Myanmar businesses gouge as more rain falls. (Los Angeles Times)Episcopal Relief and Development has an update from the Anglican Church of the Province of Myanmar (CPM), with which communication has been restored.
To help people affected by the cyclone in Myanmar, please make a donation to Episcopal Relief and Development’s “Myanmar & Cyclone Response” online at , or call 1-800-334-7626, ext. 5129. Gifts can be mailed to: Episcopal Relief and Development “Myanmar & Cyclone Response” P.O. Box 7058, Merrifield, VA 22116-7058.
You can go directly to the online donation form here.
Burma shuns foreign aid workers. (BBC)
In addition to the print story at the BBC site, there is a bit of amateur video in which you can see some of the material damage and, thanks be to Godde, living people. There are also documents offering background information and details on the catastrophe.
The BBC still calls Myanmar "Burma." An anti-dictatorship statement perhaps? (Or just keeping the language of the British Empire?)
Hard to take into one's mind and heart the thousands of deaths and all the displacement and devastation.
Caminante has been posting on Burma regularly since the cyclone hit.
Miserere eis. Miserere nobis.
I almost did not give. The idea that donations of money and food would go into the hands of a Burmese-flavored Khmer Rouge was more than I could handle on a rainy afternoon. But I called ER-D's office, the number Jane wisely put on her posting. I expressed my concern. I was told that yes, there IS a risk...but the CPM is receiving funds directly, so there is a very strong probability that the donations will get where they're supposed to go. I donated after all. I gave back in '05 after Katrina, as well; and there I pray doubly hard that the money got to the people of New Orleans rather than to some of that serpent Michael Chertoff's buddies. One of the worst features of the last eight years has been the feeling that no good deed stays out of someone else's pocket. I just hope will not happen here.
ReplyDeleteThanks Ken, glad you called, that is really helpful.
ReplyDeleteI've been monitoring this and I have some mailings from other religious groups which I will go over later to see what's happening with the Methodists, Mennonites, et al. It looks like some of the nonprofit and religious aid may have a better chance of getting through than U.S. official aid -- and even the U.N. is having trouble, for goodness' sake. Latest on that and on the aid situation is here.
NPR calls Myanmar "Burma," too.
ReplyDeleteDepends. They referred to it as "Myanmar, formerly known as Burma" on one show today - can't remember which, I think it was All Things Considered.
ReplyDelete