Home > South-East Asia >> Burma

As foreign aid workers leave, food security concerns grow in Burma

Irrawaddy - July 22, 2009

Lawi Weng – Survivors of last year's deadly Cyclone Nargis are worried that the departure of foreign aid workers from the Irrawaddy delta will expose them to even greater food insecurity, according to local sources.

"Food insecurity is growing because all the foreign NGO workers are leaving," said Aye Kyu, a member of the National League for Democracy's disaster committee in Laputta, one of the areas worst hit by the cyclone that struck on May 2-3 of last year. He said that there were only a few foreign aid workers still in Laputta and no new ones were coming.

More than a year after the disaster, many people in the delta are still struggling to meet their basic needs. Some survive by catching fish and selling it, while many others depend on loans to keep their heads above water, according to Aye Kyu.

"They go from house to house in the morning to borrow money," he said.

According to a survey conducted by the United Nations World Food Program in Laputta and Bogalay townships in February, 51 percent of households reported that they are still relying on food aid from humanitarian agencies, while only 25 percent said they could feed themselves. The report also said that about 83 percent of households have gone into debt to purchase rice.

Local aid workers in Rangoon said that many foreign aid workers were leaving because the Burmese regime wants international NGOs and UN agencies to hire more local staff. They added that the authorities are also worried about foreign workers bringing news out of the country.

According to a senior official of the Tripartite Core Group (TCG), the main body in charge of coordinating the relief effort, about 200 foreign aid workers were facing delays in getting visas to enter the country.

Other sources close to the TCG said that the visa restriction was partly due to the Burmese junta's anger over Thailand's criticism of the trial against opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who is facing five years in prison for allegedly violating the conditions of her house arrest.

Thailand told the regime it should release Suu Kyi and all other political prisoners in the country and beginning working towards national reconciliation.

The uncertainty over whether foreign aid workers will be allowed to return only adds to the anxieties of people whose livelihoods were devastated by Cyclone Nargis. The storm wiped out the small-scale farming and fishing sectors upon which most local people depend.

International and local NGOs have attempted to address the needs of the most vulnerable segment of the population by delivering food aid to needy households, especially the landless and female-headed households.

However, many farmers are still finding it hard to make ends meet due to bad harvests over the past year, forcing many to buy rice on credit.

See also:


Home | Site Map | Calendar & Events | News Services | Links & Resources | Contact Us