The latest news from Burma.
GAiN builds six schools in Irrawaddy delta region - 1st Nov 2008
The sixth and final school that GAiN is building in the Pyapon area of the Irrawaddy delta is nearing completion. The construction of the school at Pon Swar, the poorest area in Pyapon, started in early October. The amazing expertise and efficiency of the GAiN Yangon office is demonstrated in the quick progress in the construction of the school.
Toys distributed to Cyclone Victims - 1st Nov 2008
In late October 2008 in the Pyapon area of the Irrawaddy delta, GAiN Yangon staff distributed over 1000 toys to Cyclone Victims. The toys were donated from GAiN Worldwide. November 3 to 4, 2008, GAiN staff returned to distribute the remaining toys. The majority of students are so poor and they have never owned a toy before. To be given a toy was a wonderful thrill for the students.
GAiN provides health care for many families - 28th Oct 2008
Over 70,000 boxes of Baby Milk Powder, donated by GAiN Worldwide will arrive in the Pyapon area of the Irrawaddy delta, in the next ten days. GAiN Yangon staff will teach how to use the baby milk powder properly with the clean water and will distribute the baby Milk Powder to over 2000 families.
Primary Schools completed in first two villages - 20th Jul 2008
Despite the onset of the rainy season in South-East Asia, the first two primary school buildings are now finished. Work will continue in the other four villages, which are all some of the most difficult to access. At the same time GAiN has sent fifteen teams of local Church volunteers to distribute relief aid for many villages throughout the delta region. Many of these are accompanied by specialists from Yangon who are systematically visiting the villages to provide medical relief.
GAiN medical team leaves for the Delta region - 28th Jun 2008
The CCR has flatly refused to admit foreign medical teams into Myanmar to work in the Delta villages. In response to this decision, GAIN has decided to organise a medical team of 12 members from Yangon to hold clinics in the Delta.
GAiN officials hear stories from local people - 20th Jun 2008
GAiN Australia and USA CEOs attended an extraordinary meeting with 100 local volunteers who are currently carrying out the reconstruction efforts. During the meeting opportunities were given to the volunteers to share their experiences and to talk about any encounters when connecting with the villagers.
Senior GAiN officials visit the area - 17th Jun 2008
GAiN USA CEO, accompanied the Project Director and GAiN Australia CEO into Myanmar; astonishingly with the help of local contacts they were able to visit and report on GAiN's efforts in the Delta Region (worst affected area) as well as meet with local government officials to discuss practical issues around the GAiN shipping containers and relief supplies.
GAiN receive government approval to distribute aid - 16th Jun 2008
GAIN is pleased to announce that they have received notification that GAiN can now act as a consignee for the government. The agreement means that containers shipped to Myanmar have to be handed over to the government as per usual government policy. However, a section of the government has now agreed to on-send GAiN specific containers and allow GAiN to do the distribution. This is major breakthrough in getting Aid in the country and will further enhance GAiN's ability to get supplies through to the cyclone victims.
Local people struggle to cope with the mass devastation - 12th Jun 2008
The GAiN coordinator who lives in Thailand reports that the indignity and trauma of seeing dead bodies strewn across the landscape is horrific. Local village people, still in shock, can barely cope with scenes of death all around them. Thousands of bodies remain uncollected and unburied. In many communities ravaged by the cyclone, there are more dead people than living. Using material originally developed for the Thailand Tsunami, the GAiN coordinator was able to conduct training workshops for volunteers in how to deal with trauma, how to provide counselling for traumatized victims of natural disasters, and the processes and procedures for providing accountable and effective Aid. Special attention was given to counselling traumatised children.
GAiN CEO visits Delta region - 3rd Jun 2008
The GAiN Australia CEO returns from a field trip to the Delta (worst affected) region of Myanmar. He reports that the situation is critical with many people still in need of immediate relief. The smell in the area is now unbearable with rotting corpses unattended.