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Myanmar

Myanmar: Remembering Cyclone Nargis - Rebuilding lives

Within a week after Cyclone Nargis had struck, the Muslim Aid Emergency Team were on the ground. They began with distributing aquatabs to purify enough water for 50,000 people a week as well as installing eight water purification systems that provided clean drinking water to over 70,000 people a day. Blankets, medication and food parcels were also distributed to 3,000 families in partnership with Global Medic and other local organisations.

During the last year, Muslim Aid has helped families rebuild houses in many of the worst affected villages using local labour and material. Muslim Aid worked also with villagers to create education programmes for children, carry out training on how to use the water-purification systems and created Cash-for-Work Programmes to support people while they regain livelihoods as well as rebuild houses and roads.

Pu He and his family were among the hundreds of thousands who bore the brunt of cyclone, losing their house and many of their belongings. "It was really devastating when Nargis hit, not just because many of the people we knew had been killed," he says, "but because we had totally lost our sense of security. But thank God, Muslim Aid were there in no time, and worked with us to rebuild our homes. We are on our way to regaining the life we thought we had lost". Pu He was not alone in his thoughts. As he spoke, the neighbours gathered around him nodded, as they too shared the sentiments expressed by Pu He.

Anamul Haque, Head of Emergency Programmes at Muslim Aid has just returned from Myanmar after visiting many of the projects Muslim Aid has supported during last 12 months. He is thankful to donors, partners and no less to the field workers that Muslim Aid was able to implement a number of short-term relief and recovery projects designed to rebuild the communities. "But one year on," warns Anamul Haque,"many people are still without shelter and the means to make a living. We need to do so much more".

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