Amid aid delays, locals in Burma (Myanmar) rebuild

Cyclone victims are rebuilding homes and collecting rainwater as foreign aid workers slowly spread out.

from the June 2, 2008 edition

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His crew stopped at an expanse of muddy water – what used to be the village of Aut Pyun, home to 127 families. Winds were so strong that they cracked open concrete beams and pulverized brick walls of a school. Only 300 people, about half the population, survived.

Expecting to find people stunned and depressed, he was surprised to see locals rebuilding their homes with the help of organized Burmese relief volunteers and the leadership of monks. "They've bounced back very quickly.... The shock of losing their families is etched in their faces. But they're also taking the initiative to help themselves," he says.

As a member of World Vision's Global Rapid Response Team, Goudswaard has seen many disasters, but this might be the worst. "The impact is probably greater here than the tsunami had in Aceh or Sri Lanka, because it's also the rice bowl...." he says.

Yet many survivors escaped by hurrying to the nearby village of Phing Angon, and into a home opened by four sisters. Monks from across the country then led the relief effort.

The official press in Rangoon is full of tales of local heroism. A headline in the state-run New Light of Myanmar: "Everybody may make donations freely. Everybody may make donations to any person or any area. However, well-wishers are urged to avoid unsystematic donations and acts that may tarnish the image of the nation and its people."

With supplies brought in by compassionate locals, the survivors went to work, rethatching their houses, and covering a clinic with tarps donated by USAID. Goudswaard saw them trying to drain salt out of what used to be a freshwater pond, and collecting rain water in sturdy traditional jars that withstood the winds.

After waiting for two weeks for access, he appeared relieved to finally get the chance to put his field expertise to work. With four planes bringing supplies in the last two days on what he calls "the United Nations air bridge" from Bangkok to Rangoon's sparkling new airport, "it's starting to move as it should," he says.

Goudswaard says it's challenging to make an accurate needs assessment due to the lack of information from the government. The "life-saving stage is probably past us," he says, but steps for the next phase include: providing temporary shelter and helping people rebuild their livelihoods such as by planting rice.

•The writer could not be named for security reasons. Wire services were used.

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