They had been sitting under the blazing sun for two weeks. No food. No water. Not even a roof to hide under during the day when the sun was the hottest, nor to hide under when the rain poured down in buckets. They thought they were forgotten. Forgotten by the world. Forgotten by God.Htoo Wah (name changed) was the answer to their prayers.
The most important link in the chain of aid being delivered in the delta right now are the many men and women who risk capture and incarceration by finding their way through the regime's blockades to help the overwhelming number of vulnerable people in this area. To protect their identity we call them the Delta Network. Their bravery and faith inspires me.
To understand why aid is being blocked from more than 2 million innocent victims, why the Burma Army steals aid that is shipped into the country through "legal" channels, and to grasp the context of the ongoing abuse by the by the regime, please visit our web site and our blog.
The following account is based on a debriefing with Htoo Wah, a Delta Network team leader. He is one of more than 120 ethnic leaders who are working to minister to and rescue people in the delta with financial support and emergency supplies from Partners, The Haven Foundation, and the Free Burma Rangers.
Please pray for Htoo Wah. To do what he does isn't just risky to himself and his team, he also faces the threat of retaliation to his wife and children. Thank you for standing alongside us to bless the people of Burma today.
Inspired by Faith in Action,
Steve Gumaer, Executive Director
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A Delta Network Rescue Story
With 10,000 dollars, a heart full of faith, and bravery to spare, this is what one Delta Network member accomplished.
My team and I bought locally available potatoes, cooking oil, rice, and vegetables and hired a small boat to transport us down the Pathein river to the town of Thetkethaung, on the tip of the delta.When we arrived in Thetkethuang, we met more than 2,700 villagers who were crouching in makeshift shelters made of rubble while rain poured on them. It was a terrible scene to see. We fed them, organized them, paused to pray to God for help, and began preparing them for the upriver journey to safe ground.
I hired larger boats and filled them to capacity with survivors. In just one day I moved more than 2,700 people up river to a small village in Myuangmya township.From Myungmya we hired 6 wheel trucks to take the displaced people to Pathein Township in loads of 200 people at a time. We had already agreed with a church to set up a temporary camp for cyclone victims on the church compound where the survivors are sheltered today. With money Partners provided, we rescued these suffering people, brought them to safety, and left enough food to last them another month.
Many of the survivors were unaccompanied children and orphans whose parents died in the cyclone or tidal waves that followed. These children were all placed in childcare homes that are administrated by one of our close partners.More than 2.5 million people are still in desperate need of help after Cyclone Nargis hit Burma a month ago. Partners is sending help that reaches the neediest victims of this terrible disaster. Htoo Wah is only one of the many national volunteers that are willing to risk their own lives to help bring life to thousands.
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If you want to be a part of Htoo Wah's team, send your gift today.
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