On May 2, 2008, high winds, heavy rain and flood water claimed thousands of lives and damaged hundreds of thousands of homes in southwestern Myanmar. Cyclone Nargis<\/b> is the worst storm to hit Asia since 1991 when 143,000 people died Bangladesh and the worst to hit Myanmar since 1926 when 2,700 people were killed. <\/p>\nAmerican Red Cross<\/h2>\n
Immediately following the storm, the Myanmar Red Cross<\/b> began assessing the damage as well as caring for survivors' needs by distributing family kits, containing clothing, blankets, cookware and hygiene supplies, and drinking water to the schools and pagodas serving as emergency shelters. <\/p>\n
The American Red Cross<\/b> has contributed $250,000 to relief efforts and is prepared assist the Myanmar Red Cross with additional aid and supplies, estimated at $1.25 million. <\/p>\n
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies<\/b> has successfully shipped shelter kits, made up of tarps, ropes and hammers, and jerry cans for storing clean water to the Myanmar Red Cross<\/b>, who is partnering with UNICEF<\/b> to distribute to the hardest hit areas of the coastal delta region. <\/p>\n
To donate to the disaster relief effort by the American Red Cross, please visit www.redcross.org<\/a> <\/p>\n The new school term is set to begin 1 June, but with an estimated 90 per cent of the region’s schools destroyed, the logistical challenges are immense. UNICEF’s<\/b> global Chief of Education, Cream Wright, said cyclone-affected children should be placed, “as quickly as possible … within safe and secure environments, so that some amount of support can be given for psychosocial damage that these children may have suffered – \u201c but also so that the learning process may start again. <\/p>\n “What is important about education is that it’s at the leading edge of restoring a sense of normalcy,” added Dr. Wright. “It does this by putting children in a situation where they are safe. The first priority is not teaching and learning, it’s a safe environment for children.” <\/p>\n UNICEF<\/b> hopes to provide wind-up radios as part of the relief package, so that even if children are not able to get full-time teaching, they can at least begin to listen to information. <\/p>\n The education of an estimated 500,000 children has been disrupted.In response, UNICEF Myanmar<\/b> has ordered large quantities of “schools in a backpack’ – \u201c a more mobile version of the standard “School in a Box’ kit – \u201c which provides basic learning and play equipment and has been used successfully in previous emergencies. <\/p>\n To donate to the disaster relief effort by Unicef, please visit www.unicef.org<\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" On May 2, 2008, high winds, heavy rain and flood water claimed thousands of lives and damaged hundreds of 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