Myanmar Cyclone Nargis Appeal
Marie Stopes International Australia has launched an emergency appeal for
the Myanmar Cyclone Nargis disaster. With latest reports estimating that the
death toll for this disaster is expected to rise to more than 100,000
people, Marie Stopes is one of the few NGOs currently on the ground in
Myanmar with the ability to respond to this emergency with basic healthcare
and reproductive health services for the affected population.
The situation in Myanmar is critical, as there is little to no access to
clean water, food, shelter and basic medical services. The cyclone has left
the country with a devastating humanitarian disaster with more than 1.5
million people struggling in the aftermath of the cyclone.
Marie Stopes is well placed within the country as we have worked there for
over a decade and have opened six new reproductive health centres in the
last year alone. As well as offering reproductive health services, our
trained clinicians are also providing basic general healthcare services.
Emergency disaster statistics tell us that reproductive healthcare is vital,
as 1 in 5 women in an emergency are pregnant.
By donating to Marie Stopes you will ensure that vital medical and
reproductive health services will quickly reach people affected by the
cyclone disaster; people in desperate need.
How to Donate
Please click on ‘Donate Now’ in the top right hand corner of the screen.
This will take you to a range of options, including telephone, cheque and
credit card donations. If you do not have convenient internet access,
please call us on 03 9525 2411 to arrange a telephone donation.
Funds received will ONLY be used for emergency and rehabilitation
activities as a result of the cyclone damage in Myanmar. 10% of all funds
received will be retained in Australia to support the administration of the
relief operations.
If you elect to donate by credit card please remember to tick the ‘This
donation is for Myanmar’ box so that we can direct your donation
accordingly. If you send us a cheque, please write ‘Myanmar’ on the reverse.
Please do not hesitate to contact Alice Clements at Marie Stopes by phone on
03 9525 2411 if you have any questions.
Marie Stopes International in Myanmar
Geopolitical changes continue to make it extremely difficult for families
in Myanmar to afford and have access to basic health care services. Living
costs have increased by up to 200%, meaning that the average family in
Myanmar spends 71 per cent of monthly household expenditure on food1, an
expense that leaves little income for basic health needs. An irregular and
very limited supply of contraceptives has compounded this problem,
drastically restricting contraceptive choices and preventing continuous,
appropriate contraceptive use. As a consequence of this environment, the
demand for reproductive health services and education is immense; one in six
women living in Myanmar wants to use contraception but cannot 2.
Marie Stopes has been offering sexual and reproductive healthcare services
for over a decade in Myanmar, and through its network of 16 centres Marie
Stopes offers community outreach that provides comprehensive reproductive
health services and information including the pill, injectables, IUDs and
condoms. The majority of the centres are located in poor urban areas,
locations that also allow us to access the most vulnerable and marginalised
communities through outreach clinics and a wide network of village-based
health workers.
In addition to centre services and outreach programs, a European
Community-funded regional voluntary HIV counselling and testing project has
been one of our most successful undertakings in 2007. In implementing this
project, Marie Stopes has integrated voluntary HIV counselling and testing
into existing reproductive health services. This approach allows us to reach
high-risk populations, while simultaneously reducing the social stigma
around HIV testing in a country with a severe HIV epidemic 3. As one of only
two international non-government organisations approved to provide voluntary
HIV testing within Myanmar, Marie Stopes plays a major role in reducing the
spread of the virus.
Despite the challenges posed by working in a complex operating environment,
Marie Stopes has provided crucial reproductive health services to vulnerable
populations within Myanmar for the last ten years. Our ongoing and trusted
presence has strengthened the capacity of local communities and led to a
positive shift in attitudes regarding reproductive health.
1 UNFPA 2008, National Context, viewed 30 January 2008 http://myanmar.unfpa.org/profile.htm#natc
2 UNFPA 2008, National Context, viewed 30 January 2008 http://myanmar.unfpa.org/profile.htm#natc
3 UNAIDS 2008, Myanmar Country Situation Analysis, viewed 30 January 2008 http://www.unaids.org/en/CountryResponses/Countries/myanmar.asp
