Up Date: What is going on?
So far, ABA has raised a little over 20,000 A$. Thanks to you all for your generousity, and kindness. We are truly grateful to both individual as well as friends who not only donate but also organise fund raising for Burmese. Friends from including Germany, Argentina, Dawin, Alice Spring, Sydney, Melbourne sent their donation to ABA to save thousands of lives.The money have been constantly transferred to Burma and Aid have been distributed to more than thirty monasteries in the Irrawaddy through Saytana shin, grass root voluntary organizations.
Saytana shin organization is a respectable voluntary organization whose members include medical professionals to laborers. They have been distribution Aid daily to the remote villages in the Irrawaddy delta [see how http://canberra.yourguide.com.au/news/local/news/general/on-the-outside-looking-in/788860.aspx].
By using owncars, rented trucks, ships, boats, tractors and carried supplies by themeselves, Saytana shin has outreached the cyclone victims. They drove shipments and dispersed this aid into the devastated delta areas. They are the true heros on the ground.
The monks are doing marvellous job! The monks are existing respected community leaders in Burma. Monks have their own network and access as every Buddhist man has to become a monk at one stage in their lives. Every village has a monastery. While foreign Aid workers are still struggling to get access, and being restricted by bureaucratic hindrances to deliver Aid, these Saytana shin and monks are by passing the military roadblocks with dana practice [see http://www.saytana.wordpress.com.au/], most fundamental practice of Buddhism. It has proven to be the most successful operation. Above all, dana is thousand years old Burmese Buddhist traditional practice by ordinary Burmese and even the most powerful regime can not break it.
What's the biggest challenge for the monks/ volunteers?
Donation! The biggest challenge for them is not a problem of access to the cyclone victims but too much access and too little Aid to offer them. Simple they have not enough Aid to offer. They need more help.
ABA's funding is coming from individual donors like you and me. As now Burma is slowly fading from the world's face, donation is coming fewer. Both monks and saytana shin say that the most difficult thing for them is they have to turn their back from the cyclone victims without being able to offer anything after all the supplies that they carried run out.
One of the monks said ‘after we hand out all our supplies and yet there are still many are lining up. You can see they are desprate. You can see they need help. Seeing those already suffering people under the heavy rain and leaving them behind without being able to offer any food or kinds that break my heart. We got access to the most remote areas within five days but we have not enough supplies to offer.
What more needs to be done?
Help!! Help! Help! After over a month, people are still surviving wihtout shelter, food and anough clothing and blanket. Many receive no aid. Starvation and extreme weather exposure of burning sun and heavy rain are making them sick. Dried clothing, blankets, tarpawling and rice are mostly needed.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
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Fund Raising Dinner at Turner Bowling Club, 16th May, 2008
No doubt you have watched with amazement the tragedy unfolding in Burma (Myamar) as the Generals refuse access to relief agencies and insist that the military take control of all distribution of foreign aid. Aid is not getting to the affected areas, and Burmese television is keeping from the people in the areas not affected the truth of the situation.
There is a way of getting aid directly to the Burmese people, and that is by contributing directly to the monastries through the Australia Burma Association (ACT.)
For a over a thousand years Burmese life has revolved around the monasteries. All young men spend time as monks, part of their experience being going amongst the community with their begging bowls to receive food. The monastries both receive anf give donations. In time of crisis people go to the monastries for help. Their is a strong tradition that the monasties do not accumulate wealth which can be used for personal comfort. You might also remember that it was the monks who lead the last uprising in Burma, which was savagely put down by the generals even though the protests were non-violent. However the monastries are still functioning as a counter point to the rule of the generals.
The Australian Burmese Association of the ACT have been asked to donate by the monks of Nyetpyawgyun Tawya monastery and they in turn are being helped by a volunteer organisation called Saytana in Yangon (Rangoon.) Saytana is organising transportation of cash, food and medicines from Yangon. An accountant firm in Yangon has volunteered to deal with finances and budgets. Given enough resources, aid will be distributed to a number of monastries for distribution to the people. The Australian Burmese Association is in direct contact with the accountants, as well as with the various arms of the Burmese relief effort. Many Burmese people who are aware of the situation (despite the government propaganda that a few villages are under water but all is under control and the military is there to help) are already donating through these agencies.
What is to stop the generals from commandeering this aid? The tradition of monastries distributing help to people is at the heart of Burmese life. The monastries are sending monks to accompany the aid. Although the monks who were involved in the uprising against the government were imprisoned, tortured and killed it is unlikely that the military will interfere with the traditional role of the monastries as this would be striking at the heart of Burmese life in a way which could not be ignored.
More Information:
Web : http://helpburma-cyclonevictims.blogspot.com
Email: Australia
help_burma@hotmail.com, help_burmese@live.com.au
Phone: 0401742608
Burma: Monks.help.burma@gmail.com
So if you would like to contribute to Cyclone Relief effectively, quickly, and without further lining the pockets of the generals, please bank you donation directly to
Direct deposit or a cheque to
ANZ bank
Australian Burmese Association of ACT
BSB No: 012-955
Account No: 4940-34744
Cheq send to
Secretary
Australian Burmese Association of the ACT
5/8 Northbourne Flats
TURNER ACT
2612
CANBERRA
This account has been set up especially for cyclone relief donations. We have been working with other city based Burmese community association and if you have any questions, if we can be assistant of, let us know. We are organizing Australian Nation Wide Burma Relief Community Organization.
Thank you for your support and kindness,
Ma Mar
Secretary [Nationwide Help Burmese Relief Team]
Burmese Australian Burmese Association of the ACT
5/ 8 Northbourne Flats
TURNER ACT 2612
Canberra
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