Asian Philanthropy Forum

Greatest Needs: Protecting communities from the spread of tuberculosis in Burma

Every six months, Give2Asia features several projects that require immediate funding in their Greatest Needs catalogue.  These projects have been vetted by Give2Asia and then broken into scalabe sizes for donors to invest in.  The purpose is to showcase needs in the region, highlight the work that local, on the ground, organizations are doing and then provide a mechanism for those that choose to act. 

Partner: Metta Development Foundation. 

Cost: $55,000 creates 5 new TB centers and helps treat and educate hundreds who are infected or at risk.

The Challenge.  Burma has one of the highest prevalence rates of tuberculosis (TB) in the world with an estimated 1.5% of the population becoming infected each year. Of the 120,000 case that are identified, a high percentage are among those living with HIV/AIDS due to their compromised immune systems.  Lack of education and awareness has also resulted in misuse of TB drugs, which leads to increased prevalence of drug-resistant strains of TB. The Director General of the World Health Organization has identified drug-resistant TB in Burma as an “explosive situation.”

Kachin State, one of Burma’s most rural and remote areas, survives primarily on mining and logging. Because of its rich natural resources, Kachin attracts economic migrants from other areas of Burma looking for work. Mining camps and migrant traffic make Kachin a high risk area for both TB and HIV/AIDS. Lack of awareness about TB is compounded by illegal drug use and sex work. In 2008, the number of deaths in the area doubled for people co-infected with HIV and TB.

Part 2: Cylcone Nargis one year later: Understanding the impact on Muslims in the Irrawaddy Delta

Last year, we were faced with two disasters in Asia.  Many individuals, families, foundations and corporations in the U.S. stepped up and generously supported the disaster relief and recovery of Cyclone Nargis in Burma and the Sichuan Earthquake in China.  In the same spirit of sharing, I had invited several authors to pick a topic that was not in the mainstream news but related to the disasters.  For the next several posts, we hope our readers will enjoy these stories.  The following is the continuation of Cyclone Nargis a year later: Understanding the impact on Muslims in the Irrawaddy Delta.

Considering the historical context and current climate for Muslims in Myanmar, I expected the worst when I began researching how Muslims fared Cyclone Nargis. To my pleasant surprise, I found out that Muslims, on the whole, fared no worse than any other group. In fact, as I’ll discuss later, there are even potentially a few silver linings. A Muslim man who was extensively involved in relief efforts explained that it’s useful to understand the effect of Nargis on Muslims by dividing the Delta region into two areas: Dalah, the area just across the Yangon River south of Yangon, and the coastal delta area focused around Bogale and Labutta.

The first area, Dalah, is a densely populated, urban area with a large Muslim population. While it did not suffer much loss of life from the storm, many thousands were left homeless. Dalah was particularly vulnerable because most of its residents live in poverty, many earning under a dollar a day, and residing in structurally weak, thatch residences. However, since this area did not experience the catastrophic loss of life that places like Bogale and Labutta experienced, Dalah was overlooked by many relief agencies and left largely to its own devices. For this reason, a consortium of Muslim organizations in Yangon that came together after the storm called the Muslim Nargis Relief Consortium (pseudonym) focused a lot of attention there, providing temporary homes for residents of the area. Traditionally, there has been a rivalry between different Islamic community organizations for influence over the Muslim community. But for the first time, the gravity of Cyclone Nargis brought these groups and their resources together to provide relief to those suffering in the Delta.

Part 1 - Cyclone Nargis a year later: Understanding the impact on Muslims in the Irrawaddy Delta

Last year, we were faced with two disasters in Asia.  Many individuals, families, foundations and corporations in the U.S. stepped up and generously supported the disaster relief and recovery of Cyclone Nargis in Burma and the Sichuan Earthquake in China.  In the same spirit of sharing, I had invited several authors to pick a topic that was not in the mainstream news but related to the disasters.  For the next several posts, we hope our readers will enjoy these stories. 

When Cyclone Nargis made landfall on May 2, 2008, it took the lives of nearly 150,000 people, left two to three million people homeless, and caused approximately ten billion dollars in damage. In the year since the storm, hundreds of millions of dollars and thousands of tons of supplies have come to the Irrawaddy Delta from foreign governments, NGOs, the UN, and other sources. There has been extensive media coverage of the storm but very little attention has been paid to one of the largest groups affected by the storm: the Muslims who constitute an estimated ten to fifteen percent of the victims of Cyclone Nargis. As a religious and ethnic minority, Muslims in Myanmar (most of whom are of Indian descent), have traditionally been marginalized, a problem that has been exasperated in recent decades by divisive government policies. As we approach the one year anniversary of Cyclone Nargis, I’d like to take a look at how Muslims fared the storm and its aftermath.

Muslims have had a presence in Myanmar since the Bagan period, almost a thousand years ago. Although the Muslim presence was relatively limited until the Burmese defeats in the Anglo-Burmese wars of the nineteenth century, Muslims lived and worked under the various Burmese kingdoms and had extensive influence in the Arakanese kingdom of what is now Rakhine State in western Myanmar. Under British rule, hundreds of thousands of Muslim Indians came to Burma to serve in civil service positions, the British military, and to seek business opportunities. It was during the colonial period that tensions arose between Muslims (and other Indians) and ethnic Burmese Buddhists. Riots broke out on several occasions in the 1930s, killing hundreds of people. Many vicious stereotypes and myths about Muslims developed during the 1930s that persist in Myanmar to this very day. Tensions continued through World War II and the post-independence period reaching a nadir in 1962 when General Ne Win expelled upwards of three hundred thousand thousand Muslims and others of Indian descent, many of whom were third or fourth generation immigrants and who spoke only Burmese.

Seeing is believing: A look at a volunteer's experience in Myanmar, Part III

“In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.” – Desiderius Erasmus

This is the third and final installation in our story from the field. Some of the best and brightest students in Myanmar take a fieldtrip to a school for the blind. Their reflections on the experience reveal that perceptions can change based on personal interactions.

Field trips at our program always include reflection of some sort. For this trip, we had a discussion afterwards where students shared their impressions and experiences. All of the students agreed that it had been a positive experience. When I asked how their impressions changed over the course of the afternoon, one student admitted to initially feeling “scared by the kids’ eyes,” but by the end, he had forgotten that their eyes looked different from his own. Another student said, “At first I felt sad, but not anymore. I realized that they can cope and do things that I can’t do. They’re very intelligent.” Another added, “I feel we can learn a lot from the children. They know how to not give up.”

For most of my students, this was the first time they had interacted with blind people for any length of time. They came out of this experience with greater awareness of the challenges that blind people face on a daily basis in Myanmar, but also of how with the right support and environment they can overcome these challenges and develop unique abilities and skills. Perhaps, most importantly, my students discovered that the children they met are not defined by their blindness; it is, instead, just a part of who they are.

Seeing is Believing: A look at a volunteer's experience in Myanmar, Part II

This is part two in a three part story from the field. The author – a teacher in Yangon, Myanmar – describes a field trip his students take to a school for the blind, where the blind students teach their sighted counterparts a lesson.

Before our field trip, my students discussed what they knew about blindness and organized some games to play with the children. Most of my students had never worked with blind children before and did not know what to expect. Several expressed that they were nervous about the field trip and were afraid that the games they organized would not work because the kids were blind. In general, the students underestimated the capabilities of the kids they were about to work with.

When we arrived at the school we were greeted in an old auditorium by a group of about thirty kids ranging in age from about 8 to 14. To break the ice, my students each introduced themselves. To my students’ surprise, the children then sang several Christian songs in Burmese, harmoniously accompanied by an older student of the school playing the guitar. I overheard one of my students expressing surprise that the guitarist could play so well without seeing the strings. The sound of the children’s voices was radiant, and judging from the expression on my students’ faces, the power of the moment was not lost on anyone.

Seeing is believing: A look at a volunteer's experience in Myanmar, Part I

While I was visiting Myanmar a few weeks ago, I met a teacher working at a school in Yangon. He told me an inspiring story about his a service learning component to his school’s curriculum, and the profound interactions his students had during one field trip to a school for the blind. The story left a deep impression on me. Those of us who work full-time in philanthropy each have our own motivations for why we do what we do. Every once in a while, it’s nice to be reminded about how the work we do impacts the lives of individuals. (Names have been omitted to protect the author and organizations inside Myanmar.)

I started working in Yangon shortly before Cyclone Nargis devastated Myanmar’s southern coast in May 2008. I work for a small school in which all of the students are Myanmar citizens. My students have excelled in their high schools and are now trying to earn scholarships to study abroad. They intend to come back after studying abroad to participate in civil society and help develop their country. An important part of our academic program is experiential learning in the form of field trips, service learning, and internships. My job is to coordinate service learning and internships. For the academic year which just began my students will volunteer once a week at local organizations.

A day in the cyclone affected area in Myanmar

This morning, we started off to Kungyangon, a region in the southern tip of Myanmar where Cyclone Nargis overturned trees, blew houses away, and killed people and animals last May. It took us three and a half hours to drive the area that was forty miles away. We turned up dust along the newly, hand packed rock and sand road. The van we were in was shaking from the rocky road and I was worried that the glass on our van would shatter. Along the way, we passed vans with logos of the International Red Cross/Crescent Society, World Vision, Save the Children, and the Marie Stokes.

Many homes have been rebuilt but they are not as sturdy as the ones the families previously lived in. The materials used to build the thatched huts are expensive now and scarce. We were invited to a home to speak with a family that survived the cyclone. Their home is simply a thatched hut built on bamboo stilts. The mother said that the storm came and the water came up to her head. They headed to the monastery since it was on higher ground. Unfortunately, the roof of the monastery was blown away and they sat through the night in the pouring rain and gusty winds. The children's faces turned blue from the cold. When they returned to where their home was, their simple hut was gone; blown away by the wind.

Opportunity within crisis in Myanmar

I am in Yangon visitng sites and organizations. We landed two days ago but I feel as if I have been here for a week. We have met so many people working with local and international organizations - before and after cyclone Nargis. The people are friendly and helpful and the food here is incredible.  

The country and the city was not what I had expected at all. Like many people in the U.S., we listened to the news of the cyclone and how difficult it was to work in this country. We heard about the government corruption and the difficulties international NGOs were having. But what many in the U.S. do not hear is the wonderful work some people are doing and how exciting and vibrant a place it also is for international NGOs, community based groups and organizations wanting to help the people here.

This afternoon, we went to a wonderful gallery in the middle of town. After the cylcone, many old and large trees were blown down and littered the roads. A co-operative worked with the government to create a site and hired craftsmen and master carvers to work with the fallen trees to create beautiful sculptures. The Burmese have a long history as master carvers and their skills were used to create these sculptures that will eventually be sold in an auction later this March.

$110 million for Burma and China disasters

Last week, the Chronicle of Philanthropy reported that nonprofit groups in the U.S. have raised more than $110 million for both, the Burma and China disasters.  Many of these are cash donations but some are also in-kind donations such as food, equipment, etc.  While the list is impressive, I believe many smaller charitable donations are not reflected in the accounting.  It may be awhile before we receive the final total.  Even then, it will still be much smaller compared to the $597 million raised for the tsunami.

Amounts raised in the US for Buma relief and reconstruction:

According to the article, organizations that work in Burma such as CARE, Save the Children, and World Vision have raised the most funds.  World Vision, with nearly 600 employees in the country, raised $10.5 million for Burma.  Roughly half were from large donors.  Below is a list of organizations and the amounts raised for relief in Burma:

CARE: $6.6 million

Catholic Relief Services: $3.5 million

Foundation for the People of Burma: $1.39 million

Friends of the World Food Program: $2 million

Mercy Corps: $2 million

Save the Children: $7.16 million

Amounts raised in the US for China earthquake relief and reconstruction:

The American Red Cross has committed $14 million of the funds raised to the China earthquake relief efforts.  Below is a list of organizations and the amounts raised for China relief and rebuilding efforts: 

Give2Asia: $7.5 million

Mercy Corps: $7 million

Save the Children: $1.6 million

World Vision: $6.3 million

This photo was taken in Shanghai; four weeks after the earthquake.

Asian Diaspora in the U.S. Responding in Times of Disaster

New collaborations of the Asian diaspora community in the U.S. and how they are responding to natural disasters in Asia is the subject of a post on Give2Asia Forum this week.  Below is an excerpt of the post, Diaspora Responding in Times of Disaster.

In the past several months, Asia has had more than its share of natural disasters. Coverage on the disasters by the media and informal blog sites have provided on the ground details and cries for assistance. Foundations, organizations, associations, corporations, and even for-profit philanthropic advisory groups have created greater awareness on how to support relief and reconstruction efforts. In particular, I am amazed at the response from the diaspora community in the U.S. and the growing movement to collaboratively raise funds for relief and reconstruction efforts or to exchange information and share best practices. From these successes, I wonder how we can encourage and support more collaborative networks and research on this new role of community philanthropy.

Bangladesh cyclone: global diaspora response

In November 2007, Cyclone Sidr struck the southwestern coast of Bangladesh triggering a 5-metre (15 foot) storm surge. Flooding and high winds killed nearly 4,500 people and destroyed at least 1.5 million homes, causing millions of dollars of damage to livestock and crops. Over 7 million people were affected by this tragedy.

In response, twelve organizations in the U.S., Canada and London, led by Drishtipat, a U.S. based diaspora non-profit organization, came together to form the United Bangladesh Appeal (UBA) to raise funds for the Sidr Victims’ Compensation Fund. UBA is an internet based umbrella organization that was created to unite the numerous Bangladeshi groups under a common goal in times of crisis or need. The group has successful raised over $300,000 to support the victims of the cyclone.