One Year After Cyclone Nargis: Aid to Burma Still Crucial

Washington, D.C. - One year after Cyclone Nargis struck the Burmese delta on May 2, a sustained effort is still needed to ensure that aid operations continue to assist the Burmese people, Refugees International said today. Nearly 80 humanitarian agencies responded effectively to the disaster by restructuring their programs to meet the most pressing needs and successfully training thousands of new Burmese staff in humanitarian operations. As a result, the United Nations says that one million people received food aid, nearly 200,000 households got agricultural support and half a million children received help in education. 

"The Burmese regime is one of the most repressive in the world, but the people of Burma shouldn't be punished for the actions of the generals," said Joel Charny, Vice President of Refugees International. "Secretary Clinton indicated several weeks ago that the administration was undergoing a review of U.S. policy towards Burma. Now that it is clearly possible to provide aid inside the country transparently and effectively, any change in U.S. policy should reflect the needs of the Burmese people and show a strong and ongoing commitment to assist them."

After Cyclone Nargis struck the delta, the U.S. ended up providing a total of $75 million for aid inside Burma, a tremendous increase over the previous $3 million budget, which was primarily focused on HIV/AIDS programs. Refugees International is calling for a commitment of $30 million in 2010 to help provide food, basic health care and education to people throughout the country.

"The delta region is rebuilding, but access to clean water is a challenge and many families are still living in temporary shelters that cannot withstand the effects of another storm," Charny said. "Further, attempts to expand assistance to the rest of the country are struggling. Funding from the international community for the emergency is now drying up, but health, education and agriculture programs should continue in the delta region and throughout the country."

In addition to needs in the delta, Northern Rakhine State, home to the Rohingya Muslim minority, continues to be an area of great concern, with deteriorating living standards, forced relocations and extreme repression. An ongoing food crisis in Chin State, a drought running through the center of the country, and increased internal displacement in eastern Burma require greater attention. Burma also has the highest HIV rates in Southeast Asia, and malaria, a treatable and preventable disease, is the leading cause of mortality and morbidity.

Refugees International is a Washington, DC-based organization that advocates to end refugee crises. In February of 2009 the organization traveled to Burma to assess the humanitarian situation inside the country and released a field report in March, "Burma: Capitalizing on the Gains". For more information, go to http://www.refugeesinternational.org/burma [1].

Contact:  Vanessa Parra, 202-828-0110 ext. 225;
vanessa@refugeesinternational.org