Some 300 YMCA staff and volunteers have been mobilised to respond. The volunteers will initially target 10,000 people in the three districts of Hlaingtharya, Bogalay and Labutta. They will provide food, safe drinking water, shelter and medication.

Cyclone Nargis struck the southwest of the country on Saturday 3 May. Winds of up to 150mph swept away homes and destroyed crops. The death toll, now feared to have reached 100,000, continues to rise. As many as one million people have been left homeless.

A state of emergency has been declared in the five regions worst affected, where there is a desperate need for food, water, shelter, basic medicines and healthcare. The cyclone hit after the main rice crop had been planted. Myanmar (Burma) now faces a serious short-term and possible long-term problem in feeding its people.

Help the Aged is working through its partner, HelpAge International, to support the YMCA in Yangon (Rangoon) in delivering aid to older people affected by the cyclone. 

Godfred Paul, HelpAge International Regional Emergency Co-ordinator, says:
'Survival needs are the most urgent. Many people have lost their homes and most of their household items have been destroyed.

'We are immediately setting up community kitchens in the worse affected areas. We will shortly be providing relief packages consisting of food and non-food items such as cooking and eating utensils, torches, blankets, plastic sheeting, clothing and sandals'.

'The other urgent need is water. Poor sanitation, bodies in the water, and flooding could all bring disease. We will be supplying water purification tablets, first aid kits and vaccinations against water-borne diseases such as cholera and dysentery.'

Older people face particular challenges during emergencies, but are not often identified as a vulnerable group. Help the Aged and HelpAge International are focusing on the needs of older people. We are working with local partners to ensure that they are able to access aid and get the supplementary feeding rations they need.