Philanthropic Response to Cyclone Nargis
May 13, 2008 - To serve our grantmaking/giving community, this page contains a list of resources for local grantmakers about the cyclone, including current news updates and organizations accepting funding for relief efforts. Although this list is not comprehensive, we hope that it provides useful information. It will be added to as we learn of more activity over the next few weeks.
If you know of other philanthropic or giving efforts, please contact Lauren Bashaw at (602) 977-2756, ext. 108 or by email at lbashaw@azgrantmakers.org.
CLICK HERE to scroll down and view current relief efforts.
CLICK HERE to scroll down and see ways you can help.
Thank you to Southern California Grantmakers for compiling the information on the page!
Information About the Disaster
Source: (Photos and Text) Associated Press, Reueters, New York Times
A cyclone ripped through military-ruled Burma/Myanmar, flooding Yangon and the Irrawaddy delta where it flattened at least two towns. The death toll is likely to climb as the authorities manage to contact outlying islands and villages that felt the full force of Cyclone Nagris, a Category 4 storm packing winds of 120 miles per hour when it hit early on Saturday, May 3, 2008. Nagris, which had been gathering steam in the Bay of Bengal for several days, devastated the former Burma's leafy main city, littering the streets with overturned cars, fallen trees and debris from battered buildings. Earlier this week, state television said 21,793 people were killed and 40,695 were missing in Irrawaddy division, while 671 were killed and 359 people were missing in Yangon, Burma/Myanmar's biggest city and the former capital. Current death estimates range from 60,000 to 100,000. As many as one million may be homeless. To see maps describing the aftermath of the cyclone, click on this helpful visual from The New York Times.
International aid agencies began distributing food in Yangon on Tuesday, but there was uncertainty that the assistance would reach people stranded without shelter in the remoter reaches of the country’s vast Irrawaddy Delta. A growing list of countries have pledged aid and assistance but there appears to be disagreement as to how to handle Myanmar’s authoritarian government, which may be suspicious of international interference. The United Nations says further delays to the relief effort may cause the estimated death toll of 100,000 people to rise.
Bad roads, a lack of cooperation from the country’s military government and a breakdown in telecommunications are factors that could hamper relief efforts as aid agencies begin to assess the damage to the densely populated delta, which appears to have borne the brunt of Saturday’s cyclone. Even before the storm hit, many towns and villages in the area were accessible only by boat or helicopter. Satellite images from US space agency NASA show virtually the entire coastal plain of the country, one of the world's poorest nations, under water.
The hard work of relief and recovery now begins and philanthropy will be a major part of sustaining and nurturing the countless efforts to help people rebuild their lives.
Relief Efforts:
Recording: Teleconference Recording on Burma Relief Efforts Available
This teleconference, which took place on Friday, May 16th, educated philanthropists about relief and recovery needs in Burma (Myanmar). Relief NGO, governmental and multilateral leaders on the ground in Myanmar provided an up-to-date status report from ground zero. Experts in disaster philanthropy also reflected on lessons learned from past disasters as participants consider their own approach to assistance.
UN Notes Modest Improvements in Myanmar Relief Efforts, Philanthropy News Digest, May 27, 2008
'Disaster Fatigue' Cited for Lackluster Charitable Response, Philanthropy News Digest, May 21, 2008
American Charities Raise $32 million for Asian Disasters, Chronicle of Philanthropy, May 20, 2008
Aid Groups Say Pair of Disasters Present Major Challenges, Philanthropy News Digest, May 15, 2008
Myanmar Government Said to be "Misappropriating" Relief Supplies, Philanthropy News Digest, May 14, 2008
Open Society Institute Announces Support for Victims of Cyclone Nargis in Burma, OSI, May 8, 2008
Save the Children Reaches 50,000 People in Myanmar, Continuing Efforts to Assist Thousands Left Homeless by Cyclone Nargis, Save The Children, May 7, 2008
IRC Alert: International Rescue Committee Dispatches Emergency Response Team to Myanmar; Says Access is Critical to Saving Lives, IRC, May 7, 2008
How to Help
A sample of organizations engaged in relief efforts:
(Click on the name to go their website)
American Red Cross
Arabella Philanthropic Investment Advisors
The Asia Foundation
Direct Relief International
International Medical Corps
Save The Children
UNICEF
USAID Disaster Assistance
World Food Programme
World Vision
For a more detailed list of organizations assisting with the relief effort, visit InterAction and The New York Times.