Myanmar Cyclone: Aid reaches the furthest corner of the cyclone zone

21 May 2008

A team from aid agency Save the Children has reached the western most tip of Myanmar's Irrawaddy delta, bringing aid to some of the people hardest hit by cyclone Nargis. The team, formed of Myanmar Save the Children humanitarian workers, brought vital relief supplies by boat including food, bottled water, plastic sheeting for shelter and mosquito nets.

Now returned to the capital Rangoon the aid workers have been describing the harrowing scenes they experienced, one said, 'We saw at first hand the devastation the cyclone had caused. In some places it seemed entire villages had disappeared. We met many people including children who desperately needed help. It made me more determined to go back and bring them more aid.'

The teams work highlights the extraordinary efforts made by Myanmar aid teams since the catastrophic cyclone. Though foreign nationals have been consigned to Rangoon, the Myanmar relief workers have been bringing lifesaving aid to the delta region. Save the Children has reached 160 thousand people.

Jasmine Whitbread CEO of Save the Children UK, who has just returned from Myanmar where she visited some of the areas affected by the cyclone, said, 'There is no doubt that some of the unsung heroes in this disaster are the Myanmar people who have been bringing vital relief to tens of thousands of people. Save the Children's teams of Myanmar aid workers are an inspiration to all of us. There are still hundreds of thousands of people who have not received any help and our teams are stepping up their efforts to reach them. We have to get people the aid they need before it is too late’.

John Bowis, Executive Director of Save the Children New Zealand says, “I am hugely gratified that Save the Children has been able to reach so many people in the wake of Cyclone Nargis. However, continued financial support is needed to maintain our emergency disaster response. We need to reach more children before it is too late."

To arrange an interview with Jasmine Whitbread who has just returned from Myanmar, please contact Save the Children in London on +44 7831 650 409 or +44 20 7012 6841.