On May 2, 2008, Cyclone Nargis hit the south western delta region of Burma. Over 130,000 people are now confirmed dead and close to two million people have been left homeless.

The devastation wrought by Cyclone Nargis exceeds that caused by the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami. Nargis swept through the old capital Rangoon, and has destroyed the main rice growing area for this already impoverished nation. The local shipping port has been destroyed, and airports, roads, and telecommunications networks are either blocked or ruined. Prices for food and fuel have also increased by over 300% placing an impossible economic burden on the people of the region.

The international community has condemned the Burmese military for inhibiting international aid and assistance efforts in the areas most affected by the cyclone. Through a failure to act with the wellbeing of their people in mind, the government has exasberated this tragedy and the loss of life has increased as issues of disease and contaminated water supplies become relevant. So far, an estimated 500,000 people have received aid assistance but many communities have been isolated by flooding, damage done to buildings, and the break down of telecommunication networks and transportation routes.

For the people of Burma the situation is devastating. They lack safe drinking water, food, shelter and emergency medical assistance. The primary need for many is to find missing loved ones, and survival as the living conditions become a serious concern.

Reports of looting highlight the lack of personal safety in the region. Waterborne disease, flooded streets, rotting carcases from dead livestock and human corpses are all contributing to a situation of extreme instability.

The impact of Cyclone Nargis will be felt long into the future. In a region already struggling with insufficient infrastructure and a repressive military government, the people of southern Burma are now without homes, schools and paid sources of employment. Many have lost family members. The crops that were going to feed them in the future have been destroyed, and the wet season, which traditionally hampers movement and brings increased risk of mosquito borne disease has just begun.

In addition to the devastation of the physical environment, the personal trauma of loss of loved ones, homes, communities, jobs and incomes will weigh heavily on the spirit of these people. It is vital that we aid those affected by this tragedy in every way we can.

act for peace Response: We are responding to the devastation caused by Cyclone Nargis through local partners, such as Church World Service and other members of ACT International. With local communities we are helping provide emergency drinking water, water purification tablets, temporary shelter, waterproof sheets, medicines and money is being distributed for the purchase of food and essential items. Through these community channels we are able to get aid to the areas that have felt this disaster most and after the life saving work has been provided we will continue to assist the Burmese people with reconstruction efforts.

Although act for peace is able to provide direct assistance for our partners aid efforts, the overall international aid effort has been insufficient. act for peace welcomes the Burmese government's long delayed decision to open its doors to international assisstance . This process must be unihibited and immediate for maximum effectiveness. This natural tragedy has become a man made catastrophe which was largely avoidable.

act for peace is a founding member of the Thailand Burma Border Consortium (TBBC). This project assists refugees on the border of Thailand and Burma who are fleeing from the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC). This group has retained one party military rule since 1990, and is a precipitator of corruption and human rights abuses.

The Thailand Burma Border Consortium, a non-profit, non-governmental humanitarian relief and development agency, is an alliance of NGOs, working together with displaced people of Burma, to respond to humanitarian needs, strengthen self-reliance and promote appropriate and lasting solutions in pursuit of their dignity, justice and peace.

TBBC provides food, shelter and non food items to displaced people from Burma. The refugee camps are the key locations for current activities, where TBBC also provides support for Camp management through the refugee committees. The organisation also engages with displaced people outside of camps, not only to address short term needs, but also to seek strategies that build capacity and address root causes over the long term – see IDPs.

Core Strategies

TBBC has developed a strategic plan for 2005-2010 for which the five core strategies are outlined below.

1. Support an adequate standard of living
Goal:  To ensure access to adequate and appropriate food, shelter and non-food items for displaced Burmese people

2. Work through partnerships
Goal:   To increase collaboration with all stakeholders through effective partnerships and inclusive participation, embracing equity, gender and diversity

3. Build capacity
Goal:   To empower displaced people and their communities by strengthening their capacity for self-reliance

4. Strengthen advocacy
Goal:   To advocate with and for the people of Burma to increase understanding of the nature and root causes of the conflict and displacement, in order to promote appropriate responses and ensure their human rights are respected
5. Develop organisational resources
Goal: To develop organisational resources to enable TBBC to be more effective in pursuing its mission.

The Food Basket

TBBC provides all refugees in camps along the border with a monthly food ration which ensures that everyone receives sufficient energy, protein, fats and micronutrients as recommended by WFP / UNHCR guidelines 2000.

The current monthly ration provides an average 2,230kcal / person / day as follows:

Food Ration (per month)

Nutrition

There are some variations in the rations given to individual camps based on local preferences, but the above composition provides approximately 2,300 kcal per person day.  Calculations that include the specific demographic profile of the camp residents based on UNHCR registration statistics (June 2003) show that actual needs are an average of 2,224 kcal/person/per day.  (2084 kcal/person/day + 140 kcal to reflect moderate activity levels such as walking 3.5-4 m/hr, carrying loads, gardening, construction, etc.).

In 2001/2 TBBC conducted food consumption/nutrition status surveys in two camps and rapid nutrition surveys in three other camps.  The results showed quite consistently that the ration provided was proportionately too high in carbohydrates at the expense of protein and fat, and low in many micronutrients.  It was concluded that the refugees were not able to adequately supplement the TBBC ration with other foods to compensate and were much more dependent on the TBBC ration food than was previously assumed.

TBBC revised the food basket to include fortified blended food. An evaluation in 2004 revealed that while most families used the flour, some complained that they did not like the taste ('strong, like animal food'), did not have the necessary ingredients to add to it and/or they did not have time to cook it.

In 2005 TBBC found a Thai-based supplier to develop a rice/soy blended food formula called AsiaMIX. The new formula contains higher amounts of B vitamins, iron, and foliate to address some of the nutrition deficiencies specific to refugee camps in Thailand.

The introduction was accompanied by education and demonstration campaigns and a cooking contest was held that received enthusiastic attention from camp residents.

An evaluation of AsiaMIX was conducted in late 2005 checking its acceptability compared to the previous formula and the key results were as follows:

Knowledge/Attitudes

• 76% house households think AsiaMIX is different from regular flour
• 95.9% think AsiaMIX is better than Blended Food
• 82.5% of households received education and cooking instruction
• 61% received leaflets explaining AsiaMIX
• 72% know that everyone should eat AsiaMIX
• Most people know that AsiaMIX is beneficial to health

Practices

• 93% of people eat AsiaMIX. People cook and eat AsiaMIX over 4 times per week on average
• 42% use more AsiaMIX than Blended Food and 44% use the same amount
• 68% of households think the amount is just right, but about 26% think it is not enough
• 79% of households use up AsiaMIX by the end of the month
• The most common recipes include adding to curry, deep frying, lightly fried pancakes and steaming
• Children under 5 years eat AsiaMIX 4 times per week on average. Only 6% of children do not consume AsiaMIX because it is thought they are too young
• Nearly all households need more oil (92%) and /or sugar (91%) to use AsiaMIX better, but would prefer sugar if asked to choose

TBBC concluded AsiaMIX is widely accepted and used.        

Supplementary Feeding

For many years the health agencies ran supplementary feeding programmes for five vulnerable groups:

• Malnourished children
• Pregnant and lactating women
• Tuberculosis and HIV patients
• Patients with chronic conditions
• Hospital in-patients. 

The budget for ingredients was provided by TBBC which included rice, eggs, dried fish, beans, sugar, milk powder (to severely malnourished children only), vegetable oil, fresh fruits and vegetables. 

Food Security

In 1999, members of the Karenni Refugee Committee began developing appropriate farming systems based on the production of indigenous food crops using only locally sourced materials in the context of minimal access to land and water. These initiatives were formalised as the Community Agriculture and Nutrition Project - CAN
In 2003 the Karen Refugee Committee also agreed to adopt the CANproject as its food security and agricultural training programme. TBBC has been supporting the CAN Project since 2000.

The stated goals of the project are:

Short-term.  To improve refugees’ diet in camp: To assist community members achieve sustainable increases in food production using local resources.

Long-term.  To improve coping strategies for eventual repatriation: To help develop appropriate and essential skills needed to achieve future long-term food security.

CAN Training

Tools

 Community members who participate in CAN training are subsequently supported with basic tool kits to enable them to more effectively carry out small-scale domestic food production.  These kits include; one hoe, small spade, bucket, watering can, fencing, and digging stick.

Home Gardens

Seed

 TBBC began informal distributions of seed upon request to refugee communities in 1992.  In 2004 TBBC established a more formalised distribution system with both Camp Committees and Vocational Training Committees in the seven participating camps. 

Trees: During the 2004 wet season, TBBC began promotion of edible tree species in camp as a way of dealing with space restrictions on traditional methods of vegetable production.  Species are chosen according to the early harvest potential, nutritional profile, cultural familiarity and ease of cultivation.

Livestock

Micro-livestock project for households, consisting of the provision of small pens for the breeding of rabbits and guinea-pigs in confined spaces.  Certain technical difficulties were overcome in the 2004 trials and the project has now extended to 120 pilot households in Nu Po camp. 

Given the widespread popularity of pig raising in most camps, TBBC is exploring ways of increasing efficiency of production in order to raise the level of animal protein in household diets. Three camps in Tak province have been provided Moi-Xian-Duroc pigs from successful projects in northern Thailand.  The feed composition is the same as for the traditional variety, but the breed has significantly better weight gain potential.  The breed’s introduction is coinciding with training in vaccination and diet supplementation that builds on the introduction of a Korean husbandry system. 

Small-scale catfish and frog raising  in Site 1.  Three trial ponds are currently being supported in this site.  TBBC is coordinating with ZOA to develop a fish-breeding programme in Nu Po camp that aims to provide vocational training and breeding stock for the extension of the activity in this camp and Umpiem Mai.

Fencing

TBBC has also stepped up the provision of fencing for home gardens and poultry raising.  Fencing is vital to the success of home gardens in confined camps, helping to both demarcate land and prevent loss of crop by poultry and other livestock.

Shelter

For many years the refugees were entirely responsible for their own housing. Thai authorities allowed them to make use of the then abundant natural resources in the remote border areas. TBBC only provided some materials for emergencies and when camps had to be moved out of season and materials were difficult to find.
Early in 2000 the Thai authorities also asked TBBC to supply materials for housing repairs in all camps since they were concerned that the refugees were still depleting the local forests.  As restrictions on movement in and out of camps increased, TBBC made a protection response and decided to provide sufficient materials for building new houses and repairs so that no refugee should have to leave the camp to supplement the building materials supplied, thereby exposing themselves to the risk of arrest or abuse. 

The current ration is sufficient to build a standard house of 35 m2 for <6 people i.e. 7m2/person (Sphere standard minimum 3.5m2)

Non Food Items

Item	Ration	New Arrivals
Charcoal	compressed charcoal 7.9kg / person / month
Cooking Stove	1 / household / as needed	1 / household
Blanket	1 : 2 persons / annually	1 / person
Mosquito Net Non impregnated	1 family size / 3 persons / annually	1 / 3
Sleeping Mat	1 / 3 persons / bi-annually	1 / 3
Longyi	1 / person > 12 yr / bi-annually	1 / person
Warm clothing	1 piece / person / annually
Cooking Pot	1  / household / every 3 years	As necessary
Emergency items Plates, bowls, spoons Plastic sheets	As necessary	As necessary

Firewood is provided for heating during the cold season in Umpiem Mai.
Quality control in particular heating value is problematic - Standard 24MJ
 
These items are usually given to all new refugees on arrival as necessary.

Cooking Utensils

The refugees have traditionally taken care of their own miscellaneous household needs but this has become increasingly problematic as their ability to work and forage has become very limited.  A distribution of pots was made to all households early in 2001 at the rate of one pot per family with a larger size pot provided for families with more than five people.  Another distribution was made in 2004, and needs will be reassessed in 2006. Other utensils e.g. plates and spoons are provided to new arrivals as necessary.

Monitoring

Monitoring procedures

TBBC staff continuously monitor refugee population numbers, and the quality, quantity, delivery, storage and distribution of supplies. A dynamic and formal monitoring system has been in place since 1995. This system supports the gathering of information on supplies by professional inspectors and from each camp through checks made on supplies (delivery, quality, weight, and distribution), camp recording systems, unusual events and staff visits. The following table summarises the current monitoring process used.

              
                                                               
The major features of the system are

“Goods Received Notices” (GRNs) are TBBC’s major means of verification that supplies are delivered to camp as planned. A GRN is completed by Warehouse Managers on arrival of every supply truck to camp, recording:

Information concerning the type of commodity, supplier, purchase order, time of delivery and driver.

Comments on supplies rejected and why.

An assessment of quantity (a 10% random sample of food items/charcoal is weighed and recorded).

GRNs are signed by the Warehouse Manager and verified by TBBC staff. Data collected is converted to field reports on percentages of commodities passed for weight, quality and time of delivery.

Checks at distribution points which allow TBBC staff to transparently monitor a larger number of household rations. Furthermore, the distribution practices of warehouse staff are observed, ration book usage noted, as well as verification that appropriate information on rations is visible and available to refugees. The system requires that one percent of households is checked, for a selected supply distribution, in each camp per month. Checking criteria are itemised. The data is converted to a percentage pass.

Formal inspections of warehouses in camps are conducted each month by TBBC staff. 20 parameters are used to rate the state of the warehouse as a percentage.

Two community groups per camp are visited by TBBC monthly for feedback. Generally one group is a collection of households. The second group may be a women’s organisation, religious group, boarding house or other group. Qualitative data is recorded.

Locked comments post-boxes are installed, mostly at warehouses, with a request for anonymous feedback on supplies.

A “Receipt and Distribution Reconciliation” is made monthly to detect what proportion of all supplies delivered to camp is distributed to the target population.

The Procurement Manager compiles a comprehensive summary of quality and weight inspections of TBBC supplies conducted by independent accredited inspection companies.

Findings inform TBBC’s relief programme. Feedback is given to TBBC staff, refugee partners and recipients, and other relevant stakeholders.