Youth group helps Giri victims - Myanmar Times

Youth group helps Giri victims

By Than Htike Oo at Kyauk Phyu
November 1 - 7, 2010

AMONG the volunteers from Rakhine State who have mobilised to help the victims of Cyclone Giri, the Youth Cyclone Support Team in Kyaukpyu township was one of the first to leap into action.

Ko Balagyi, one of the group’s coordinators, said team members started discussions about how to help the storm victims on the morning of October 23, even as the cyclone’s winds were just starting to abate.

People displaced by Cyclone Giri work to repair embankments in Kyaukpyu on October 27. A volunteer group working with permission from the authorities paid the 300 workers K2000 a day. Pic: Supplied, U Thaung Tin 

 

“Eight young people who organise the Rakhine State Day celebration on December 15 every year met at a teashop and decided to use the K2 million fund they had saved for the celebration to help cyclone victims,” Ko Balagyi said.

“From that original eight, our numbers quickly grew to about 60 people,” he said.
Group members started by walking around Kyaukpyu calling on residents to donate paddy and cooked rice for storm victims. The groups also cooked rice for about 250 people a day.

“We immediately received a lot of donations from townspeople, and now donations are coming from throughout Rakhine State and from Yangon,” Ko Balagyi said, adding that up to October 27, the group had received 700 bags of rice and K4 million in donations.

He said that another important task was working to reduce the level of water flooding Kyaukpyu. This was accomplished by repairing five embankments that broke during the storm, a task that was carried out with approval from the Department of Irrigation under the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation.

“We selected 300 people from among the storm refugees who were able to work. We gave them K2000 a day for two days of work,” Ko Balagyi said. “After that, we cleared the main sewage canal in town with an additional 60 workers, and we increased the wage by K1000 a day.”

Starting from October 25, the group also expanded its emergency support work to include areas outside of Kyaukpyu township.
“We are now distributing food to villages in Myebon township. Up to October 27, we have distributed food support for about 10,000 people,” he said.

The team is also distributing water to needy villages.

“We collect water from pumps in Kyaukpyu and nearby streams for drinking water. The Ministry of Health is helping us by disinfecting the water,” Ko Balagyi said.

He said that although the number of casualties resulting from the cyclone was small, destruction to property was on a large scale.

“Almost all the local fishing boats and nets were destroyed. A lot of paddy in the fields, which was due to be harvested in two or three weeks, was destroyed. Fish ponds, prawn ponds and salt farms were damaged. Long-term aid to support the livelihoods of survivors will be needed,” he said.

“We want as much as support as soon as possible. The people need blankets and mosquito nets as winter is drawing near,” Ko Balagyi added.