Cyclone Nargis - May 2008 - £20,000

 

Villagers passing a Buddha in the Village of Nauk Pyan Doe (Christian Holst - courtesy of Save the Children)

Save the Children’s relief work in Burma (Myanmar), following Cyclone Nargis, is to be supported by a £20,000 emergency grant approved by the President of the Grand Charity. The Freemasons’ Grand Charity is also in discussions with District Grand Lodges in the affected region to identify what support it may be able to provide to their own efforts.

More than 32,000 people are now believed to have been killed by the high winds and resulting tidal surge which struck Burma (Myanmar) on 2 May destroying homes, crops and infrastructure. Following the Cyclone, Save the Children quickly redirected the efforts of 500 staff already in the Country from work on longer-term projects to the emergency relief response and essential supplies including food and clean water have already been distributed to over 100,000 people, including around 33,000 children.

The grant of £20,000 from The Freemasons’ Grand Charity will be an important contribution to this ongoing work and is enough to provide plastic sheeting for temporary accommodation to 1,400 families.   

Update - August 2008

Just over three months since the Cyclone hit, Save the Children has reached over half a million people. 

Read a report from Save the Children on how support from The Freemasons' Grand Charity has helped to save lives. 

Update - September 2008

The Freemasons' Grand Charity is also supporting longer-term relief efforts in Myanmar (Burma) through a grant of £15,000 to the District Grand Lodge of Eastern Archipelago.  

Read more about the grant to the District Grand Lodge of Eastern Archipelago

Further Information

For the latest information about Save the Children's work in Burma (Myanmar), including a short video and photos, visit:

http://www.savethechildren.org.uk/en/41_6308.htm