On the evening of May 2, 2008, a cyclone with winds of 120 mph hit the most populated and most vulnerable part of Myanmar (also known as Burma). Unofficial estimates put the death toll at more than 100,000 people, with almost half of those being children. The daily downpours of the monsoon season only serve to exacerbate the situation. Between the death, flooding, damaged crops and disease outbreaks, this disaster is quickly approaching the scale of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami that affected millions.
Unfortunately, the Myanmar government has been blocking much of the food and aid offered by foreign countries. Only a few non-governmental organizations have been allowed to operate within the country; the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the Myanmar Red Cross are among these few. A small group of OU students have come together to raise money that will be given directly to the Athens County Chapter of the American Red Cross located at 100 S. May Ave. (just off East State Street). The IFRC and the Myanmar Red Cross currently have teams of local Myanmar volunteer aid workers on the ground distributing a variety of aid, including water-purification tablets, tarpaulins and mosquito nets.
Because these Red Cross volunteers have been able to operate where others have been denied access, and because of the relative logistical ease of transferring the money from Athens to Myanmar, we have chosen to send all money collected to them. We have been distributing collection cans and boxes throughout the Athens area – both cash and checks are welcome (please make checks out to the “American Red Cross” with “Myanmar Disaster Relief” in the memo line). A receipt will be mailed to the address on your check.
One of the many collection locations is at the help desk on the first floor of Alden library. Your donations will be collected from the various sites on Monday, May 19, after the International Week Street Fair on Saturday where collection boxes will also be available. After that, we plan to collect the donations on a weekly basis. You can donate to our cans/boxes or send your tax-deductible contribution directly to the Athens County Chapter of the American Red Cross at the above address.
The OU student organization leading the disaster-relief collection efforts is the Athens Chapter of the Indonesian Student Organization, also known as Permias. In 2006, we were able to collect over $3,000 to send to Indonesia in support of relief efforts following a deadly earthquake in Java. We are again reaching out to the Athens community to help those who are in the most desperate need.
For the most up-to-date information on the Red Cross cyclone relief efforts, go to www.ifrc.org/what/disasters/response/myanmar-nargis/index.asp. If you have any questions or comments on our efforts in Athens, you can e-mail us at MyanmarDisasterRelief@yahoo.com or Dyah Ariningtyas Hening (Arin) at permias@ohio.edu (www.permiasathens.us).
Please help us help the people of Myanmar.
Lauri Hlavacs, on behalf of the OU Students for Myanmar Disaster Relief
Athens
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