Isolated tribe spotted in Brazil
One of South America's few remaining uncontacted indigenous tribes has been spotted and photographed on the border between Brazil and Peru.
The Brazilian government says it took the images to prove the tribe exists and help protect its land.
The pictures, taken from an aeroplane, show red-painted tribe members brandishing bows and arrows.
More than half the world's 100 uncontacted tribes live in Brazil or Peru, Survival International says.
Stephen Corry, the director of the group - which supports tribal people around the world - said such tribes would "soon be made extinct" if their land was not protected.
'Monumental crime'
Survival International said that although this particular group
is increasing in number, others in the area are at risk from illegal
logging.
The photos were taken during several flights over one of the most remote parts of the Amazon rainforest in Brazil's Acre region.
They show tribe members outside thatched huts, surrounded by the dense jungle, pointing bows and arrows up at the camera.
"We did the overflight to show their houses, to show they are there, to show they exist," the group quoted Jose Carlos dos Reis Meirelles Junior, an official in the Brazilian government's Indian affairs department, as saying.
"This is very important because there are some who doubt their existence."
He described the threats to such tribes and their land as "a monumental crime against the natural world" and "further testimony to the complete irrationality with which we, the 'civilised' ones, treat the world".
Disease is also a risk, as members of tribal groups that have been contacted in the past have died of illnesses that they have no defence against, ranging from chicken pox to the common cold.FOR MORE INFO OR TO SEE THE PICTURES PLEASE VISIT THE BBC NEWS WEBSITE: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7426794.stm
Stop Global Warming Virtual March
You can join by visiting: www.stopglobalwarming.org
StopGlobalWarming's mission is to use the strength of numbers to urge our government to address global warming, and urge businesses to start a new industrial revolution of clean energy that reduces our dependence on oil and helps stop global warming.
Together we can make a difference.
Thanks,
Sandra Wijnveldt
Important petition for a South Atlantic Whale Sanctuary!
http://www.stopwhaling.org/site/c.foJNIZOyEnH/b.4124993/k.492B/Sign_the_Whale_Sanctuary_Petition/apps/ka/ct/contactus.asp?&msource=DR080502001
(please copy and paste the link or go to IFAW website or STOPWHALING.ORG for more information)
Whales are not saved. Although commercial whaling has been banned for more than two decades, Japan, Iceland and Norway continue to fire harpoons into these gentle creatures. More than 30,000 whales have been killed since the 1986 ban on whaling. You can help make the world a safer place for whales by protecting one of the largest whale habitats.
The International Whaling Commission (IWC) meets on June 23rd, 2008, in Santiago, Chile. The Commission members will consider a proposal to create a South Atlantic Whale Sanctuary that will extend across the South Atlantic, from the coast of South America to the coast of Africa, and on down towards Antarctica.
IFAW will be campaigning vigorously to convince IWC members to approve the South Atlantic Whale Sanctuary. But they can’t do it alone.
Sign on to help animals and people
IFAW’s goal in every one of its campaigns is to try to find solutions that benefit animals and people. The South Atlantic is an important whale conservation area because it provides the bordering nations with opportunities to develop whale-watching operations. The tourism income would be especially helpful for these developing nations. In addition, the sanctuary would provide a safe area to conduct humane scientific research.
The vote on the South Atlantic Whale Sanctuary provides a vital opportunity for the IWC to show that it is committed to whale conservation.
Avaaz members from 124 countries have donated $2 million (almost 1.3 million Euros)
The government was slowing down the urgent process of providing humanitarian relief -- so Avaaz started raising funds for the International Burmese Monks Organization, which will transmit funds directly to monasteries in affected areas.
In many of the worst-hit areas, the monasteries are the only source of shelter and food for Burma's poorest people. They have been on the front lines of the aid effort since the storm struck. Other forms of aid could be delayed, diverted or manipulated by the Burmese government--but the monks are the most trusted and reliable institution in the country.
Avaaz members have already donated $2 million (almost 1.3 million Euros) to the aid effort. The Avaaz community has given more than many governments, and their aid hasn't been stopped at the border like theirs -- they've supported Burmese monks and other aid groups who have worked without their brutal government's permission. You can read a brief report below, or click this link to read the report on our website, see pictures, and donate or comment:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/burma_aid_report/7.php?cl=90196394
As you most probably all know, the world rushed to deliver aid -- but Burma's rulers stopped relief workers at the border. Incompetent and suspicious, the ruling junta feared that a foreign presence could undermine their power by bringing greater awareness of their brutal rule. Three weeks later, a donors’ summit has been scheduled that may reach a compromise on some aid being brought in, but the needless delay heaped daily suffering on Burma's people.
Since last year, Avaaz has built a strong relationship with Burmese monks and civil society groups, building political pressure and raising funds during and after the democracy protests. After the cyclone, they worked with these groups -- the most respected and trusted institutions in Burmese society -- to do what their government would not: bring the people aid. Unlike governments, they didn't wait for the Burmese government's permission to send help. Avaaz members in 124 countries stood with the people of Burma, donating almost $2 million (1.3 million Euros) in a matter of days.
GETTING THE MONEY IN
It's been a challenge to get such a lot of money in. Most Burmese groups can safely move only a limited amount of money each day through informal networks. So far, Avaaz knows that $550,000 has arrived in Burma and been spent, and an additional $1,000,000 is en route and may have arrived. They are currently working with the International Burmese Monk Organization and 7 other Burmese organizations, including monk groups, educational groups, and medical clinics, who have asked not to be named for their own security.
The way the money moves is through informal transfers between bank accounts and by hand. Sometimes it is as simple as a deposit in one country that is then withdrawn inside Burma by the account holder and then carried to a monastery or aid group. Because many merchants do this, the Burmese government cannot tell the difference between commercial funds and aid money.
HOW THE MONEY IS SPEND
Once the money arrives and is distributed to aid groups and
monasteries, it is used to purchase rice, medicine, fuel and other
supplies required to rescue, house and feed the survivors of the
cyclone. Even in many of the hardest-hit areas, local markets are still
working, with merchants bringing goods from other regions. In other
areas the monks and other groups are able to drive supplies in, or move
them by foot. The map at left shows some key locations where their aid
has reached survivors.This work carries some dangers; Burmese junta has harassed and, in one case, attacked the groups we are working with. But in the vast majority of cases, soldiers simply arrive, warn the partners that their work must be authorized by the government, and leave. Once they are out of sight, the aid work continues.
It is a challenge in such circumstances to exercise complete oversight over how the money is used -- most of the work is in secret. But they have chosen to work only with the most universally respected institutions, and they have asked them to provide detailed lists of monasteries and groups who receive it. These details allow them to verify receipt of the funds.
PEOPLE POWER
Yesterday, UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown predicted that global people power, organized through the internet, would be a major driver of change in Burma. Avaaz has shown many times how a global voice can impact the world, but with this campaign they put the money where their voice was -- they didn't just call on governments to act, they stood with the people of Burma and took direct action.
Their ability to rapidly pool the small amounts of money each of us can give into a large combined amount is a powerful way to make a difference in the world. If you are one of the 25,062 Avaaz members who donated, please know that Avaaz has heard many words of gratitude for your help from their Burmese partners. They still need our help -- please visit the Avaaz website if you would like to donate now or make a comment / give advise to the organization:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/burma_aid_report/7.php?cl=90196394
Mangrove Destruction Put Myanmar at Risk
ANNOUNCER: Support for Living on Earth comes from the National Science Foundation and Stonyfield Farm.
[RETURN THEME]
GELLERMAN: From the Jennifer and Ted Stanley Studios in Somerville, Massachusetts – this is Living on Earth. I'm Bruce Gellerman, in for Steve Curwood. The grim news from Myanmar gets even worse. A hundred thousand lives lost; a million without homes or basic necessities.
Most of the deaths and damage were the result of a 12-foot wall of water that flattened everything in the low-lying Irrawaddy Delta. But scientists say much of the destruction could have been prevented – if only the mangrove forests that protect the coast had not been cut down. Jeff McNeely is Chief Scientist for the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. I want to thank you for joining us.
MCNEELY: My pleasure.
GELLERMAN: What role does the deforestation of mangroves play in the Burma disaster?
MCNEELY: I think it plays a very substantial role. Burma is an incredibly poor country, and they've been forced by desperation to clear the mangroves all the way to the edge of the Irrawaddy Delta. And the result of that has been to remove the buffer that had protected them from storms that periodically come shooting up the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea right into Burma.
GELLERMAN: Well, why clear the mangroves?
MCNEELY: Well, mangroves are worth money if you cut them down, you could make firewood out of them, construction materials, you can use the land for growing shrimp. But it's not really very economic and it's not something that is a long-term benefit. You get a very quick return from cutting down the forest, but you pay a long-term cost, as they're learning right now today.
But the mangroves typically are not owned by individuals; they're public land. And so people who are desperate, and certainly the general population in Burma is very desperate, and they've been forced to do something that they certainly traditionally would have not have done because they know the consequences.
GELLERMAN: Well, so, why did they do it?
MCNEELY: Out of sheer desperation in a country whose economy is tanking while many of their neighboring countries are prospering well.
GELLERMAN: How do mangroves protect a low-lying coastal area?
MCNEELY: Well, so you can imagine a river like the Irrawaddy with a huge watershed that drains most of Burma, and it brings down a lot of sediment. That sediment is deposited as the river slows down when it reaches the sea. The mangroves are what fix the soil as – before it can run out into the middle of the ocean. So along the whole coastal zone of Burma, from one part of the coast to the other, is mangroves because they're able to grow in salt water.
And because they grow in salt water, they're able to protect the coastal zone against further erosion when there are storms. So they fix the soil, they protect against further erosion, and they serve as a nursery for the fisheries that provides much of the protein that goes to feed the people of Burma.
GELLERMAN: So when a cyclone moves up into an area and hits the coastal area, these mangroves basically anchor the soil and help dissipate the energy from the waves?
MCNEELY: Exactly.
GELLERMAN: What do mangroves look like? Are those, those kind of trees, those evergreen trees that have the trunks growing high up into the water?
MCNEELY: Well, they have multiple trunks, you know, it's like a whole bunch of little fingers sticking out, reaching out into the soil. And that's what helps them to capture the sediments and to hold the sediments.
GELLERMAN: What about places like Bangladesh, which is not far from Burma, in the Bay of Bengal. 1991 they lost 140,000 people in a devastating cyclone there. How have they done with their mangroves?
MCNEELY: What they have done is establish a World Heritage Site called the Sunderbans, which is at the mouth of the Brahmaputra and Ganges Rivers, and it really is a bi-national site with India. So the most substantial mainland mangrove in all of Asia is there. And it's also one of the areas that is the best habitat for tigers.
So it's a place where the tigers are being conserved because the government of Bangladesh has recognized the multiple values of the mangroves: for fisheries, for storm protection, and for various minor forest products that can be harvested in a sustainable way. Improved management is basically the answer.
GELLERMAN: You studied Sri Lanka in the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami. What did you learn there?
MCNEELY: The areas where there were solid mangroves, where the mangrove forests were healthy, suffered much less damage than places where the mangroves had been destroyed.
GELLERMAN: So what, if anything, can be done now about Burma and its mangrove forests. What should be done?
MCNEELY: Well I think our first concern has to be for the people. And so we've gotta find a way to get in there and help the people who are being damaged by this environmental destruction. And then as soon as we're able to stabilize the human tragedy, then we should start replanting the mangroves, implementing the legislation that's on the books but isn't being implemented, and putting it into practice to make sure that the mangroves are able to re-grow as quickly as possible. We can certainly help them to do that through the experience we've learned in working to recover the mangroves following the tsunami.
GELLERMAN: Well Mr. McNeely, thank you very much.
MCNEELY: It was my pleasure.
GELLERMAN: Jeff McNeely is the Chief Scientist for the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.
Source: LIVING ON EARTH www.loe.org/shows/segments.htm?programID=08-P13-00019&segmentID=1
ON THEIR WEBSITE THEY HAVE SEVERAL INTERESTING LINKS RELATED TO THE STORY
Sharks swim closer to extinction
Source: By Richard Black - Environment correspondent, BBC News website
More than half of the world's ocean-going sharks are at risk of extinction, a new analysis concludes.
Specialists with IUCN (formerly the World Conservation Union) found that 11 species are on the high-risk list, with five more showing signs of decline.
Sharks are particularly affected by over-fishing as they reproduce slowly.
The scientists are calling for global catch limits, an end to the practice of removing fins, and measures to minimise incidental catches (bycatch)."There's this idea that because these are widely ranging species, they're more resilient to fishing pressure," said Sonja Fordham, deputy chair of the IUCN Shark Specialist Group (SSG) and policy director for the Shark Alliance conservation group.
"In fact they're becoming species of serious concern because there are no international catch limits for sharks. There are intense fisheries on the oceans, and they remain pretty much unprotected."
New threats
The SSG assessed data on the 21 species of sharks and their close cousins, the rays, that swim in upper portions of the open ocean where they are exposed to fishing fleets.
Of the 21, one - the giant devilray - is assessed as Endangered, and 10 are Vulnerable.
A further five are listed as Near Threatened, which means the signs of decline are not serious enough yet to merit a full listing.
The classifications are based on a range of criteria that look at past or forecast declines in population size. For example, a population shrinking by 50% in 10 years would usually qualify as Endangered.
Some of these species have been assessed before; but for others, including the three species of thresher sharks with their spectacularly long tails, the dangerlisting is new.
Fin cuts
The main threat to sharks is fishing, both accidental and targeted.
"They used to be taken as bycatch by boats targeting tuna and swordfish," said Ms Fordham. "But now as those species are declining we're seeing more fishermen targeting sharks.
"Porbeagle and shortfin mako are targeted for fins and meat; species like blue shark are likely to be finned, but particularly in Europe we're seeing more blue shark being landed."
Several of the bodies that regulate fisheries in international waters - the Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMOs) - have set up measures to curb shark finning, but there are different standards in place, a situation that enables fishermen to work around the regulations.
As East Asian economies boom, conservation groups say the market for fins is increasing.
"Fishery managers and regional, national and international officials have a real obligation to improve this situation," commented Nicholas Dulvy from Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, the report's lead author.
"But it doesn't have to be like this. With sufficient public support and resulting political will, we can turn the tide."
The report was released at the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) meeting in Bonn, and will be published in the journal Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems.
The new risk assessments will be included in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species when it is published later this year.
Bones That Float, A Story of Adopting Cambodia - WINS THREE NATIONAL BOOK AWARDS!!
I WOULD LIKE TO FORWARD YOU THE EMAIL I RECEIVED FROM KARI, HER FAMILY AND THE STUDENTS AND TEACHERS OF THE GRADY GROSSMAN SCHOOL, CHRAUK TIEK VILLAGE, CAMBODIA.
EMAIL:
Bones That Float, A Story of Adopting Cambodia wins Three National Book Awards!
2008 Independent Publisher Book Awards - Outstanding Books of the Year
Peacemaker of the Year - Finalist
The “IPPY” Awards recognize and encourage the work of writers and publishers who exhibit the courage and creativity necessary to take chances, break new ground and bring about change, not only in the world of publishing, but also in society. The finalists for Outstanding Book categories were chosen from the regular entries of 3,100 new titles from around the globe in 64 national categories. Gold, silver or bronze designation will be awarded at Book Expo America in Los Angeles on May 29.
2008 NAUTILUS BOOK AWARDS
“Changing the World One Book at a Time”
GOLD AWARD – Memoir
SILVER AWARD – Multicultural
The Nautilus Book Awards were conceived to recognize and reward a group of world-changing books, and to celebrate how they contribute to positive social change, spiritual growth, conscious living, high-level wellness, and responsible leadership. Nautilus Book Award Winners and Finalists are carefully selected in a unique three-tier judging process by an experienced team of book reviewers, librarians, authors, editors, book store owners, and leaders in the publishing industry.
Be a Peaceful Warrior and Help Spread the Word!
We need exposure to succeed with our plans to make our education project in Cambodia SUSTAINABLE!
1.) WRITE TO OPRAH.
She and her staff have the book.....they need to hear from ALL OF YOU, Right now.
https://www.oprah.com/plugger/templates/BeOnTheShow.jhtml?action=respond%20plugId=B2100004
2.) SEND US YOUR THOUGHTS
If you have attended or hosted a speaking event, we need your testimonial.
http://www.bonesthatfloat.com/book/kari.php
3.) HOST AN EVENT
Would you like The Peacemaker of the Year Tour to come to your town? We'll send you a speaker's kit and all the fixin's to inspire your audience to BE THE CHANGE! Schedule an event for fall 2008
Sales of BONES THAT FLOAT, A Story of Adopting Cambodia by Kari Grady Grossman remain the bow of our fundraising ship. Buy an autographed copy today!
Upcoming EVENTS: “The Relationship Matters as Much as the Money” Tell your friends!
Wednesday, May 21: BOULDER, CO:
Huffaker Home, 801 Columbia Place, 6:00-8:00 PM
June 18 & 19: VANCOUVER ISLAND, BC
For complete information and driving directions for all events please visit our calendar on our website.
Gratefully Yours,
The Grossman Family and
The Students and Teachers of the Grady Grossman School, Chrauk Tiek village, Cambodia
................................................
IF YOU WISH TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THE GRADY GROSSMAN SCHOOL IN CHRAUK TIEK VILLAGE, CAMBODIA, PLEASE VISIT KARI'S BLOG OR WEBSITE:
http://www.bonesthatfloat.com/index.php
http://www.gradygrossmanschool.org/wordpress/index.php (I highly recommend her travelogue of their different trips to Cambodia)
Thanks,
Sandra Wijnveldt
Why bats are so important for humans
Just as news of the massive bee die off is fading away -- though not actually ending -- the plight of bats in the United States is starting to come out. The loss of bats may be an even worse concern than the loss of bees, which are exclusively tame and mass-raised -- over-stressed, over-bred, and grown to be over-sized. They're used to pollinate crops, especially ones that are not natural to the areas in which they're grown, such as almonds in California. Wild bees are doing just fine.
In contrast, the lost bats are all wild. They are the world's greatest insect eaters. A single nursing bat can eat half its weight in insects every day. A small brown bat can eat as many as 600 mosquitoes in an hour. The implications for agriculture are enormous. The spread of severe communicable diseases could be devastating.
The epicenter of this annihilation is New York, but there are reports of die offs from as far away as Texas. Reports began trickling in last year. It started with hikers noticing dead and dying bats littered outside the caves where they hibernate. They do not normally fly during the winter or daytime, and it was quickly realized that bats flying when they should be hibernating do not survive. They are, therefore, being called "dead bats flying". The loss of bats has cascaded this winter to the point where researchers are expressing fear that an extinction is underway.
The cause is unknown, though there is a name for the phenomenon, White Nose Syndrome. It's the result of a fungus that's particularly obvious on the nose and face, though it's found dotted all over the bats' bodies. It is believed, though, to be only a symptom of an underlying problem, as yet unknown. There are theories, of course. Causes like virus and bacterial infections are possible. Many bats have been found to have pneumonia, but it is considered to be a secondary symptom, like the fungus.
A more likely cause of bat die off is the use of pesticides. Bats are known to be sensitive to the same toxins used to kill insects -- just as we humans are. The fact that there are newly-introduced pesticides, specifically designed to stop West Nile Virus, is suspicious. It may be that the bats are starving from lack of food as a result of the new pesticides' effectiveness. This could be the worst possible scenario, since the ultimate effect of all pesticides has been the development of pesticide-resistant insects. If the bats disappear because of starvation, then eventually, when the insects have become resistant, there will be nothing to control them.
There is reason to believe that starvation is the primary cause of death. Dead bats' fat reserves are depleted. Whether this is the result of infection, toxins, or loss of food is unknown.
The bats' behavior is severely disturbed. As previously noted, they never fly during the day or in winter. Only sick and dying bats have been emerging from their caves during the day in the winter, when they are normally hibernating. They are also noted to be hibernating close the the caves' entrances, in contrast with their usual inclination to go deeper inside. This might be the result of being forced to search for food, but may also be caused by another disturbance. Many diseases change the behavior of their victims. A well-known example of this is aggressiveness and fear of water in rabies victims.
What Bat Die-Off Means to Humanity
The first problem people note may be a profusion of mosquitoes this year. Bats are nature's primary means of controlling mosquito populations. Although it's possible that the excessive use of pesticides will keep this under control temporarily, the day must come when the piper will be paid, as new toxin-resistant mosquitoes develop. Ultimately, these diseases are likely to multiply aggressively -- but by then, the bats that keep them under control may be gone.
Major diseases borne by mosquitoes include West Nile Fever, Eastern Equine Encephalitis, Malaria, and Dengue Fever. All of them are severe and life-threatening.
Crops may be affected. Bats are significant controllers of many crop-destructive insects. As with diseases, the severity of the risk is dependent on how long it takes to manifest -- the longer, the worse the effects. If pesticide use results in crop loss occurring later, after the bats are gone, then it is likely to be devastating.
What the Experts Are Saying
The president of Bat Conservation International, Merlin Tuttle, has stated, "So far as we can tell at this point, this may be the most serious threat to North American bats we’ve experienced in recorded history."
A wildlife biologist with Vermont's Fish and Wildlife Department, Scott Darling says, "Logic dictates when you are potentially losing as many as a half a million bats in this region, there are going to be ramifications for insect abundance in the coming summer." "Ramifications for insect abundance" can be translated as massive mosquito outbreaks.
Unfortunately, there is much about bats that is unknown. Even how many exist is in question, as new hibernacula (caves where bats hibernate) are being discovered as bat bodies littered at previously unknown cave entrances are discovered. This means that the benefits of bats' voracious insect-eating habits have gone unrecorded, indicating that the cost of their loss may be even greater than realized. Elizabeth Buckles, an assistant professor at Cornell who coordinates bat research, has said, "We’re going to learn an awful lot about bats in a comprehensive way that very few animal species have been looked at. That’s good. But it’s unfortunate it has to be under these circumstances."
A study of the impact of Brazilian free-tailed bats of southwestern Texas has shown their economic value to cotton farmers to be worth between one-eighth and one-sixth of the commercial value of the crops.
Further complicating the issue is the fact that most bats can raise only one offspring a year. Thomas French, assistant director for natural heritage and endangered species of MassWildLife in Massachusetts, says, "High bat mortality is a major concern because bats have a low reproductive rate. Most bats raise one pup per year. It will take decades for bat populations to rebound after a large die-off."
Al Hicks, of New York's Environmental Conservation Department, was the first New Yorker to study the issue. Ironically, he came into this issue attempting to delist a species called pink-nosed bats. Now, though, he says, "If we assume only 50 percent decline at the new sites, we are talking hundreds of thousands of bats that could die." New York has seen at least one bat cave's population crash by 90% this winter.
Conclusion
Once again, we're seeing the results of arrogance in ignoring nature's balance. In thinking that we can do it better than nature, the result is devastation. Whether it's pesticides or something else wrought by behavior that results from short-term profit-oriented thinking, rather than concern for the planet that has nurtured us, the bats are under threat. Whether it's the loss of bees or bats or some other creature or plant, in the end, we lose, too. Ultimately, the lesson that Mother Nature cannot be fooled will be learned. Will it require the extinction of humans?
Author: Heidi Stevenson
Save the Children Reaches 50,000 People in Myanmar, Continuing Efforts to Assist Thousands Left Homeless by Cyclone Nargis
Westport, Conn. (May 7, 2008) — As the death toll in Myanmar continues to rise as a result of Cyclone Nargis and as hardships for thousands of survivors left in its wake increase, Save the Children is mounting a rapid response to provide lifesaving relief to children and families in five regions hit hardest by the storm.
The cyclone, which struck Myanmar's southwestern coast early on Saturday, May 3, has killed more than 22,000 people and left more than 1 million people homeless, according to government sources. Save the Children staff in the area report that many villages are devastated, with some up to 90 percent destroyed. The low-lying Irawaddy Delta suffered the effects of a sizable storm surge and many areas remain underwater, hampering efforts to reach families in need. Much of the delta is reachable only by boat.
Since Monday, Save the Children has distributed two metric tons of food, plastic sheeting, water purification tablets, kitchen equipment, rehydration salts and other non-food items to over 50,000 children and families whose homes have been destroyed. Additional trucks left this morning for Pathein carrying food and non-food items.
"Save the Children is mobilizing its 500 employees in 35 offices across the affected region to assist vulnerable children and families who have lost their homes in this most recent disaster," said Ned Olney, Save the Children's vice president for international humanitarian response. "Shelter materials, clean water, mosquito nets and emergency health kits are critical needs at this time—and we are moving quickly to provide these lifesaving items."
Authorities have declared five regions with an estimated total population of 24 million to be in a state of emergency, including Yangon (Rangoon) Division, Pegu Division, Mon State, Karen State and the Irrawaddy Division. This delta is considered to be the country's rice basket and already, the cost of food has doubled in many markets.
"The impending rainy season is likely to complicate an already desperate situation," said Olney. "The current lack of clean water will directly impact the health of children and their parents. And standing water only increases the possibility of an outbreak of waterborne illness. We need to move aid quickly to alleviate current hardships and mitigate the potential for a greater crisis."
Save the Children currently operates programs in all five of the affected regions and has worked in Myanmar since 1995. As one of the largest nongovernmental organizations at work in Myanmar, the agency implements programs focused on early childhood care and development, child survival and child protection. All staff members are safe and accounted for, although their homes and families have been affected.
Source: Save the Children
If you want more information about this organization or if you wish to make a donation please visit their site:
http://www.savethechildren.org/newsroom/2008/cyclone-nargis-update.html
Thanks,
Sandra Wijnveldt
Myanmar children 'face starvation'
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/D36408AA-5C8B-4E6E-B538-B573651A237F.htm
Thirty thousand children aged under five could starve to death within weeks in Myanmar unless emergency aid and food supplies can reach them, an international aid group has said.
The cyclone struck southwest Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, earlier this month and the UN believes nearly 134,000 people have died or are missing, while 2.5 million survivors have been affected.
International pressure
Myanmar's military rulers are under growing pressure to accept a full-scale relief operation for cyclone survivors in need of immediate aid.
Thousands of tonnes of aid are being flown in to Myanmar, but relief efforts have been hampered by government restrictions.
In
recent days, Myanmar's rulers have begun to let more foreign experts
into the country, more than two weeks after the storm, but aid groups
still want greater access to help supervise relief efforts. Ban Ki Moon, the UN general secretary, has announced he will visit the country later this week. General Than Shwe, Myanmar's military leader, visited cyclone relief camps on the outskirts of Yangon on Sunday. His visit followed allegations he had shown "indifference" to the country's disaster. Despite
the government's insistence that the relief efforts are going well,
witnesses who managed to slip the security cordon around the hard-hit
Irrawaddy Delta said the situation remains dire. "It was horrible beyond description," said one foreign businessman. "Most of the devastated huts looked like they were empty at first glance, but there were actually survivors inside. "One
hut with no roof was full of about 100 people, crouching in the rain.
There was no food and no water. Each person had nothing more than the
clothes on their bodies, shivering in the cold." 'Man-made catastrophe' Britain's
Asia minister said he thought efforts would soon pay off, with an
agreement likely for a UN and Asian-led operation that could solve the
impasse. "I
think we're potentially at a turning point, but like all turning points
in Burma, the corner will have a few S-bends in it," Mark Malloch-Brown
said. But
the minister's optimism follows comments by Gordon Brown, Britain's
prime minister, who earlier labelled the military's holding back of aid
as "inhuman" and said what had been a natural disaster was becoming "a
man-made catastrophe". John
Holmes, the UN's emergency relief co-ordinator, was due to arrive in
Myanmar late on Sunday to assess the situation and plead with Myanmar's
military leaders for greater co-operation with relief agencies. A
day earlier, officials gave a guided tour of the country's cyclone-hit
regions to foreign diplomats and aid workers based in Myanmar. The
diplomats were taken into an area which has been closed off to
foreigners, but it was "not good enough to get a clear picture of the
damage", according to one diplomat. "What
they showed us looked very good, but they are not showing us the whole
picture," Chris Kaye, Myanmar director for the UN's World Food
Programme, said. As
pressure mounts on Myanmar's allies to exercise their power, Southeast
Asian foreign ministers are due to meet in Singapore on Monday for
talks on how to deal with their neighbour.