Please be warned of fraudulent individuals and groups capitalising on sympathy for cyclone victims.
AS THE SITUATION IN MYANMAR REMAINS FLUID, PLEASE CONTACT THE RESPECTIVE ORGANISATIONS TO ENSURE THAT THEY HAVE CONTINUED ACCESS BOTH TO THE COUNTRY AND TO THE AFFECTED AREAS.
On May 8, the Myanmar government invited three organisations to help in Nargis relief efforts. They are World Vision, UNICEF and JICA, the Japanese International Cooperation Agency. Other groups have also been working to help shoulder the burden of bringing basic supplies to the victims.
Those listed here - including the three approved by the Myanmar government on May 8 - are reputable aid organisations raising money to help the victims. For some of them, their charitable commitment ( percentage of income used for charitable purposes) for the year 2007 was calculated by Forbes Magazine in its list of 200 largest charities in the US. The calculations were only done on US groups; for international organisations, the score represents the one given to their US office.
From the Forbes report ( Forbes.com, America's 200 Largest Charities by William P Barrett, 11.21.2007)
Charitable Commitment: This measures how much of total expense went directly to the charitable purpose (also known as program support) as opposed to management, certain overhead and fundraising. The average this year is 85%, down 1%...
... We again warn against mindlessly comparing ratios of different kinds of nonprofits, as each has a certain degree of uniqueness. But our data certainly can be helpful in the early stages of an evaluation of any nonprofit--on our list or not. Say you're interested in contributing to a smaller agency that helps the needy overseas. The ratios of several similar larger ones on our list can provide a sense of the norms for such enterprises.
If you are interested in donating, please do contact the respective organisations to ensure the appeals are still going on. This is especially if you would like to offer help in kind, as they would be able to advise better what would be needed and their logistical capabilities in bringing your donations to those you intend to reach.
1. WORLD VISION
World Vision scored 87 % in the terms of charitable contribution in the Forbes 2007 list of 200 Largest Charities. It receives 29% of its funding from government support.
From an update on its website on May 22,
World Vision has been able to increase its humanitarian response on the ground in Myanmar by sending additional aid workers and supplies into the country, but increased access is still required to reach cyclone survivors in need of relief.Five foreign staff with expertise in distribution, logistics, water and sanitation, and human resources arrived in Myanmar on May 20 — joining nearly 600 staffers who have been actively responding since the opening days of the cyclone.
In addition to technical experts, World Vision is sending in relief flights loaded with supplies, including 2.3 million water purification tablets, 5,000 tarps, 5,000 kitchen sets, 5,000 hygiene kits, 2,000 mosquito nets, and two water purification systems that can purify up to 4,000 gallons of water per hour. Up to this point, we had been reaching survivors with relief items purchased in-country.
Two flights have already landed from Singapore, and one flight is scheduled from Frankfurt via Bangkok. An additional flight from Singapore is being scheduled for next week.
"We are seeing positive indications that the channels of relief into Myanmar are opening up," said Steve Goudswaard, World Vision's Cyclone Nargis response manager.
"We are hopeful that in the coming days, we will be able to begin expanding our humanitarian aid operation to reach even more survivors with food, water, and medical care. There is an urgent need on the ground, and we cannot wait any longer."
How you can help:
2. Locate and donate at your closest World Vision office2. UNICEF
UNICEF is not rated by the Forbes report.
UNICEF will need a initial sum of US$8.2 million to help victims over the next TWO months.
These include $1.9 million for health and nutrition, 1.5 million for water, sanitation and hygiene, $2.5 million for education, $800,000 for child protection and $1.5 million for non-food items.
Click here for a detailed report on the needs on the ground and what has been done by UNICEF so far.
How you can help:
Donate online to UNICEF's efforts in Myanmar
Select "Myanmar Emergency"
Contact:
Mailing address:
UNICEF
P.O Box 1435,
Yangon, Myanmar
Office address:
14th and 15th floor, Traders Hotel
No 223 Sule Pagoda Road
Kyauktada Township
Yangon, Myanmar
Tel: 95-1-375 527, 95-1-375 532
Fax: 95-1-375552
Email: yangon@unicef.org
3. International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
The IFRC is not rated by the Forbes report.
A May 19th statement from its official site:
The amount of Red Cross Red Crescent aid going into cyclone devastated Myanmar will increase significantly this week, with the announcement of five 40-ton charter flights scheduled to depart from Kuala Lumpur for Yangon.On May 22, the International Red Cross office in Thailand announced that a relief team of 30 doctors and nurses had been admitted into Myanmar to help for two weeks. On May 14, it also issued a statement saying two shipments of relief supplies had been flown in.
“The needs of survivors in large parts of the country remain acute… These larger flights will make our operations more cost and time-effective, and most importantly enable us to send more aid into Myanmar,” said Igor Dmitryuk, Head of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies’ regional logistics unit in Kuala Lumpur.
Twenty-five Red Cross Red Crescent flights have already arrived in Yangon carrying a total of 302 tons of essential relief items. This week’s additional flights will see at least a further 230 tons arrive in country, though more flights are being arranged and confirmed every day. Most of these flights have originated in Kuala Lumpur, with some coming from other regional and global hubs.
With wet and rainy conditions threatening to bring further anguish to the hundreds of thousands of people suffering from the devastation caused by Cylone Nagris, this increased momentum is particularly important, explained John Sparrow, the International Federation’s spokesman in Bangkok.
“We are now scaling up our operations in Myanmar, and distributing more and more relief to areas devastated by the cyclone in and around Yangon and in the delta,” said Sparrow.
“Emergency shelter and access to clean water remain priorities. While the relief pipeline we have established will help us to reach more people, more is needed if we are to avert a catastrophe on an even greater scale.”
The Red Cross Red Crescent relief pipeline has so far carried 42,000 mosquito nets, 36,000 tarpaulins, shelter kits for around 35,000 people, over 20,000 jerry cans, and over 7,000 kitchen kits into Yangon.
More importantly, from distribution points in Yangon, Myanmar Red Cross volunteers have worked tirelessly to distribute more than 180,000 water purification tablets, 28,000 litres of clean drinking water, 23,000 items of clothing, and 12,000 jerry cans to tens of thousands of cyclone survivors in affected areas, including Laputta and Bogale.
The Thai Red Cross relief supplies of over 10 tons have arrived in Myanmar flown in with the cooperation of Royal Thai Air Force on 10 May when the first aid shipment was sent on 8 May 2008. The second shipment consisting of food, household medicines, plastic sheets, tents, generators, water filters and other necessities for life were handed over to the President of the Myanmar Red Cross by the Thai Ambassador and representatives of the Thai Red Cross at the airport in Yangon. Most of the relief supplies were procured at the Myanmar Red Cross request based on needs of the victims particularly the electricity generators which will be used at hospitals to facilitate surgery for the injured.
Also, the Thai Red Cross has mounted a cash appeal focused on sending help to alleviate suffering of the victims. The appeal has received good response from the public and the Thai Red Cross plans to send a donation for the amount of US$ 100,000 to Myanmar Red Cross to support its relief operations.
At the Thai Red Cross warehouse, about 6 million bottles of drinking water together with more relief goods are ready to be sent to Myanmar Red Cross if the problem of logistics can be overcome.
How you can help:
1. Donate online to the IFRC's relief efforts in Myanmar
2. Carry out a bank transfer to the Red Cross office in neighbouring Thailand via:
Account: TRC-Natural Disaster (Myanmar)
A/C No: 045-3-04285-5
Siam Commercial Bank PCL.
Sapakachat Thai Branch
SWIFT CODE: SICOTHBK
Contact:
ICRC regional delegation in Thailand
20 Sukhumvit Road, Soi 4
Soi Nana Tai
BANGKOK 10110
(Covers Cambodia, Laos, Viet Nam, Thailand)
Tel.: (+662) 251 04 24 / 251 52 45 / 251 29 47
Fax: (+662) 253 54 28
Email: bangkok.ban@icrc.org
4. AmeriCares
AmeriCares scored 99% in the terms of charitable contribution in the Forbes 2007 list of 200 Largest Charities. It receives 0% of its funding from the government.
Released on its website on May 22,
How you can help:
The government of Myanmar today cleared for entry a life-saving shipment of medicines and medical supplies airlifted to Yangon by AmeriCares - a nonprofit international aid organization. The relief package will be distributed in partnership with International Organization for Migration (IOM), an organization that helps ensure the orderly and humane management of migration and provides practical solutions to migration problems faced by refugees and internally displaced people, including health care services. IOM will be operating 10 mobile clinics serving the victims of the cyclone in their communities, including the Irrawaddy delta region. AmeriCares medicines and supplies will enable not only IOM to restore health and save lives throughout Myanmar, but will provide essential medicines to other NGOs serving the ravaged areas.
...The shipment, which arrived from Amsterdam, contains 15 tons of medicines such as antibiotics, analgesics, ointments and multivitamins as well as medical equipment and supplies to treat the immediate needs of those injured and to help prevent the anticipated spread of illness and disease throughout the region. The medicines and supplies will allow healthcare workers in Myanmar to treat injuries and illnesses associated with cyclones including, lacerations, trauma, puncture wounds, water-borne diseases, diarrheal diseases, malaria and help prevent the outbreak of cholera.
This airlift will be the first of many deliveries AmeriCares will make to help the victims of the cyclone. "We're hearing from our colleagues on the ground that clean water and emergency medicines and medical supplies are desperately needed to prevent further death and widespread diseases," says Welling. "AmeriCares shipment contains the supplies urgently needed to help ease suffering and restore health to the victims of Cyclone Nargis."
Donate online to AmeriCares
5. JICA
The Japan International Cooperation Agency is not ranked by the Forbes report.
Technically JICA does not fall into the category of Non-Governmental Organisations. It is the disbursement agency of Japan's Official Development Assistance. However it is listed here on account of it being one of the three agencies designated as operational partners in cyclone relief efforts by the Myanmar government.
The updates are only available in Japanese on their official site but there is an introduction of the work they do in other languages.
Contact:
JICA Regional Support Office for Asia
1674/1 New Petchburi Road, Bangkok 10320, THAILAND
(C/O JICA THAILAND OFFICE, 1674/1 New Petchburi Road, Bangkok 10320, THAILAND)
Tel: +66-2-2511655
Fax: +66-2-2558086
Other international offices
6. Malteser International
Malteser International is working to send another plane carrying relief items from itself as well as other organisations in Germany, under the request of the German foreign service.
In an update posted on its website on May 21,
The three “Emergency Health Kits” sent to Myanmar last week with a plane of the Ger-
man Federal Technical Agency (Technisches Hilfswerk - THW) could be cleared without
any difficulty and have been delivered to Labutta and Yangon. In Labutta, Malteser In-
ternational meanwhile is running two emergency health stations in two camps hosting
12,000 internally displaced people and is organising an additional mobile medical team to
do outreach activities. In addition, we have built more than 30 latrines and are up to build
100 more of them thus securing hygiene and safe drinking water.
In the following days, two water purification units will be installed, one in the hospital of
Labutta and one in Labutta town, which will serve 25,000 people/per day with clean
drinking water including the internally displaced people in two camps.
How you can help:
You may carry out a bank transfer to :
Bank fur Sozialwirtschaft
Sort Code 370 205 00
Account N° 120 120 120
IBAN: DE 49 3702 0500 0001 0258 01
BIC BFSWDE33XXX
Reference: Cyclone Nargis
Contact:
228/1 Sukhumvit Soi 65 Watana - Bangkok 10110 - Thaïland
Tél: +662.3912108
E-mail: embsmomth@gmail.com
Website: http://www.orderofmalta.org
7. World Emergency Relief
Information from its audited report for year ending 31 March 2007 show that theWorld Emergency Relief is a British-registered "non-denominational faith-based Christian charity". About 99% of its funds are derived from voluntary donations, and 82 % of its funds go towards cash or gift grants for its causes.
Latest update as at 20 May
Emergency medical packs which were air-freighted by World Emergency Relief (WER) to victims of Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar (Burma) have been successfully cleared through customs and are right now being distributed to emergency mobile health clinics in the devastated Irawaddy delta area.
Each Doctor Emergency Medical Pack (DEMP) contains basic antibiotic, antiseptic and general medical supplies specifically selected for emergency situations and provides approximately 1500 treatments. The packs are specifically prepared so that doctors and nurses can quickly have basic supplies available while they make assessments for additional specific medical requirements, including pharmaceuticals, medicines and water purification supplies.
Up to 134,000 people are missing or feared dead following the massive cyclone which struck Myanmar on 2nd and 3rd May 2008. Millions of people are now homeless and in desperate need of humanitarian assistance.
WER air-freighted the emergency medical packs, which are valued at £80,000 and were donated to WER by International Health Partners (IHP), to Myanmar last Friday (16th May 2008). The packs were received by local aid agency ADRA Burma within 24 hours of arriving in the country.
WER is working in close partnership with ADRA Burma to provide essential medical and pharmaceutical supplies for emergency mobile clinics in the Labutta region of the Irawaddy delta, an area severely devastated by the cyclone.
Reports to WER from ADRA Burma indicate that more than fifty percent of hospitals and medical facilities in Labutta have been entirely destroyed by the cyclone and medical supplies are rapidly running out of stock.
WER is now preparing to air-freight over £1 million worth of further medical and pharmaceutical supplies within the next 3 weeks. These supplies have been donated to WER by IHP and major pharmaceutical companies.
How you can help:
Donate online
Contact:
Tel:+44 (0)844 249 2129
Fax: + 44 (0)20 7839 8202
Email: info@wer-uk.org
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