Cyclone Nargis anniversary

It was a year ago (May 2-3) that Nargis devastated the Irrawaddy delta region of Burma (Myanmar). The people are still struggling:

Foreign governments and charities provided US$315 million for food aid and emergency assistance in the months after the tropical storm hit the country May 2-3, 2008, leaving 138,000 people dead or missing and another 800,000 homeless.

But international charities and U.N. agencies like the World Food Program say hundreds of millions of dollars are still needed over the next several years to rebuild the delta's decimated infrastructure and provide farmers and fishermen with the cash they need to regain their livelihoods.

Many noted the funds raised so far are about 40 times less than US$12 billion raised for the 2004 tsunami, even though Nargis was the worst natural disaster in Myanmar's modern history and the world's fifth deadliest in the past 40 years.

At least the illegitimate military dictatorship has stopped obstructing aid, even if they are not doing much to help:

But perhaps the most shocking aspect of the disaster was the military government's indifference to the suffering of its own people.
The ruling generals said Burma did not need "chocolate bars donated by foreign countries", and refused to allow aid into the region for nearly three weeks.

The international community was appalled, and eventually - after intense diplomatic lobbying - Burmese leaders were persuaded to accept foreign assistance.
A full-scale aid operation got under way, and the world heaved a collective sigh of relief.

Burma's military generals are wary of any outside influence
A year later this aid operation is still in full swing, and while lots of people remain dependant on outside help, most have now been given some form of assistance.
The government has not spent much of its own money on the relief effort, but at least it has mainly left the aid agencies to their own devices, enabling them to distribute supplies throughout the region.

Sitagu Sayadaw has had great success both raising funds and getting supplies into the country (including during the first three weeks). If you want to contribute to his efforts, you can do so here.

Sitagu Sayadaw Update

Sitagu Sayadaw (a.k.a "the Billy Graham of Burma") has been raising funds and delivering supplies personally to the victims of cyclone Nargis in Burma (Myanmar). From The Irrawaddy:

About 10,000 Burmese migrant workers living in Mahachai, in Thailand’s Samut Sakhon Province, attended a Buddhist sermon on compassion given by Dr Ashin Nyanissara, a famous Burmese monk, on Monday night, said one of the organizers of the talk.

Dr Ashin Nyanissara, who is better known as Sitagu Sayadaw, is the abbot of the Sitagu International Buddhist Missionary Center in Sagaing and one of Burma’s most respected monks. He has been active in raising funds for relief efforts in the Irrawaddy delta, where over 130,000 people were killed by Cyclone Nargis on May 2-3.

The Sayadaw also mentioned the recent change of President in the USA:

In his two-and-a-half-hour sermon, Sitagu Sayadaw discussed the common Buddhist themes of compassion and change. On the latter topic, he focused on the message of new US President Barack Obama, whose inaugural speech last Tuesday attracted worldwide attention.

Later in his visit, The Sayadaw met with the Archbishop of Thailand

If you wish to support the Sayadaw's efforts, you can donate online at the Austin Sitagu Vihara (monastery) website.