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Notes from the Field
Returning from the Delta
Below, Chris Northey continues her reflections from the field while working as CARE's
It is raining every day now in Since returning from the delta, I've been very busy in the office and we've had more staff join the emergency program. It's very easy to get caught up in the detail of budgets, proposals, warehouses, planes, cars and procurement - and forget that a line on a budget sheet represents a village that CARE is helping, that it represents a person and their family. The sound of the rain reminds you of this.
Along
with the rain, you can’t ignore the sounds of chain saws, as slowly all of the
trees in Yangon that were ripped down by the cyclone are being cut up and
carted away. People tell me
Last
weekend marked the one month commemoration (using the Buddhist Calendar) of the
day of the cyclone. Everywhere I went that weekend I could hear the
sound of the monks chanting; it was a peaceful sound, sad but not
upsetting. People said they felt comforted by ceremonies like this.
It’s been difficult to hear the stories from the field. As CARE staff distribute food and other items in the villages, they meet people who have been so incredibly traumatized by what they have gone through. Some people are unable to speak; others have difficulty sleeping because they still remember how terrifying the cyclone was. People can rebuild their houses, repair their schools, mend their fishing nets and start planting rice again, but it takes a lot longer for them to forget their fear. It’s something that makes you feel so frustrated because we can’t take that away - their fear.
Many people will never find their family members. They assume that they have died and that they will never find their bodies. This is so unspeakably sad. When my Dad passed away, a few years ago, I remember how important the rituals were, the funeral, being able to say goodbye. To not know what has happened to your wife or to your child and not even be able to say goodbye and honour them with a ceremony is a terrible position to be in.
Amidst
all this heartache however, there are so many inspiring stories. Ordinary
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