A Once-In-A-Century Flood
We have been updating our followers about the flood relief mission our team has been carrying out in the wake of sudden floods through the Bago region. Thanks to the kindness and generosity of our donors who have contributed, we have been able to provide urgent supplies to those affected communities. We thank you so much for your support and belief in our mission! Our team leader has provided a further update of the mission.
The 75-year old abbot of the monastery where we delivered the food to these vulnerable victims, said that he had never experienced a flood like this in his life. He said, "It's unusual and I think it only occurs once within a hundred years." He continued, "I didn't know our monastery is located in a higher topographic level. Water even came into our monastic compound, though. In the other areas, the water rose up to the level of an adult's throat." We heard from the people that the overflow occurred suddenly and no one had time to prepare. The Abbot said that the water came in within a few minutes and it damaged the things in the Myoma market and houses as no one could move them to safe places. People said that some food shops such as rice shops, onion shops, potato shops, etc. in the city's main market were destroyed and it was a huge damage for the town in history. An old man of the beneficiaries said that he was happy to shed tears because the price of the food (rice, oil and many other food items) has increased up to 4,000 and 5,000 kyats per item after the flood and his concern for his family was calmed down for a few days. He also said that most of the past donations didn't reach the poor victims who live in the outskirts of the city (such as Hmaw Kan Quarter and Inn Win Quarter).
Upon the wise and compassionate monks' arrangement, we delivered food to 150 low-income families from the suburbs (who the authorities degrade as “trespassers”) around the moat and on the hillside of the ancient city wall mounds. These families include the big families with many children, the families with the aged and some aged widows or widowers who have no child and can no longer work. Some elderly people are sick and couldn't come to receive our contribution. Most of the elderly people are vendors and they used to sell the vegetables at the Myoma market but they couldn't sell during the flood: they earned no income for the whole week during the flood. We delivered rice, cooking oil and canned fish, in portions, for each beneficiary to sustain themselves. On the first day after our arrival in the city, we distributed the coupons to 150 houses in the said quarters, along with the monks and the monastery's attendants. According to the monks' experience and the abbot's advice, we conducted the donation in the monastery's Dhamma Hall, opening a door for the entrance and another for the exit of the beneficiaries. We welcomed vulnerable people from all backgrounds of religions and ethnicities. They then walked in line through the first door and then they went out through another after receiving the contribution. We announced the fixed schedule for the donation from 8.00 a.m to 9.00 am on the set date. A few families could not come but they passed their coupon to their neighbor. We distributed the contribution items for them to their neighbors who brought their coupons.
I want to express my deepest appreciation to the compassionate souls who made this relief mission possible through their generous contributions. Your support has not only brought temporary relief but also instilled hope in the hearts of those who endured the unprecedented floods in Bago. The testimonies from the monastery's abbot and the beneficiaries reflect the profound impact your kindness has had on this community.
