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FROM THE FIELD

Photography Exhibit Highlights Survivors and Recovery in Southern Myanmar
06 May 2009 13:39:00 GMT
 Source: Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) International
Nadia McGill

Website: Website: http://www.adra.org

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Mar Mar Than, her husband Zaw Latt, their son Phyo Ko, and two nephews ran to this ADRA-built bridge when Nargis struck.
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Mar Mar Than, her husband Zaw Latt, their son Phyo Ko, and two nephews ran to this ADRA-built bridge when Nargis struck.
ADRA International/Hearly Mayr

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SILVER SPRING, Md.--To commemorate the first anniversary of the Cyclone Nargis disaster, which killed more than 146,000 people and devastated southern Myanmar, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) is presenting Life and Renewal in Myanmar: A Year after Cyclone Nargis, an exhibition consisting of 32 photographs showing the way that survivors are rebuilding their lives and the work that ADRA is doing to assist them.

"Through the photos, not only do you get a deeper understanding of the work that ADRA is continuing to do in the region, but you begin to understand the magnitude of the devastation that the tragedy brought, as well as the resilience and courage of the survivors, " said Mario Ochoa, Executive Vice President for ADRA International.

On May 4, the opening day of the exhibit, His Excellency Mr. Myint Lwin, Chargé d'Affaires for the Embassy of the Union of Myanmar in Washington D.C. attended the event. He publicly thanked ADRA and other non-governmental organizations (NGOs) for their role in assisting affected communities.

"Cyclone Nargis left unprecedented death," said Lwin. "NGOs responded generously, including ADRA. We appreciate ADRA and what it has done to assist people."

Life and Renewal in Myanmar features several survivors. In one photograph, a family stands on a bridge that ADRA built after the 2004 Asian tsunami. When Cyclone Nargis struck, they ran to the bridge—the highest place in the village—and stood on it with more than 100 others for two days as the waters receded around them.

The exhibit, currently on display at the Seventh-day Adventist Church World Headquarters, in Silver Spring, Maryland, features the work of Hearly Mayr, director for Public Awareness for ADRA International, who recently traveled to the Irrawaddy Delta to document ADRA's work in the region. The exhibit will remain open until Friday, May 8.

ADRA International offers Life and Renewal in Myanmar to educational institutions, groups, churches, and organizations throughout the world. The entire photography collection is available electronically and includes short captions. Exhibitors are responsible for printing the photographs and the main title graphic, which is also supplied. Additional materials include: press release, overview of ADRA's response in Myanmar, and select printed materials. For more information, please contact John Torres at John.Torres@adra.org.

On May 2, 2008, Cyclone Nargis struck Myanmar affecting more than 2.4 million people living mainly in low-lying areas of the Irrawaddy Delta. Most deaths were attributed to a massive 12-foot (3.6 meters) storm surge that swept inland, as well as the 135 mph (215 km/h) cyclonic winds.

When Cyclone Nargis hit Myamar, ADRA was one of the first humanitarian aid organizations to respond, providing immediate aid for survivors in the remote Pyinsalu islands in the Irrawaddy Delta. Since then, ADRA has provided aid to more than 74,000 survivors in Myaungmya and Labutta located in the Irrawaddy Division, implementing more than $4.7 million in humanitarian assistance, and providing another $4.6 million in emergency food and non-food items for survivors.

ADRA also recently won a contract with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) to build latrines for schools and clinics, and plans are underway to conduct added waste management, sanitation, and hygiene promotion activities to help more than 60,000 residents in the Labutta area.

To help ADRA respond to the needs of vulnerable people in Myanmar please give to the Disaster and Famine Relief Offering by contacting ADRA at 1.800.424.ADRA (2372) or online at www.adra.org.

ADRA is a non-governmental organization present in 125 countries providing sustainable community development and disaster relief without regard to political or religious association, age, gender, race, or ethnicity.

For more information about ADRA, visit www.adra.org.


[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]

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[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]

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Villager try to catch money thrown by donors during the opening ceremony of the first cyclone shelter in Pyar Pon township in Myanmar's delta region May 2, 2009. Cyclone Nargis, the ...


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Last updated:Wed May 6 13:49:57 2009