News at ABWE
Myanmar Report—Cyclone Nargis
May 21, 2008
The increased willingness of the government in Myanmar to receive outside assistance can only help the crisis situation in Myanmar. ABWE had official permission of the United States authorities to work in Myanmar, even before the disaster, so we are praying God will use this opportunity to increase our ability to serve the church there.
Aid is still slow in reaching the poor of the country. Our colleagues continue to collect information about the best way to get relief to the people in need. From our teammates who went into Myanmar:
“The initial concern was for the poor believers in the metro-Yangon area—especially ones that are in an outreach village of a local church. There are other Baptist churches with another association in the delta region, but there has not been any word from them yet. The major concern is security. Our friends and partners in Myanmar are not sure that they could even get into the delta region themselves. Whatever relief work is done will be done low-key and low profile, so as not to attract attention from the government. They said they will do relief work diligently, but with less publicity.”
Below are possible projects that can be carried out by our partners in Myanmar. Please pray about joining these efforts with a financial gift.
Projects in Yangon:
- The rising prices of basic commodities have made it difficult for people to feed their families. We can try to help our Burmese brothers and sisters buy now and stockpile for the future since the prices will continue to escalate. They need rice, cooking oil, salt, beans, and grains.
- We can help the poor families of the outreach with the costs of repairing their bamboo thatched roof houses. One grass house can be constructed for about $250 USD.
- Medical care can be given on a case-by-case basis. This may include stockpiling basics, which currently can be bought within country, although some may have to be brought from Bangkok in the future.
- We can help repair seminary building in Yangon.
Tribal projects:
- Sponsors can support the poorest families who need help sending their children to public school. Tuition is free but there are many other expenses, such as uniforms, books, pencils, and supplies. Families cannot afford to send their children to school because all of their earnings are now consumed with daily living expenses.
- Medical projects can be done based on the needs of church people.
For more information please contact Beth Isbell at gap@abwe.org or (717) 909-2309.
Donations
If you are interested in assisting in these efforts, you can give to the Myanmar Cyclone Relief Program.
US Donors
Checks should be marked “Myanmar Cyclone Relief” and sent to:
ABWE Donor Services
P.O. Box 8585
Harrisburg, PA 17105
Download and print mail-in form
Canadian Donors
Checks should be marked “Myanmar Cyclone Relief” and sent to:
ABWE Canada
34-980 Adelaide Street South
London, ON N6E 1R3
Download and print mail-in form