Burma on brink of humanitarian disaster, Christians rush aid

|PIC1|Christian aid organisations and churches are rushing emergency aid to hundreds of thousands of people in Burma despite visa difficulties and the enormous scale of the disaster brought on by Cyclone Nargis more than a week ago.

Christian Aid is sourcing supplies from within Burma to bring water purification tablets, blankets and medicines to 100,000 people. It warns, however, that this will become more difficult as time goes by.

The Burmese Government's reluctance to grant visas to international aid agency workers has added to the challenges posed by the vastness of the cyclone's devastation.

"Supplies will run out unless more aid is allowed into the country," said Ray Hasan, Christian Aid's Burma expert. "Partners are telling that there are outbreaks of disease already. There is no time to lose."

According to Christian Aid partners, survivors urgently need more supplies of water purification tablets, medicines including salt solutions, mosquito nets, blankets and clothing and materials to rebuild homes.

They also report appeals from survivors for rice seeds to replace their own damaged supplies. Unless new seeds are planted in the next month, there will be no new supplies of rice until May 2009.

According to Bible Society, first reports from the ground indicate that 7,000 Christians are among the dead, including ten church pastors, while more than 300 church buildings have been destroyed. Christians, which make up only around eight per cent of the population in predominantly Buddhist Burma have endured years of persecution and restrictions on their freedom to practise their faith.

One of the communities hardest hit by the cyclone is the largely Christian Karen people.

Jubilee Action's partner in Burma, Pastor Timothy, is working with Karen refugees in the disaster zone.

"The situation is hopelessly dark, dead bodies are floating everywhere, with no signs of compassion arriving anytime soon," he said. "The capital city of Rangoon itself has become a disaster zone. There is no electricity and telecommunications has totally cut off.

"The hardships they already face would make any ordinary man buckle and be crushed under the burden. Now with this massive natural disaster, it is almost like hell on earth for the people of Burma.

"Amidst this massive disaster, there are a few Christian believers inside who are giving whatever they have to assist the ones who are suffering. It is only a drop of water in the whole ocean."

Jubilee Action has launched a Burma appeal to help bring drinking water, plastic sheeting, dried and staple foods, and medical supplies to survivors.

"We will be all working together to bring the hope of Jesus and the love of Christ from our Christian brothers around the world, whose hearts go out to the people of Burma," said Pastor Timothy, who will travel to the disaster zone with medical professionals.

At least 100,000 people are thought to have died when the cyclone triggered a storm surge across the Irrawaddy delta in the early hours of 2 May.

Aid workers warn that the death toll could see a dramatic rise if survivors do not receive food, clean water and medicine in the next few days. Government aid is virtually non existent and there are also reports of towns and villages on the edges of the disaster zone being swamped with refugees beyond manageable levels.

Australian firefighter Craig Allan is a member of Baptist World Aid organisation "Rescue 24", which aims to put an emergency team on the ground within 24 hours of any disaster anywhere in the world. He fears that in Burma's case, it could be 24 days before they make it to the disaster zone.

"It is very frustrating," said Allan, who flew to Bangkok to apply for a visa on Thursday.

The first US aid flight to Burma arrived on Monday, but officials there say they will not allow foreign aid workers to distribute the aid to the estimated 1.5 million people in need.

"It is a shocking and devastating tragedy that we have not yet seen the full effect of," said Brian Houston, National President of the Australian Christian Churches and Senior Pastor of Hillsong Church.

"Burma is on the brink of an even greater humanitarian disaster unless food, water and medical supplies are allowed to enter the country to feed and help the starving and the displaced," he said.

"We are praying that the Burmese military junta will be moved by this human tragedy and open their borders to overseas aid and disaster relief workers to enter the country as quickly as possible.

"...We are believing for miracles," he continued. "Raising funds is the easy part, getting the aid to those who desperately need it is going to be the biggest challenge."