Burma: What You Can Do To Help
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Cyclone Nargis has captured the attention of the world and focused it squarely on Burma. Just one month ago, Refugees International was engaged in an advocacy campaign to convince policy-makers here in the US that we should engage in humanitarian assistance work in Burma. Now, rather than debating the pros and cons of aid to the country, the US is rushing to work with anyone who has access to it. It provides us with the long-term opportunity to diminish US skittishness over the work of aid organizations in Burma by allowing US funders, and specifically Congress, to observe the operating environment and see the importance of providing aid to the people of Burma.
While the media is focused on the inability of agencies to get visas for their staff, and get shipments of needed goods into Burma, there is little attention given to the organizations who are on the ground, what they are accomplishing and what they could do with more funding. At a humanitarian coordination meeting last week, a number of agencies began to describe the capacity that already exists on the ground. Here are a few examples (by no means exhaustive) of who’s doing what:
Adventist Development and Relief Agency
170 staff inside Burma
Distributing 250 metric tons of rice
CARE
500 staff inside Burma
Carrying out needs assessments throughout the Rangoon area
World Concern
200 staff inside Burma
Providing medical response in the delta
Save the Children
500 staff inside Burma
Procuring goods locally and pushing further into the delta every day
World Vision
600 staff inside Burma
Doing rice, water and fuel distribution, and conducting assessments in the delta
PACT
430 staff inside Burma
Using local networks and partnerships with other organizations to deliver aid
More attention needs to be focused on increasing the resources that are going to these actors. While the world groans over what is not being done in Burma, and it is appalling, there needs to be a greater focus on what is being done and how to support it. Hopefully, as the weeks progress and the media need stories of hope, the important work of these NGOs will become more visible.
--Joel Charny
While the media is focused on the inability of agencies to get visas for their staff, and get shipments of needed goods into Burma, there is little attention given to the organizations who are on the ground, what they are accomplishing and what they could do with more funding. At a humanitarian coordination meeting last week, a number of agencies began to describe the capacity that already exists on the ground. Here are a few examples (by no means exhaustive) of who’s doing what:
Adventist Development and Relief Agency
170 staff inside Burma
Distributing 250 metric tons of rice
CARE
500 staff inside Burma
Carrying out needs assessments throughout the Rangoon area
World Concern
200 staff inside Burma
Providing medical response in the delta
Save the Children
500 staff inside Burma
Procuring goods locally and pushing further into the delta every day
World Vision
600 staff inside Burma
Doing rice, water and fuel distribution, and conducting assessments in the delta
PACT
430 staff inside Burma
Using local networks and partnerships with other organizations to deliver aid
More attention needs to be focused on increasing the resources that are going to these actors. While the world groans over what is not being done in Burma, and it is appalling, there needs to be a greater focus on what is being done and how to support it. Hopefully, as the weeks progress and the media need stories of hope, the important work of these NGOs will become more visible.
--Joel Charny
Labels: Burma
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