Communique Issued by ACCT And CSCC, 20 May 2008

Update on Cyclone Nargis, Myanmar

The Situation

On 2 May 2008, cyclone Nargis hit the coast of Myanmar and devastated large parts of the low-lying delta region of the Irrawaddy River. The storm ripped through Myanmar’s capital, Yangon for over ten hours. A majority of the 40 townships in Yangon and seven townships in the Irrawaddy Delta are listed as disaster zones with up to 2.5 million people affected by this tragedy. According to UN News Centre, more than 130,000 are listed as dead or missing.

Homes and many buildings were damaged or destroyed, power and communication lines were downed. In rural parts of the country, up to 95 per cent of all homes were destroyed.

Catholics in Myanmar

The Caritas Confederation’s response to the Cyclone tragedy is handled by a team based in the Caritas Asia Regional Office in Bangkok. This team is supporting the “Myanmar Disaster Relief Committee” (MDRC) established by the local Church under the leadership of Archbishop Charles Bo, Archbishop of Yangon, to bring relief to the affected areas. Catholic missionaries in the affected areas have also set up disaster relief camps to take in victims of the disasters, providing them with shelter, water and whatever food that is available.

What the Catholic Church in Singapore is doing

In Singapore, the Church’s response to the tragedy is being coordinated by the Archdiocesan Crisis Coordination Team (ACCT) which was first established in 2005 following the Tsunami disaster. ACCT has liaised with Archbishop Charles Bo from Yangon and Archbishop Paul Grawng on the situation in Myanmar to determine how we can render aid.

Given the magnitude of the disaster, ACCT discussed with Archbishop Nicholas Chia who decided to call for a second collection that was made over the weekend of 10/11 May 2008 for the purpose of rendering aid to the victims of the disaster. 

At the same time, several Catholic organisations (Good Shepherd Sisters, Myanmar Community in Singapore, Sisters of the Infant Jesus and Canossian Sisters)  also embarked on activities to raise funds for the disaster while CMG (Catholic Medical Guild) / FIAMC (World Federation of Catholic Medical Association) had assembled a team of medical personnel ready to enter the affected areas of Myanmar once clearance had been obtained from the Myanmar Embassy. 

The Myanmar Community in Singapore (MCCS) organised a Mass for the victims and for our brothers and sisters in Myanmar on 11 May 2008 at the Church of The Immaculate Heart of Mary. MCCS will be organizing another mass in English on 8 June 2008 at 3pm at the Church of The Immaculate Heart of Mary.

A coordinating meeting was held at the Catholic Social and Community Council (CSCC) on Saturday, 17 May 2008 to share information, identify the needs on the ground as well as coordinate activities/support from Singapore Catholics. The meeting was attended by representatives from ACCT, CSCC, Jesuit Refugee Singapore (JRS), CMG, MCCS as well as several religious orders which are currently maintaining a presence in Myanmar.

At the meeting, representatives from MCCS as well as the religious orders gave an account of the situation on the ground and their needs. ACCT/FIAMC shared inputs received from both Archbishop Charles Bo from Yangon and Archbishop Paul Grawng, the President of the Conference of Bishops of Myanmar.

To date, ACCT has received about $260,000 and more could be expected as not all parishes have submitted their collections. So far, S$150,000 has already been disbursed to provide immediate relief, of which S$10,000 has been remitted to Mercy Relief and the remainder to the MDRC and various Catholic organisations who are involved in immediate relief efforts.

The rest of the funds collected would be used primarily in the rebuilding of lives eg rebuilding their homes, their livelihoods as well as providing grief and trauma counseling to those affected and will also be made available to the victims and families of the disaster through the various organisations.  All requests for funds can be directed to the ACCT.

For more information, please contact:

Archdiocesan Crisis Coordination Team (ACCT)

2 Highland Road #LG-01

Singapore 549102

Mr Jerry Ow, Chairman

Tel: 6488 0278

Catholic Social and Community Council

55 Waterloo Street #09-03

Catholic Welfare Centre

Singapore 187954

Ms Joyce Koh, Executive Director

Tel: 6334 5704