Save the Children Reaches 72,000 People in Myanmar;

Save the Children Reaches 72,000 People in Myanmar; Efforts Continue to Assist Thousands Left Homeless by Cyclone Nargis

Distribution in Yangon following Cyclone Nargis.  Save the Children
 

Westport, Conn. (May 9, 2008) — As the death toll in Myanmar continues to rise as a result of Cyclone Nargis and as hardships for hundreds of thousands of survivors left in its wake increase, Save the Children is mounting a rapid response to provide lifesaving relief to children and families in five regions hit hardest by the storm.

Save the Children staff members have reached 72,000 people with life-saving materials including food, water, and materials for shelter, but concern is growing that thousands of survivors may die if clean water and other materials are not provided within the next few days.

Andrew Kirkwood, Save the Children's country director in Myanmar, reports that in the delta region of Irrawaddy, staff members have seen many corpses rotting where the waters have receded.  Staff members also report that in the Pyinkaya area, south-west of the delta, isolated people are dying of hunger and thirst for lack of humanitarian assistance. Such conditions lend themselves to outbreaks of water-bourne diseases, which could increase the death toll.

Throughout the delta region, known as the country's rice bowl, many villages have been devastated, with thousands of homes destroyed, and more than 3,000 schools damaged.  The low-lying Irawaddy Delta suffered the effects of a sizable storm surge and many areas remain underwater, hampering efforts to reach families in need. Much of the delta is reachable only by boat.

Since Monday, 1,000 bags of rice, 20 rolls of tarpaulin, sugar and salt have reached Pathein, where Save the Children has set up one of its bases of operations. The agency plans to use boats to transport materials to hard-to-reach locations.

"Save the Children is mobilizing its 500 employees in 35 offices across the affected region to assist vulnerable children and families who have lost their homes in this most recent disaster," said Ned Olney, Save the Children's vice president for international humanitarian response. "Shelter materials, clean water, mosquito nets and emergency health kits are critical needs at this time—and we are moving quickly to provide these lifesaving items."

Authorities have declared five regions with an estimated total population of 24 million to be in a state of emergency, including Yangon (Rangoon) Division, Pegu Division, Mon State, Karen State and the Irrawaddy Division. This delta is considered to be the country's rice basket and already, the cost of food has doubled in many markets. 

"The impending rainy season is likely to complicate an already desperate situation," said Olney. "The current lack of clean water will directly impact the health of children and their parents. And standing water only increases the possibility of an outbreak of waterborne illness. We need to move aid quickly to alleviate current hardships and mitigate the potential for a greater crisis."

Save the Children has raised nearly $1.5 million dollars in donations from individuals, corporations and foundations for its response to help children and families affected by Cyclone Nargis, which struck Myanmar's southwestern coast early on Saturday, May 3.  Save the Children worldwide is seeking $10 million in donations for its relief efforts. 

Save the Children currently operates programs in all five of the affected regions and has worked in Myanmar since 1995. As one of the largest nongovernmental organizations at work in Myanmar, the agency implements programs focused on early childhood care and development, child survival and child protection. All staff members are safe and accounted for, although their homes and families have been affected.

Donate now to support Save the Children's immediate and long-term response to the children and families affected by Cyclone Nargis.

Learn more about Save the Children's response to Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar.

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — More than 200 million children worldwide under age 5
do not get basic health care, leading to nearly 10 million deaths annually from
treatable ailments like diarrhea and pneumonia, a U.S.-based charity said
Wednesday.
Nearly all of the deaths occur in the developing world, with poor children
facing twice the risk of dying compared to richer children, according to Save
the Children's global report.
Sweden, Norway and Iceland top the ranking in terms of well-being for mothers
and children in 146 countries surveyed, while Nigeria ranks last.
Eight out of 10 bottom-ranked countries are in sub-Saharan Africa, where four
out of five mothers are likely to lose a child in their lifetime, Save the
Children said.
The top three among the 55 developing countries ranked in the survey are the
Philippines, Peru and South Africa — all surveyed for the first time. Indonesia
and Turkmenistan tied for fourth.
Laos, Yemen, Chad, Somalia and Ethiopia were found doing the worst among
developing countries, the report said.
Through a number of health initiatives, including access to oral rehydration to
treat diarrhea, the Philippines has nearly cut its child death rate in half
since 1990, said David Oot, Save the Children's associate vice president.
Today, more than 75 percent of Filipino children with diarrhea receive
rehydration therapy, compared with 15 percent of Ethiopian children, he said.
An alarming number of countries are failing to provide the most basic health
services that would save lives, with 30 percent of children in developing
countries not getting basic health intervention such as prenatal care, skilled
assistance during birth, immunizations and treatment for diarrhea and pneumonia.
Wide disparities in health care for the poorest and best-off children are seen
even in the highest-ranked countries, the report said.
In the Philippines and Peru, for example, the poorest children are 3.2 times
more likely to go without essential health care than their best-off
counterparts.
The poorest Peruvian children are 7.4 times more likely to die than their
richest counterparts, while the chances are 3.2 times higher for poor Filipino
children.
In Latin America, Brazil, Bolivia and Peru have some of the world's widest
survival gaps between rich and poor children. In Asia, large disparities also
exist in India and Indonesia.
Use of existing, low-cost tools and knowledge could save more than 6 million of
the 9.7 million children who die yearly from easily preventable or curable
causes, the report said.
They include antibiotics that cost less than $0.30 to treat pneumonia, the top
killer of children under 5, and oral rehydration therapy — a simple solution of
salt, sugar and potassium — for diarrhea, the second top killer.
On the Net:
  Save the Children: http://www.savethechildren.org
Hosted by  Copyright © 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Save the Children Reaches 72,000 People in Myanmar; Efforts Continue to Assist Thousands Left Homeless by Cyclone Nargis

http://www.savethechildren.org/newsroom/2008/cyclone-nargis-1.html