“Sometimes when we are suffering and have the chance to work with members of FPB’s staff, it gives hope that our lives will improve.” – Cyclone Survivor, FPB Project Participant
Despite incredible gains throughout the first year of FPB’s Cyclone Relief and Rebuild Project, affected-villages need your help to overcome the depth of loss and tragedy. Last May, Cyclone Nargis swept across 13,566 square miles of Burma’s Irrawaddy Delta. 130 mph winds and a 30-foot storm surge took approximately 130,000 lives and displaced some 2.4 million people. Foundation for the People of Burma reached over 150,000 people in the first 6 weeks after the storm. We have been working intensely with 20 villages since.
The gift of a 'starter pig' allows this mother to generate income while building her assets
Year Two – Ready to go! (August 2009 – July 2010)
- Training for 30 school teachers – Your contributions are supporting 25 teachers in the affected areas. These teachers have expressed their desire to get training in teaching methods and classroom management. Building on our experience conducting such training and workshops, we will carry out similar projects for teachers in Delta schools. Support a teacher’s stipend for $30 a month or contribute $150 to cover the cost $150 covers the costs of the 2-week intensive workshop.
- 8 village-based water systems – Potable water remains a luxury for huge numbers and entire villages in the Delta. During rain season, villagers use buckets, tubs, ditches and ponds to gather water for drinking and household use. Once the monsoon season ends and the land dries, insufficient storage means that there is not enough to last even a month. In the 2nd Year of Recovery, Foundation for the People of Burma is set to construct 8 water systems that will provide enough storage to carry these villages through the dry season. $1500 builds a durable rainwater collection system. That’s $140 per family for clean, safe water year-after-year.
- 800 more sanitary latrines – FPBs latrine construction and sanitation education projects have been very well-received by cyclone-affected communities throughout the first year of Rebuilding activities. We start by training a small local committee to manage the project. This committee then works with their fellow villagers to select a latrine design that best suites their needs and to set up a timetable for construction. In a few villages, committees have also held toilet design competitions Some incredible creativity there! Help us reach the goal of one-household-one-toilet for all 20 villages by the end of Year Two! It’s about a hundred bucks a pot!
- Financial literacy to 500 more villagers – As international distributions of rice and foodstuffs are all but stopped, getting affected families on track to stand on their own within three years is a must! Helping villagers through training in financial literacy is one of the most important steps. FPB financial literacy curriculum has been designed by researching the villagers needs and wishes. We have conducted initial trainings in 2 villages and look forward to rolling this project out on a larger scale by the close of 2009. Training costs about $40 per person, or coach the village for $2000.
- School supplies to 2000 children – The burden of purchasing school supplies falls on parents, who, though the cost is not more than $15/year, are unable to purchase the notebooks, pencils and test sheets required for their children. Kids need these supplies to get the most out of school and you can help to alleviate this burden for families that want their children to get an education.
- 5 community-based playgrounds constructed – As a part of our child wellness work, we are collaborating with 5 villages to design, build and manage their own playground. Currently, none of the 20 cyclone-affected villages where we work have a designated outdoor space for children to play. Playgrounds provide children with a safe place to build strength and coordination, stimulate their imagination, use their ‘outside voices,’ interact through teamwork and improve motor skills. Playground equipment for one village runs around $1400 and the villagers contribute their labor to prepare the land and build a fence.
- Expand support to another 1000 landless farmers – Livelihood security has been the ongoing issue for both farmers and landless workers in the area. FPB will work through our established village committees to facilitate the support of small funds to get small businesses up and running in the next year. Some of that is done through local gardening and organic agriculture support and training and support for raising pigs, ducks and chickens. $30 buys a start piglet, $300 buys a small flock of ducks and $500 buys a buffalo. An investment indeed!
We need your help to make this happen! Click here to improve the lives of those that face scarcity and lack personal freedom. On their behalf, we humbly thank you for your compassion, understanding and generosity.
