As you must be aware, Burma has been devastated by Cyclone Nargis with an enormous loss of life and leaving around 1 million homeless. The majority of the damage was sustained in the Irrawaddy Delta. The roads are either non-existent or impassable so the only means of reaching these stricken areas is by boat.
Our partner in Burma, Pandaw Cruises, has given over one of its vessels to Merlin (merlin.org.uk) who specialize in medical relief operations in disaster areas such as this. It is about to pick up supplies and medical equipment and will travel to the Delta as a much needed hospital ship. One of its advantages is that it has a water plant on board so can provide a pretty well endless supply of fresh water. However, this costs money, so an appeal for donations has been launched. Already the generosity of the British public has been astonishing.
We would urge you to contribute at this terrible time for the Burmese. Any donations will go directly to this specific effort and not via agencies or the government.
