U Kyaw Thein and his family in front of their flood-affected home. Photo: LWF Myanmar/ M. Celiz
SITTWE, Myanmar/GENEVA (LWI) – U Kyaw Thein has planted again. After a flood destroyed the livelihood he had built up over several years, his family saw no other way than to to move away from his home village. Support by The Lutheran World Federation (LWF), however, gave him the hope and courage to start anew.
The 61-year-old subsistence farmer and his family live in Bauk Ywar village, Mrauk-U township, Rakhine State – the region most heavily affected by the floods that hit Myanmar in the wake of Cyclone Komen at the end of July.
U Kyaw Thein’s house still bears the marks of the water which has since receded. There is a dark line, and missing planks although the house is built on stilts already. Worse, however, is that the family’s livelihood is gone. “I couldn’t save my cows,” U Kyaw Thein murmurs. When the water was already chest-deep, he tried to pull them to safety. “I was very tired from pulling them; I thought I would drown as well. I was very afraid. I was not able to save them,” he recounts that fateful day in August.
As the water kept rising to the second floor of his house, U Kyaw tied bamboo poles together for a makeshift raft. Together with his wife and three youngest children, they floated to a nearby monastery, where they survived on food donations for the next five days.
Livelihoods destroyed
Coming home, the full extent of the damage became visible. “Seven acres of my farmland were destroyed,” U Kyaw says. “The water also ruined 50 bags of our paddy seeds. We had them in store for the next planting season. The water also carried away most of my farming tools, so what can I do now? I can’t harvest. I also lost 12 of my chicken,” he continues with a shaky voice.
The water also damaged the family’s latrine, one of his daughters lost all her school books and supplies. “Everything was damaged by the water, my school was closed for two weeks,” she says.
According to an assessment undertaken by the LWF, the school, two bridges and 35 percent of the houses in the village were severely damaged. 6,200 baskets of paddy seeds were lost, and the two village ponds, used as a freshwater supply, were contaminated with flood water. The paddy fields were submerged under 8 feet of water. Rakhine state was declared a national disaster zone by the Myanmar government.
LWF response
Immediately after the flood, LWF Myanmar mobilized an emergency response team which conducted rapid needs assessments and engaged in distributions of relief goods in 18 villages. One of them was Bauk Ywar, where U Kyaw Thein’s family lives.
As part of a 1-month food ration, the family together with 42 other households in Bauk Ywar received rice, cooking oil, salt and beans.
“I was so worried,” U Kyaw recalls. “After the flood we returned to our house. We could not eat. We could not sleep. How would we survive? My family wanted to leave this village and move far away – somewhere the flood would not reach us if it happened again”.
The relief goods gave U Kyaw Thein and his family the courage to make a new start in their old village. The family has started to plant again. “The rice is slowly growing,” U Kyaw says. His daughter was one of the 9,000 students to receive some of the 43,390 exercise books which the LWF provided to enable students to continue their education.
LWF Myanmar has to date distributed relief goods, food and school supplies to more than 2,000 families in five townships. Their work will now focus on early recovery.
Contribution by John Martin Celiz, translations by Sam Sam Yibn and Win Shwe Yee. Edited by LWF Communications.
Myanmar after the flood
Myanmar’s Rakhine state was one of the most affected by the floods which followed in the wake of Cyclone Komen. Entire villages were destroyed; many people lost their entire livelihood: Animals drowned, seeds were destroyed, fields were covered in mud. Students lost their school supplies, farmers their tools.
LWF Myanmar has supported those most affected with food aid, core relief items and school books. Having worked with many of the affected communities before, they will now stay with the people to help them rebuild their livelihoods.
11 September 2015
Photos: LWF Myanmar/ J.M.Celiz
A villager in Thi Kyar, Rakhine State, cleans up his fields. The flood has drowned lifestock and covered the fields in debris and mud.
A girl carries water past a village which suffered severe damage. The flood has also contaminated two freshwater ponds, which were the villagers’ only source of drinking water.
The LWF emergency response team facilitates the distribution of relief goods with village authorities. LWF has supported more than 2,000 households with food, core relief items and school supplies.
Daw Shwe Phyu, 53, collects her family’s food ration at a distribution point in Bauk Ywar village, Rakhine state. The rations consist of rice, beans, cooking oil and salt to last for two weeks.
Volunteers in Bauk Ywar village participate in the distribution of relief goods.
U Kyaw Thein and his family stand in front of their home, which has been severely damaged by the floods. LWF support however helped him to pick up the pieces and plant again.
People carry bags of rice to their villages. LWF Myanmar has aided more than 2,000 households with food and core relief items.
