Myanmar Cyclone Nargis Yangon Hub Update No. 1

OVERVIEW & KEY DEVELOPMENTS

- The ASEAN Hub Officer has recently arrived in Pyapon to be co-located with OCHA hub-office The overall objective of this deployment is to enhance tripartite cooperation at the hub level, modelling after the Tripartite Core Group (TCG). The ASEAN officer, Mr Anggiet Yoga Ariefianto, can be contacted on tel 01 544500 ex 8816 or email.anggiet.aseanhtf@gmail.com.

- The Periodic Review was officially launched on 19 October in Yangon by the Chairman of the TCG who is also the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, U Kyaw Thu. In Yangon Division, 29 villages will be targeted from 14 townships. The training of enumerators has started and fieldwork is anticipated to begin on 29 October until end of November 2008.

- The Minister of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement, H.E, Major General Maung Maung Swe officially launched a Training of Trainers (ToT) workshop on Disaster Risk Management, organized by Mingalar Myanmar. Mingalar Myanmar draws its facilitators from UN Agencies, ASEAN, INGOS, Local NGOs, and various Government departments. The workshop will run from 20 October to 3 November in Yangon and hosts forty participants mainly from various government ministries stationed in disaster-prone areas across the country. At the opening ceremony, the Minister highlighted Government plans to construct 8,000 houses in phase one and 10,000 houses in phase two. 7,638 houses have been donated by well-wishers. For the prevention of natural disaster, five main highways are under construction in the seaside regions.

- The Commander, TCC Chairman and army unit that had been seconded for the Nargis response in townships like Kungyangon and Dedaye have since returned to their normal duty stations as at mid October.

- There was a severe storm in Kawhmu Township on 11 October which caused minor damages to 12 houses in Kyaik Htaw Village Tract (MMR013028005001 and to the primary school in Ma Gyi Tan village. Thaw Dar Win Construction Company is repairing the school which they had repaired just after Nargis.

- A basic orientation program on field coordination was organized by OCHA on the 10 October in Yangon. 46 participants from UN agencies, INGOs, Local NGOs from Dedaye Township and Yangon division participated.

- Myanmar Medical Association (MMA) held a seminar on 12 October to share with the stakeholders its experience on cyclone response by volunteer groups.

SECTORAL UPDATE

EDUCATION

- Save the Children and MSI plan to give trainings to school teachers on psychosocial counselling in collaboration with township education department in Kungyangon.

FOOD

- In Kungyangon, CARE Myanmar has finished the distribution of 50 day ration in the 25 villages.

- AMURT plans to extend its food distribution coverage in Dedaye and is working with OCHA to identify target beneficiaries for the distribution of food (rice, bean, edible oil, jiggery, salt) and NFIs.

HEALTH

- The 2nd Divisional Health Cluster Meeting held in Pathein in early October agreed that each TMO prepares a monthly strategic plan with support from health cluster partners.

- The TMO from Kawhmu has requested AMI to consider operating a new clinic to take care for HIV/AIDS patients since there is no NGO undertaking health activities in Kawhmu.

NUTRITION

- MHAA is finishing its Nargis response project at the end of November, which focused on nutrition assessments and the provision of supplementary food stuff in Dedaye, Kungyangon and Twantay, in partnership with UNICEF

PROTECTION OF CHILDREN & WOMEN

- UNICEF has selected Dala and Kungyangon in Yangon Division for its community-based child protection project, which will run for a year from October. In Kungyangon, the National Young Women Christian Association (NYWCA) and its partners have been already active in 16 villages and 3 quarters in town. These undertake programmes in child protection kit distribution, NFE (non formal education), CFS ( child friendly space), Vocational Training, Capacity Building, Registration of separated and missing child and family tracing, etc, with assistance from CSG (community support groups).

- Save the Children also have child protection activities such as CFS, and CCM (Community Case Management) and they go along with IFE (Infant Feeding Education)

SHELTER

- In Dedaye, Marie Stope International plans to distribute household kits in Kyone Hmaw village (MMR0170260370010) in Kyon Hmaw village tract and Tha Min Kwin village (MMR 0170260100020) in War Ka Mei village tract which OCHA identified as NFI gap areas.

WASH

- The WASH cluster, in collaboration with the TPDC, the Health Department and local NGOs, has undertaken village water availability assessment to support the development of specific response plans to water shortage, based on traditional water sources and local coping mechanism in each cyclone-affected township.

- CBO Mogoke Wipathana Group from Dedaye has raised the need to ensure access to safe drinking water in schools during the dry season.

CROSS-CUTTING

- HelpAge International, through YMCA, is responding to the needs of the elderly in Dedaye and Kyaiklat townships by providing NFIs and health care assistance. The project covers a total of 24,750 elderly persons.