and we are forever grateful for this outpouring of support. On behalf of the all the people of Myanmar, thank you for your generosity. October 2008 “The fact that Pact has developed into one of the most efficient and trusted WFP partners through an activity we previously had no experience with is still staggering to me.” Erica Tubbs The disaster left in the wake of Cyclone Nargis, which passed through the delta region of Myanmar from May 2-4, 2008 was an unquestionable call to action for the entire staff of Pact Myanmar. The cyclone decimated the lives, livelihoods and homes of millions of Burmese, including hundreds of Pact Myanmar’s microfinance clients and delta staff. Compelled by the enormity of the storm’s destruction and the survivors’ distress, Pact staff went to work immediately. Within a week of the storm, they had visited every village - 985 in total - where the delta microfinance program operates, assessed the damage and started a record of each community’s needs. In this way, Pact became the first agency to arrive on the scene, and has since become a consistent source of reliable aid to hundreds of communities and hundreds of thousands of families.
Pact’s response to the cyclone has been comprehensive, flexible, and reflective of the expertise in microfinance and healthcare. As expected, the field survey revealed that immediate needs were primarily food, shelter, water, and medical care. Pact Myanmar responded to all these needs, by first returning our clients’ savings and separate cash grants, and through mobile medical teams. These efforts were later integrated into a more diverse program through additional partnerships with multilateral aid agencies and private donors. Cash grants to 27,345 households were directed towards supporting the purchase of food, shelter and agricultural implements; the monsoon season is also the planting season, and communities feared losing yet another harvest for lack of seeds. To ensure that the most vulnerable households benefited from this assistance, communities selected their own emergency response committees to lead village-wide participatory selection processes. 515 community cash grants were also given through these village committees to support burials, cleanup of debris, and rehabilitation of rainwater catchment ponds which serve as the main water sources.
 Rotating mobile medical teams, consisting of medical doctors, assistants from Pact’s health programs and additional volunteers, traveled daily by boat from township offices to villages in the worst hit areas where they treated cases of physical trauma, respiratory disease, diarrhea and dehydration, and psychological distress. A total of 19 medical doctors and over 70 assistants were mobilized from across the country to keep these teams operating for almost 4 months. The teams saw a total of 39,849 patients in 732 affected villages.Through cooperation with an ever-growing list of donors and partner organizations, Pact has expanded its assistance to over 550 villages and has included additional components. In cooperation with World Food Program, Pact is providing daily rations of rice, edible oil, pulses and salt to 140,000 people; to-date 3,934 metric tons have been distributed. Community hygiene was supported through distribution of water and sanitation materials from UNICEF. Through funding from Action Aid, improved roofing and housing materials, and household items such as kitchenware, sleeping mats, blankets, flashlights and radios, and mosquito nets were also distributed to vulnerable families.
Long term recovery, however, will require the regeneration of livelihoods for families throughout the delta. Starting in July, Pact Myanmar began moving towards its second phase response, which supports livelihoods through cash grants, in addition to continued emergency relief. Households are given one-time monetary assistance to help them replace productive assets lost during the cyclone, including fishing nets, seeds and agricultural tools, initial stocks for small trade, small equipment and fuel, ducklings and other small livestock. A return to normal productive activities gives people both income and the hope that life can and will go on.
Pact's next steps are to restart microfinance activities in the delta by the end of this year, which will further assist with livelihoods recovery, and to pilot a community-based disaster risk reduction program that will help communities to organize and better plan their responses to future natural disasters.
Cash for food, shelter, and agriculture Water and sanitation Mobile medical units
Pact will also be targeting some of our resources to assist the recovery of our own Delta staff. In total 15 staff lost one or more family members to the storm; 318 lost either their home or suffered heavy damage; two are recovering from injuries; and, sadly, five lost their lives. We are deeply grateful for the dedication of our entire team in Myanmar, especially those who are working to help others as well as rebuild their own lives. For further information, please contact: < Back to Myanmar Cyclone Nargis page Photo Gallery
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