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Cyclone Nargis: Church aid gets through

Survivors of Cyclone Nargis wait for local donors on a road at a destroyed village in the south of central Yangon May 12, 2008 [REUTERS/Stringer, courtesy www.alertnet.org]

Local Catholic church partners of Caritas Internationalis have begun delivering aid to the people of Myanmar/Burma following the devastation caused by Cyclone Nargis

Partners in Myanmar/Burma are providing food and other aid items to up to 60,000 people in Yangon and Irrawaddy.

The Caritas network, of which CAFOD is a leading member, has put out an appeal for up to $8million, to which CAFOD has so far contributed £50,000, and is continuing to monitor the needs.

The relief items are being sourced within country at present.

Reaching out

As a Church, we are reaching out to the victims with all the means at our disposal. At this hour of darkness, we are encouraged by the show of support by our friends from abroad

Archbishop Charles Bo of Yangon

Archbishop Charles Bo of Yangon says: "As a Church, we are reaching out to the victims with all the means at our disposal. At this hour of darkness, we are encouraged by the show of support by our friends from abroad.

"There are urgent needs for food, water and shelter. Thousands are in need of medical help."

Volunteers and church medical staff have been travelling to provide immediate medical relief and counselling for people in the worst-affected areas.

The storm hit the Irrawaddy Delta region on May 3, and the death toll currently stands at around 78,000 people, with 56,000 missing, and 2.5 million people affected.

Access to parts of the country is still difficult but local assessment teams have managed to report back on the needs.

Caritas Internationalis is coordinating its 162 members in responding to the humanitarian crisis and providing technical support to local Church partners.

Caritas works before, during and after an emergency, supporting people to rebuild their own lives.

For more information, please contact Caritas Internationalis Head of Communications Patrick Nicholson on 0039 06 698 79725 or 0039 334 3590700 or nicholson@caritas.va

Interviews are available in English, French, Italian, Dutch, German, Spanish and Thai

Give on the DEC website now

CAFOD is also a member of the DEC (Disasters and Emergencies Committee) - a network of aid agencies which supports relief efforts around the world

Currently, the DEC is running an Myanmar Cyclone Appeal
Support the appeal now

A man distributes blankets in Mansehra, Pakistan. [Jim Stipe]

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Published on 12/05/2008, last updated on 19/06/2008

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