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Mission Groups Reach Out to Cyclone Survivors in Burma

Tuesday, 13 May 2008

 

As word of the devastation in Burma due to Cyclone Nargis begins to reach the outside world, mission organisations and aid agencies are gearing up to bring relief to the survivors. The death toll is estimated to be at least 22,000 with another 41,000 missing.

“The suffering of the people is unimaginable,” said Gospel for Asia (GFA) President K.P. Yohannan, speaking from India where he is monitoring the situation. “Hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, are homeless. Food is in short supply, and prices are skyrocketing. Electricity may be out for months. People have lost literally everything.”

A GFA Bible college in Yangon, Myanmar (formerly known as Rangoon, Burma), has become makeshift shelter for some of those devastated by the cyclone which swept across the nation on Saturday, May 3.

Some 150 people made their way to the Bible college campus as soon as the storm subsided. Local officials set up shop at the college because the police station was destroyed in the storm. Obtaining enough food to feed all those at the college presents another challenge.

Banks are closed and fresh food and water are in short supply. Yet these are simply the immediate problems that aid workers must deal with, Yohannan said. “We are facing at least six months of continuous work ministering to the people. This is a tremendous opportunity for us to reach out in love to them, just like we did after the tsunami in 2004.”

Among the immediate needs of those affected by the storm include clean drinking water, nonperishable food, blankets and medical kits.

Sources: Christian Newswire, Associated Press, Baptist World Aid