Catholic Agencies Mobilized To Bring Emergency Aid to Suffering of Burma
Washington, DC — International Catholic aid agency, Caritas International (sct@caritas.va) is working to coordinate Catholic worldwide emergency help to the victims of Cyclone Nygris which struck the country of Myanmar on May 3. Current fears are that over 100,000 people in this Southeast Asian region may lose their lives due to the effects of the storm and the shortages of food and water. An official death toll of 22,500 has been reported with over a million and a half persons displaced by the storm. The population centers impacted by the storm number in range of 24,000,000. Caritas Internationalis is coordinating the relief efforts of its 162 national members. Catholic Relief Services in Baltimore (www.crs.org) is planning U.S. Catholic aid to the people of Myanmar, working closely with Caritas International and in particular CAFOD, (Britain) and Caritas Italiana, (Italy). Michael Wiest, Executive Vice President of Catholic Relief Services, told FADICA that if CRS is granted permission to enter the impacted areas, the agency “is prepared to mount a sizable program of assistance.” According to Mr. Wiest, CRS has been able to build up a formidable capacity in staffing and expertise in Aceh, Indonesia following its work in Southeast Asia for the victims of the 2004 tsunami which hit Indonesia, India, and Sri Lanka. CRS provided over $200 million in aid for humanitarian aid and rebuilding in the wake of that disaster and completed the construction of nearly thirty five hundred permanent homes. Already CRS has received over $300,000 in donations from the Catholic foundation community and individual donors
