Ma Mi Cho and her children with Mimi Jakobsen, CEO, Save the Children Denmark.

Ma Mi Cho, her husband and her four children made it through Cyclone Nargis but now find themselves in a daily struggle just to survive. Her husband, a day laborer before the storm, can rarely find work—a common issue facing families in Myanmar's Irrawaddy Delta today, as local livelihoods and economies are slow to recover one year after the storm.

"My husband cuts wood or does other jobs, whatever is available, but still business is not good," she said. "And I have no work."

The family's home was destroyed in the storm. While they tried to rebuild in the months following Nargis, construction was ceased for lack of funds. Today their shelter is fragile, their makeshift kitchen is open to the elements. And in three weeks, the rains will begin.

Ma Mi Cho fears the coming wet season and what inadequate shelter will mean to her children, ages 11, 7, 4 and 11 months.

Hope for the Future

"My main hope is that we can get enough food and a safe shelter," she said.

Still they are looking toward the future. Ma Mi Cho has hopes.

"I want a good education for my children—I want them to be good students," she said, adding that the local school, rebuilt by Save the Children, is very important to her youngsters.

In addition to rebuilding the school, which serves 100 first- through fourth-graders and 42 fifth- through eighth-graders, Save the Children provides child-friendly activities after classes, allowing for them to play, learn and recover in a safe and fun environment.

All the children said they are excited for the day when classes begin again and for they time when they can play games and sing songs at the early childhood development center when the break ends. The oldest daughter wants to complete her studies and one day become a doctor.

More than 500,000 people — including 200,000 children — are still living in makeshift shelters as monsoon season looms. Save the Children, which continues to distribute food and water to tens of thousands of affected families across the Irrawaddy Delta, is preparing to distribute additional building materials and cash grants to people living in the low-lying region.

Return to Myanmar: Direct from the Field

Last Updated April 2009