from my dear friend Justin,working with his family for Save the Children,was there when the cyclone struck last week:
Dear All,Forgive me sending the circular - time so precious right now and email contact so patchy that it seems the only way. Poor dear Burmese - no one knows for sure yet, but probably over 200,000dead, over a million lost everything. International aid slowly getting itsact together, but to date the UN useless as ever, international NGOs doingbetter. As always, real heroes are all the local survivors: self-helpgroups and community based organisations will have saved far more than anyof us I suspect. We will keep very busy for a while, I expect. I am now coordinating effortsto channel financial and technical support to civil society groups - tryingto make sure that they have every chance to fulfil their potential and notget steam-rollered by the international aids. There are many hundreds,possibly thousands of small self-help groups and local institutions(Buddhist monasteries, churches, traditional social groups etc) who arebest placed to respond to local needs. Now have teams out in the affectedareas of the Delta trying to contact these local groups and start supportingtheir efforts. Because this will be a long term affair - once we get throughthe first few weeks of immediate life saving will probably be a couple ofyears to get any sort of meaningful recovery we are trying form the start tolook at issues of accountability and good practice as much as one can midstsuch chaos. For now also having to oversee immediate emergency responseprogramme of Save the Children in Yangon itself (here the situation isbetter than the Delta, many tens of thousands of homeless and foodless butat least accessible and only low mortality levels). None here has anyemergency experience and we can't get any resource people in coz the Govt isstopping them come in - so they have to scrape the barrel and use twits likeme. Kerren is doing incredible work - single-handedly setting up an effectiveinformation and coordination system and trying to undo the dame of thesystem set up by the UN. This work is crucial and I don't know anyone whocould be doing it as Kerren is. Highly stressful and draining - and she isdoing brilliantly. She'll probably have more impact through this work thanall of us. Kids also wonderful and adapting to fact that they see little of the parentsanymore, but are understanding somehow that it is important and not lettingit worry them unduly. Most of the house is dry - no electricity of coursesince last Friday, but we are lucky that we have a well in our garden so wecan haul out water. And beer and whiskey stocks are reasonable to boot, sowe really are fine. Don't worry for us at all at all. Communication will bepatchy so also don't worry about long silences. So much you can do to help. Lack of money probably won't be a problem (toomuch money poorly spent may be), but much more important ways to help. Mostof the Burmese who died are Buddhists. Not only do they believe inreincarnation but also in the power of humanity behaving well, one to another, and appreciating every facet and moment of life to the full. That's how they would like the whole world to help. Of course, you all do that all already, hugely all the time - so you are already helping so much. But even on grotty Monday mornings when the toast burns, it helps. It's very important, but often so difficult - and so much more difficult than running around like a headless chicken in the midst of it, which is what I do. Much love (and licks from Tiger) from us all, jknsxxxxxxxx)
-----Original Message-----From: Jacquie Dowding [mailto:velifera64@hotmail.com] Sent: Friday, May 09, Subject: RE: The key message is... thank the Gods! You are there because you are meant to be.love you all,Jacxxxxxxxxxxx ________________________________
> From: we're fine - but so many not - now working round clock trying to do > stuff but so much suffering already we love you and we are fine enjoy > every second of life - we are so lucky that it is a crime not to laugh > and love everyone j and crew xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> > ________________________________> From: Jacquie Sent: Tuesday, May 06, 2008 11:55 PM> To: Justin Corbett> Subject: RE: The key message is...> > Worried!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!How areyou???????????????????????????????> Let me know when you can> lovexxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxJac> > > > Don't take your Organs to heaven; heaven knows we need them here.> > > > 3,086 transplants were carried out from April 2006 - March 2007, > thanks to 1,495 donors> > www.uktransplant.org.uk |
