The situation for children continues to worsen in Myanmar as thousands of children have been separated from their families, many more are living in desperate conditions in relief camps, and some are drinking water from ponds covered with dead bodies.
Below, a man collects wood near the carcass of a cow killed by the cyclone, some 50 kilometres south-west of the township of Kunyangon. As bodies decompose, the water supply is further contaminated.
Here, a woman breastfeeds her infant in the temporary shelter of a monastery near the village of Pyanpon in the southern Irrawaddy Division. Behind them, another woman and child share the same bed. They have all been displaced by the cyclone.
UNICEF has distributed pre-positioned supplies to hard-hit areas. Below, a man secures a UNICEF aid package to the back of his bicycle, with the help of his two sons, in the cyclone-affected township of Kunyangon in the southern Yangon Division.
More to follow.
In the meantime, if you want to help, please consider making a donation or posting a badge on your website or blog.
Thank you for your support.
Comments (2)
Since the government hasn't been letting in anyone to help, especially foreign aid, I am surprised to read that Unicef has been able and allowed to distribute aid and help out on the ground. I'm very glad this is possible but don't understand why Unicef is allowed "in" and other agencies are not (according to the news reports). I will donate more to Unicef if I know that the aid is reaching the victims. thanks for your hard work!!
Posted by Kathy | May 13, 2008 4:38 PM
Posted on May 13, 2008 16:38
Kathy,
I think the full article explains it--UNICEF doesn't need to be let in, it's already there. It already has offices in Burma, and local workers. You can see from the photo of the man loading his bicycle that the aid is getting through. The agencies that are having difficulty are the ones with no prior connection and base in the country, and countries like the USA which have been particularly insensitive and unpractical in how they've handled the offer to help.
I was very encouraged to read this update and know that my donation will help, and not just pay for shipments that end up sitting on the tarmac of an airport or get diverted to military use. I hope that will continue to be the case. I'll urge my friends to donate and will donate again (just as soon as I get my pay check!)
Posted by Maura | May 14, 2008 9:05 AM
Posted on May 14, 2008 09:05