UN, NGOs to provide more assistance to Myanmar cyclone-hit victims

www.chinaview.cn 2009-02-13 14:51:50

YANGON, Feb. 13 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations and international non-governmental organizations (INGOs) will provide 700 million U.S. dollars in the 3-year period of 2009-2011 as humanitarian assistance for the cyclone-hit victims, the local weekly 7-Day News journal reported Friday.

The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) will support 220 million dollars for this move, the report quoted the Ministry of Social Welfare Relief and Resettlement as saying. The assistance will be mainly used for the education and health sectors in the cyclone-affected regions.

Meanwhile, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) will build seven quake and storm resistant schools in Myanmar's cyclone-hit regions to enable students to pursue education in a safe environment in case of disaster.
The quake and storm resistant schools, designed by the international professional architects and to be built by the local engineers, will also provide shelters for local people.

Furthermore, the UNICEF also planned to open at least 100 amusement centers for survived children in Myanmar's two cyclone-hard-hit Ayeyawaddy and Yangon divisions which will be managed by aid workers and respective village dignitaries.

Deadly cyclone Nargis, which occurred over the Bay of Bengal, hit five divisions and states -- Ayeyawaddy, Yangon, Bago, Mon andKayin -- on last May 2-3, of which Ayeyawaddy and Yangon inflicted the heaviest casualties and massive infrastructure damage.

The storm has killed 84,537 people and left 53,836 missing and 19,359 injured according to the latest official death toll.