This is a forward of a message from Nwe Oo. Nwe participated last year in the COO UN 69th event by leading a table discussion about Indigenous Rights. She herself is a member of the Rakhine indigenous community in Myanmar, and her homeland has been very hard hit in the last week by a combination of monsoon floods and a typhoon.
Nwe has set up an Indiegogo page to raise relief funds and would like to know if we would sponsor the page so donations could be tax deductible. While UNA-SF is not in the business of funding disaster relief, it is hard to turn down such a personal appeal. Nwe has relatives back in the area. Please let me know what you think. Is this something we can take on?
Here is Nwe's message:
Dear all,
I'm writing to let you know about 'EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE - DEVASTATING FLOODS in Myanmar"
Take a moment to check it out on Indiegogo and also share it with your friends. All the tools are there. Get perks, make a contribution, or simply follow updates. If enough of us get behind it, we can make 'EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE - DEVASTATING FLOODS' happen!
http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/emergency-assistance-devastating-floods#/story
Rakhine State, in western Myanmar has already been pounded by torrential rains - throughout July 2015 - with ensuing floods and damage, and now July 31-August 2 was slammed by Cyclone Komen with deadly heavy rains creating mudslides, landslides, deep flooding, broken bridges and roads, and the spread of disease. The Mrauk-U area - site of the last fabulous and historic royal kingdom - is the most affected by the floods. The impact includes: 46 (and climbing) dead, 200,000 (and climbing) people displaced, damaged infrastructure and caused loss of 5000 hectares of cultivated agricultural land. People are in dire need of clean drinking water, food, shelter, and basic sanitation. Loss of life on a massive scale is a very real possibility, and the crisis is expected to worsen.
The accumulated impact of successive floods, tropical storms and cyclones has increased the vulnerability of the affected population and exhausted their coping mechanisms. Most of the affected people, especially in rural areas were already suffering from extreme poverty, deprivation, and the inter-communal violence before the disaster.
Thank you for your consideration, compassion, and care in advance.
Sincerely
Nwe oo
