Red Cross Red Crescent volunteers in Myanmar have been helping those affected by Cyclone Nargis from the very early hours of May 3. They assisted with rescue operations, transportation, first aid, blood donations and built temporary shelters. A number of volunteers had experienced personal losses, but chose to stay on duty.
“I do not hesitate to call these volunteers humanitarian heroes,” says Bridget Gardner, head of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) delegation in Myanmar.
“The volunteers worked tirelessly round the clock and helped thousands of people with an unparalleled commitment and enthusiasm. Years from now, we will probably all remember this relief operation because of the actions of these volunteers.”
Personal sacrifice
When the wind died down around six o’clock on the morning of May 3, Than Kyaw, a Myanmar Red Cross volunteer and local leader, began knocking on the doors of a few wealthy people in the village whose houses had withstood the cyclone. He was seeking small donations.
An hour later, he bought as much medicine and medical equipment as he could from the local pharmacy. By 07:30, he had opened a small temporary clinic at the local temple where many wounded people had gathered. In the days and weeks ahead, many more were brought to this same location to receive assistance.
“I asked some of them to stay behind and help me to search for wounded people and bring them here,” Than Kyaw recalls.
Water and wind
Many of the survivors had been injured while they clung desperately to trees as the cyclone raged around them. Their backs had been sandblasted by the water and wind.
These wounds were treated and disinfected by the Red Cross volunteers, not only in Than Kyaw’s village, but throughout the delta. This meant that the clinics and hospitals had more time and capacity to treat the seriously injured.
Thar Kyaw’s own house was damaged and its roof was blown off. Now, more than four months later, the repair work is almost complete. Thar Kyaw relied on his son and relatives to rebuild his house, while he was busy assisting his fellow villagers.
Back on track
“Life is getting better, but people need tools and boats to earn an income and get their lives back on track,” Thar Kyaw notes. “Right now we are all very fragile, particularly if another storm hits.”
San San Mar, the manager of the local Red Cross hub office, was sent to a village in the Labutta area to support the local staff and volunteers. She always carried her big phone in a basket, always working, always encouraging her staff and volunteers, and constantly smiling and laughing.
The only exception was when she sat with a woman who had lost her husband, her children and everything else. San San Mar empathized with her predicament, and cried with her.
Outstanding
“We could not have achieved anything without our volunteers, they have been outstanding,” says Prof. Dr. Tha Hla Shwe, the president of the Myanmar Red Cross. “They have not only helped with the Red Cross Red Crescent operation, but also in the distribution of aid from other humanitarian organizations.”
The volunteers are so very dedicated and committed to their assignments that it has been difficult to persuade them to rest and take time off.
Prof. Dr. Shwe notes that it is therapeutic for the volunteers to help other vulnerable cases, though they too need support to overcome their losses. “When you ask them about their own experiences and losses, some of them break down,” he says.
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Than Kyaw is still working full time helping his neighbours. He began providing relief and medical aid less than two hours after the storm, and he has worked tirelessly since, even if his own house was severely damaged. (p18308)
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Some kind of normalcy is beginning to return to the delta, where a lot of relief has been distributed. Tarpaulins and shelter kits for houses, and kitchen sets like this in the village of Kin Bet near Labutta. (p18309)
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