Sherry Chandler

UNICEF Relief in Myanmar (and Oxfam)

Watch at YouTube.

Donate through UNICEF.

You can also give at Oxfam.

It is my understanding that these NGOs are on the ground in Myanmar. U.S. aid, being delivered by the military, is not being allowed in. [Update: That's probably just that it's attached to another government, let alone the military.]

More information at the Myanmar Relief blog.

I’ve received several emails and comments over the past few days asking how NGOs can get into Myanmar to assist, given the difficulty in obtaining entry visas. While I don’t have a direct answer, my experience with Hurricane Andrew in the U.S. is probably somewhat instructive. In order to get into S. Florida with relief supplies, I had to work through an established agency already in the area (Catholic Relief Services) and bring documentation that the relief supplies I was transporting were destined for that organization. It was the only way I could be assured of getting through the roadblocks and demonstrate to local authorities that the truck I was driving was legit. And this was in the U.S. I’m sure that those who responded to Katrina could tell similar stories.

There’s no question that this approach (working through an established agency) should ease the difficulty of access to Myanmar, because much of the disaster response staging by NGOs appears to be occurring in Bangkok, Thailand where most NGOs in the region are based. While the government of Myanmar was initially very reluctant to issue visas to relief organizations, there are several agencies that have longer term relationships in Myanmar for ongoing work, and contact with any of those organizations would certainly expedite acceptance of offers of assistance (either monetary donations or actual on-the-ground efforts).

Doctors Without Borders seems to be there, too.

And CARE, Lutheran World Relief, etc.

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