Cathy Writes…

 

 In a very real way the cyclone continues here as everyday whips up new offers of help and new challenges to overcome.  This week’s theme of “re-build” instead of “dump supplies” has been heavy on our minds and in our hearts as BB, and TNS, the Thirst-Aid education coordinator return with tales from their reconnaissance missions into the delta region. They come with both tales of endurance and the desire of many people to get back to work and stories of dread because they fear if the tools to start re-building don’t arrive soon more people will turn to sitting and waiting for the handouts that they’ve heard are coming their way.
We also have had reports from J, a Myanmar doctor from the states who also went into the delta after talking to every available medical professional in Yangon to learn what is available and what is needed.  She returned like many others determined to put her energies into focusing on helping one village.  It’s a common theme in the Thirst-Aid office which has been taken over by what we’re calling the Myanmar Grassroots Association.  The membership is an eclectic group of concerned citizens; we have representatives from a Myanmar women’s group, retired health professionals, a travel and tour company, a grassroots coordinator, a plastics company and a couple people from large NGO’s that want to help independently of their organizations. 
The big picture plan is to help people help themselves one village at a time.  We want to help them keep their dignity and get back to work and not be turned into beggars sitting on the road waiting for the aid trucks to drive by and throw supplies their way.  We only want to work in areas not serviced or going to be serviced by the large organizations and in communities with a chance to rebuild.
BB’s interest is in re-building the paddies, J and the health group are working on plans to rebuild clinics, KZ’s interest is schools and orphanages, we’re covering water and health education, the women’s group is organizing the family kit campaign and helping rebuild monasteries, another person wants shovels.  They’re all making lists and trying to work out schemes for income generation and rebuilding markets.  We’re going to try to pick one large village and make it the model.  Of course most of these groups are already working in villages and so they will maintain what they’ve begun as we build the model village.
And us, in addition to the above, we’ve been facilitating the making of a plan and procuring supplies.  We’re also producing health education materials for each group and asking Thin Nwe Soe to train someone from each group and someone from the villages they’re working in on how to use the ed materials.   Though some believe that health and hygiene education is not an appropriate emergency response, we say what better time than when people are acutely aware of the dangers lurking in dirty water and unwashed hands and are willing to learn how to avoid getting sick.  When their life is going well we have to hit them in the head or bribe them to take our classes, now they’re asking questions and want to learn about solutions.
Curt volunteered to help UNICEF get a HUGE water filtration device they had in storage working. Once running the thing can produce enough safe water for 5 to 8 thousand. Thankfully after three full days and a few part days he had all of the mechanical parts working and the remaining glitches were electrical and thus require another type of expert. 
Both ceramic water filter factories are running at the fullest production possible given that the rainy season has begun but we’re trying a few new tricks to get them up to dry season output.  The third factory will be up in 3 weeks and the new plastic bucket mold will be in the country in 10 days and hopefully producing within 4 weeks.  We’ve got big hopes to turn this disaster into a opportunity for better health by providing the thousands now homeless with ceramic filters as they rebuild their villages.  There were 15 million people in need of safe drinking water before the cyclone, now is a good time to start reducing that number.
Needless to say, all of us are still running pretty much on adrenaline and caffeine with a beer or two tossed in at night so that we can get six hours of sleep.  Given the circumstances however, things are going relatively smoothly.