Cyclone Nargis One Year On

One year on from the devastation of Cyclone Nargis, Union Aid Abroad APHEDA is pleased to report that all monies raised for cyclone relief have been used. Two thirds of the $120,000 raised was distributed through Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) and their partners operating on the ground immediately after the cyclone last year and one third has gone to APHEDA’s long term partner, the Mae Tao Clinic for their Emergency Assistance Team (EAT Team).

NPA Staff distributing water guard to communities

The environment after the cyclone was a difficult one to respond to and Union Aid Abroad APHEDA feels that the Military Junta of Burma both contributed to the largeness of the tragedy by failing to adequately warn and protect its citizens and then by blocking aid and aid workers the junta behaved with criminal neglect towards the citizens of Burma.

From the EAT Team in their report "After the Storm: Voices from the Delta" published with the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health;

The response to Cyclone Nargis on the part of Burma's ruling junta, the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), was profoundly affected by the junta's policies, its practices towards its citizens generally, and by the political imperatives of the junta's referendum priorities. The junta's response was marred by failures to warn, failures to respond, limits on humanitarian assistance from independent Burmese NGOs and citizens, and limits on humanitarian assistance from international entities eager to assist.

Union Aid Abroad-APHEDA tried to avoid many of the corruption and access pitfalls mentioned in the above letter by working with strong partners such as NPA and EAT who were prepared to speak out against injustices inflicted by the Military Junta. Our partners were also grassroots focused, working with local communities, organisations and staff which in some cases enabled better access.

How APHEDA used your donations to assist those affected:

Additionally, the project assisted in making land arable again for agricultural cultivation.

Union Aid Abroad APHEDA also funded the EAT Team after the initial emergency phase was over, for their rehabilitation phase. The EAT Team work with Delta residents in small relief teams focusing on child protection and agricultural rehabilitation. The team ensures that orphaned children are housed appropriately and have access to schooling predominately in monastic or church based schools. The EAT Team have been important voices in lobbying internationally for those effected by Nargis, outlining the political nature of the problem and how continued hardship under a Military Junta has hampered aid relief.

Many thanks for your support,
APHEDA staff

Open Letter to Tripartite Core Group and ASEAN: Cyclone Nargis Recovery Must Be People Centered and Respect Human Rights

It has been a year since cyclone Nargis struck Burma's Irrawaddy Delta creating one of the largest humanitarian disasters since the 2004 Tsunami. We would like to thank those aid workers who have worked tirelessly this past year to provide vital relief to those in the areas affected. There have been significant challenges and roadblocks to rescuing and rebuilding the area; nevertheless, the people of the Irrawaddy Delta continue to work relentlessly for their communities. At this time we urge the Tripartite Core Group working to coordinate aid, comprised of representatives of the UN, Burma's military regime, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), to take into full consideration the people of the Irrawaddy Delta and ensure that reconstruction efforts be sustainable and community owned. We also appeal that all programs meet minimal international standards for humanitarian relief and recovery, including transparency, accountability, and protection of human rights.

Our relief teams are themselves Delta residents; therefore, they are able to access areas and gather information that is continually inaccessible to many international organizations. It has been one year since the cyclone struck, and still full and uncensored coverage and access continues to be restricted. From our most up to date information from the Delta, we have noticed that there are still many areas where relief work is urgently needed. Though people's livelihoods have improved slightly, healthcare problems remain dismal, especially as related to nutrition and mental health. Fear of impending storms and of authorities, as well as disempowerment hinders their mental recovery. Furthermore, few trained doctors are able to reach villages, and people do not have the funds to travel to cities. Additionally, access to clean water is still a key difficulty, with more salty and contaminated water getting into the supply.

Recent information shows that corruption is still a massive problem in aid delivery, with numerous aid workers reporting that they believe currently only 10% of people receive assistance in their community. Local government officials manage a great deal of aid distribution, and accounts of corruption are widespread among the people we serve; such as, people having to pay local officials to receive aid, aid going to officials and friends of officials and not to those in need such as widows and orphans, and distributing less than quality supplies even if quality good are given by donors. Human rights continue to be actively abused, and there are recurring incidences of forced labour, with people having to contribute labour to roads and schools, and if they cannot work they must pay officials. These abuses are not things of the past, but are continuing in the Delta today.

Furthermore, a key signal that restriction of work and disregard for human rights still exists is the continued imprisonment of at least 20 people who assisted with aid and recovery work or who attempted to report problems with recovery work; people such as famous Burmese comedian and film director Zarganar, reporter Ein Khine Oo, and those arrested for burying dead bodies. This should not be tolerated and they must be released immediately. Burma's military regime cannot be a feasible partner with ASEAN and the UN as long as it is blatantly violating international law. We respectfully ask all ASEAN states and UN agencies to join us in calling for the immediate and unconditional release of our fellow humanitarian aid workers.

There are no truly independent monitoring mechanisms in place to monitor aid distribution, and the far reaching power of the military and local authorities inhibits aid efficiency. People have very little ability to have voices in the recovery work in their communities. We have received reports of women organizing themselves to assist in recovery work, and then officials tell them they are problematic and must stop. If people try to build a church or school without authorities support, they are often forced to stop their efforts. While there are some government officials who do work to assist their community as best as possible, there must be more independent efforts to monitor government distribution work as well as allowing and encouraging recovery and development work that is community-based and not government controlled.

What is essential is that aid programs fully benefit the affected communities; in order for this to happen, the aid must be delivered in full consultation and transparent coordination with the local communities, as well as ensure that people's human rights are not violated. The Tripartite Core Group needs to thoroughly investigate and ensure that human rights abuses such as forced labour and forced relocation do not continue and that further aid is not confiscated, resold, diverted, or manipulated by Burma's military. In addition, there need to be active benchmarks and community-based participatory monitoring mechanisms in place to ensure fundamental international standards of human rights and natural disaster management are met. Specifically, the ASEAN Charter states clearly that its key principles are that of good governance and human rights and that any development must be people-centered. The people of Burma have key rights under international law to receive protection, assistance, and information from their government; not just physical protection, but social, political and economic protections.

It is also crucial that communities possess ownership in the rebuilding process. A key problem with the Post-Nargis Recovery and Preparedness Plan proposed by the Tripartite Core Group is the centralized control given to the military regime for recovery work, and the priority of military control over people's needs. Communities must be empowered and must have full consultation and participation in the process of rebuilding the Delta in a sustainable manner. The military regime in Burma, by many significant international indicators, is one of the most oppressive and restrictive governments in the world. With well documented widespread and systematic human rights violations occurring around the country, it is dangerous to vest so much power in the military regime for such tasks as cyclone recovery that needs full participation of local community. Moreover, there needs to be a focus on promoting women's participation and leadership in recovery plans, as they are typically neglected from consultations, but hold crucial information and decision on domestic and community matters.

We support the continual delivery of relief and recovery assistance. We implore the Tripartite Core Group to honour the rights of those from Burma and ensure that relief and recovery is carried out in a manner that is most effective and sustainable. Decades of analysis of natural disaster recovery work have shown that community ownership, transparency, and respect for human rights are crucial factors in bringing long-term sustainable development.

From,
The Emergency Assistance Team (EAT Team)

© Union Aid Abroad - APHEDA 2003.

Last Modified: Wednesday, 06-May-2009 11:50:31 EST
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