Here are a few stories and observations from my most recent trip to Myanmar. I’m Katie, a new intern at GlobalGiving. I moved with my family from Los Angeles to Myanmar in 2003 and I’ve spent every summer and winter vacation back home since. This last visit, instead of karaoke(ing) with friends or sitting around at tea shops, I got a chance to help out with the cyclone relief efforts in some of the hardest hit areas of the delta.

Many of the accounts are the same: the water level rose at about four in the afternoon, the tides churning like an underwater earthquake. Then, darkness comes without even the light of the moon, bringing with it engulfing waves up to ten feet. Villagers in the delta flee to the sturdiest places they can find - the wooden house of a village leader, a monastery, or a tall dike in the rice patty fields. But for so many, they stand no chance. It is the perfect storm.

I’m not sure when or where it will all hit me. I am currently sitting on the eighteen hour flight back to the states after spending two and a half intensive weeks in Myanmar. I can’t even begin to process everything I’ve seen after cyclone Nargis devastated the country less than a month ago. More than the sight of dead bodies, flattened villages or destroyed crops, the stories I’ve heard have put a move on my heart so great, I found myself spending many interviews trying to hold back unearned tears as I listened to people speak so matter-of-factly about the realities of their extreme hardship.

I’ll never forget that trip to Pyat Pong, a village region deep in the Irrawaddy Delta. Corpses of men, women and children lie face down in the flooded rice fields or floating in the muddy waters of the river, still uncollected. “I was the only one in my family to survive” U Soe Myint, a 32 year old man from a nearby village, told me, as he sat hunched over on a log. “That night, the wind knocked over a tree outside my house and the trunk fell on my back” he continued with deadened emotion. As he slowly lifted the back of his tattered shirt, he said, “It’s broken now.”
“Are you in pain?” I immediately asked. He nodded.
“Have you seen a doctor?”
As his deep eyes looked up at me, I wished I hadn’t asked such a stupid question. It made me feel dizzy, the thought of this man sitting for a month with a broken back without any help.

Note: The names of villagers have been changed for their protection.

To be continued tomorrow.

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Disasters are nasty business. This past week has tested the disaster relief machines in new ways. There is never an easy disaster relief scenario-all bring with them unanticipated complications. Nevertheless, Myanmar and China are arguably two of the more difficult environments in which to operate. There are few nonprofit organizations with authority to operate in these countries, and getting the needed resources–aid and expertise–to where they will make the most difference is challenging to the best of the logistics professionals. I will focus in this posting on Myanmar, and follow up on China when we have more information.

GlobalGiving’s strong network of project partners has been mobilizing to meet the needs of the Cyclone Nargis survivors. I am pleased to report that more than $68,000 has already been disbursed to projects working on the ground in Myanmar. It is an honor to play even a small part in helping bring resources to their efforts. The projects on the GlobalGiving Myanmar Relief page have been posted by existing partners that are using their in-country staffs and/or their tried and true skills in disaster relief. They are leveraging their in-country offices and coordinating partnerships with other organizations to address the varied and extensive needs.

GlobalGiving has great respect for those courageous people in the field best situated to assess the situation and formulate strategies to save lives. There is even more pressure on them now, considering international experts are having difficulties in getting visas to enter Myanmar. At the time of writing this post, International Development Enterprises and Save The Children are currently working on the ground in Myanmar, while CHF and International Medical Corps are working through partners and negotiating the challenges of getting visas for their staff and aid into the country. To ensure we can provide full transparency and be the best stewards of our donors’ funds, we have defined our key operating tenets in supporting disaster relief efforts:

-In order to post a disaster relief project, a project partner must have pre-existing program operations in Myanmar or significant experience in disaster relief with a credible strategy to achieve a significant impact in the current situation
-For organizations without staff on the ground in the affected area, we will only disburse funding once they have demonstrated their ability to execute their relief efforts. If these organizations are not able to execute their posted projects, we will reallocate funds in consultation with the donors to these projects.
-We commit to complete transparency. Our project partner organizations are dealing with an evolving, fluid and, possibly, volatile situation. Projects might not run with their planned strategies, so reporting on progress is a necessary courtesy we owe our donors.

I want to thank all the generous individuals and corporate partners that have dug deep to help in this crisis situation. We welcome your feedback and your continued support.

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