6-8 December
2008
Relief & Rehabilitation Team
5
our 5th Metta
& Karuna team were in villages located at the worst hit
townships in the delta region of Myanmar
FireFly Mission Cyclone Nargis
Rehabilitaion Projects - Team 5 Report
Team 5 consisted of Bros Chua Chong Jin
(Captain), S T Chan, Low Kum Cheong, Eric Woo, Lim Jun Han and
Sis Hong Mok Siang and Elizabeth Kheh.
It spent one and a half days from 6 – 8 Dec 08 visiting
the villages in Bogale and Maw Gyun where the reconstruction
projects undertaken by FFM are located.
It flew into Yangon together with the FFM 2008 Myanmar
Mission. It
separated from the main group of the latter on arrival at the
Yangon Airport and headed for Pyapon in a van.
The van suffered an oil leak at the gear-box
about an hour out of Yangon.
After assessing that we could not continue our journey
with it, a call was made to
the
local partner ( Eden Group ) which promptly sent another
van for our use.
We arrived at Pyapon at about 10.00 pm and
made our way to the monastery.
Before retiring for the night, we presented dana to Ven U
Tejaniya.
We set off from the monastery at about 6.30
am the next morning (7 Dec 08) and headed for Bogale.
On reaching Bogale, we transferred to one of the boats
that FFM had acquired recently.
The boat was our means of travel for next 1½ days as we
visited the sites of the reconstruction projects.
The projects are in the following villages: Ta Man in
Bogale
township, Shauk Chuang, Nyein Oo, Pye Chuang,
Gyo Phyu, Tasay Chaung and Kenasochaunglay in Maw Gyun township.
On arriving at Ta Man Village, we found Ven U
Kawidasara and Ven Sayalay Sandasiri arriving in their boat.
As we inspected the construction site for a clinic, the
Venerables told us that it would be a one-storey building based
on the design agreed by FFM
and approved by the local authority.
We then made a short journey to the Ta Man
Village Free School.
The Venerables followed us.
The roof damaged by Cyclone Nargis had been repaired.
It now looked none the worse.
There were refreshments laid out for us at the clinic
site and the school.
We thanked the Venerables for them but said we were in a hurry
and did not stop to enjoy them.
The next stop was Shauk Chuang Village.
Students and villagers lined the path leading to Shauk
Chuang Village Free School to welcome us.
Displayed at the school was a plaque acknowledging it as
a Cyclone Nargis Rehabilitation Project of Firefly Mission.
In a shed beside the school, we saw the ploughing
machines bought by FFM stored under it.
Ven Sopaka was waiting for us in the school.
After paying respect to him and presenting “ang pows” to
two teachers, we left with him for Nyein Oo Monastery.
At Nyein Oo Monastery, we saw workmen busily
at work at the construction site next to it.
A middle school was being built.
We had lunch at the monastery.
After a short rest and presentations of dana, we left
with Ven Sopaka to view the other rehabilitation projects in
The Pye Chaung, Gyo Phyu, Tasay Chaung, Kenasolaychaung
villages in the Mawlemyine Gyun township.
In
The Pye Chaung village, we visited the second completed school
built by FFM after Cyclone Nargis.
This school and the one in Shauk Chaung village were
quickly reconstructed on the original
concrete floors that
remained intact after the cyclone.
They are mainly of bricks
with partial reinforcement.
In Gyo Phyu village, we saw the concrete structures that
have been erected for what is going to be the first school in
the Mawlemying Gyun township built with reinforced concrete.
The construction design is based on one that FFM has come
out with after consultations with relevant engineers and the
Sangha members concerned.
It is designed to withstand future cyclones.
It includes a RC roof over part of the building to allow
villagers to get on if and when they needed to escape from
floods. The same
design will be used for the other schools that FFM has
sponsored.
In Tasay Chaung and Kenasochaunglay,
construction of the schools had not begun.
Only the building materials – steel bars, stones, cement
and sand – had been delivered.
Team 5’s last destination for the day was Po
Chit village. Bhante
Sopaka has requested FFM to also build a school there.
It was 6.00 pm when we
got there. The
children in the temporary school were waiting for us even though
it was getting dark.
Team 5 rested for the night at the monastery
in Mawlemying Gyun.
The next morning, we headed
south to Bogale.
We met up with Ven Sopaka’s teacher and
together we went to Kheyandi Chaung village. This is government
school which was destroyed by the cyclone.
The
villagers had asked Ven Sopaka’s teacher
for help in reconstruction.
Hence, Ven Sopaka would like FFM to also consider
sponsoring the school there.
He provided the following figures about the village:
Kheyandi Chaung was the last village visited
by Team 5. We
returned to Bogale town, transferred to the van and made our way
to Kyaikto to join up with the main group of the FFM Myanmar
2008 Mission.
For more pictures taken by Team 5, please
click this link:
http://picasaweb.google.com/ffm.myanmar08/Team5PhotosAtTheDeltaRegions?feat=directlink
Lim Jun Han
02.01.09
