Singapore has pledged a further USD 200,000 to support IOM's
shelter programme for the victims of Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar's
Ayeyarwady delta.

The donation, which follows an earlier Singaporean contribution
of USD 100,000, will go towards helping the most vulnerable
households in rural areas of Pyapone township to repair and
weatherproof their homes ahead of the monsoon, which is expected
this month.

The money will pay for materials, including nipa palm for
roofing materials, bamboo mats for walling, and bamboo for
structural support.  Each household will also receive a
shelter instruction book to help them to build safer homes.

Cyclone Nargis struck Myanmar in May 2008, killing some 140,000
people and affecting some 2.4 million others in the delta region,
much of which is only accessible by water.

 

"The Singapore Government is committed to helping the survivors of
Cyclone Nargis rebuild their lives. Our partnership with the IOM is
intended to address the considerable ongoing need for shelter in
Nargis-affected areas, and remains guided by the Post-Nargis
Recovery and Preparedness Plan (PONREPP) and the Prioritised Action
Plan," said Singaporean Ambassador to Myanmar Robert Chua.

IOM has already helped over 68,000 families to repair or rebuild
their homes in the delta at a cost of some USD 15 million since the
cyclone. Other contributors to the IOM post-Nargis shelter
programme have included the United Kingdom, the United States,
Australia, Japan and ECHO.

But two years after the disaster, thousands of vulnerable
families still remain without adequate shelter, according to IOM
Myanmar Chief of Mission Mariko Tomiyama. "IOM is currently
appealing for a further USD 12.5 million to meet the needs of a
further 50,000 vulnerable families," she says. 

For more information please contact:

Nelson Bosch

IOM Myanmar

E-mail: "mailto:nbosch@iom.int">nbosch@iom.int