UNITED NATIONS OFFICE FOR THE COORDINATION OF HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS Myanmar Cyclone Nargis OCHA Situation Report No. 53 28 November 2008 (Reporting period 14 – 27 November 2008) OVERVIEW & KEY DEVELOPMENTS • Cyclone Nargis hit Myanmar on 2-3 May 2008, affecting some 2.4 million people living in Ayeyarwady and Yangon Divisions. Almost 140,000 people were killed or remain missing, according to the official figures. While addressing residual or new emergency needs, including water shortage during the summer season, most of humanitarian partners are transiting to full recovery programming mode. Clusters are finalising the inputs to the “Post Nargis Recovery and Preparedness Plan” (PONREPP) which covers the long term recovery post Flashed Appeal (2009-2011). Concurrently, clusters are also finalising the Early Recovery Strategic Framework (ERSF), whose final draft has been approved on 21 November by the Tripartite Core Group (TCG), a high-level coordination entity, consisting of the Government of the Union of Myanmar, ASEAN and the United Nations. • The Periodic Review, building on the village tract Assessment (VTA) component of the Post- Nargis Joint Assessment (PoNJA), has completed data collection. The preliminary result was shown at the TCG Round Table, held on 26 November in Yangon. The data analysis and narratives are being finalised with clusters and the final draft will be submitted to the Periodic Review Strategic Advisory Group on 3 December and to the TCG on 6 December. It is planned that the results of the first Periodic Review, together with PONREPP will be shared at the UN/ASEAN summit in Thailand, planned for mid December. • Discussions continue on the ways forward for the clusters and coordination mechanisms beyond the emergency phase at the Humanitarian Country Team/IASC and among cluster leads. There have been several cluster performance reviews recently conducted, such as for Protection of Women and Children, and WASH. The draft report of the inter-agency real time evaluation has been circulated for comments by cluster leads, as well. Some shifts are already occurring in the Myanmar cluster teams: The education cluster in Yangon held its 22nd and final meeting as an active cluster on 27 November. The cluster will become dormant effective 1 December. Hub-level cluster meetings will continue in order to support coordination at the field level. Cluster lead agencies (UNICEF and Save the Children) have each designated a focal person responsible for cluster issues during the dormant phase, and coordination meetings can be called on an as-needed basis. The Disaster Preparedness Response in Education working group will continue to meet. UNICEF will continue to convene the bi-monthly Education Dialogue meeting as an information exchange forum; There has been much discussion over the past few months about the creation of a protection cluster, an idea supported by the Humanitarian Coordinator. Various actors have been consulted. It is likely that the first protection cluster meeting will be held on 12 December, chaired by UNHCR. The work on the protection of children and women will continue within this larger framework; UNDP is strengthening its coordination lead role for the early recovery cluster/Network. A senior recovery advisor, who will take over the chair role when on board, is under recruitment. UNDP also plans to deploy early recovery field coordinators to the hubs who will facilitate coordinated transition from relief to recovery, in partnership with OCHA hub office. The cluster will organise early recovery training on 9 December in Yangon. CLUSTER UPDATE • Strengthening support to hub-level coordination capacity continues. The inter-agency field coordination training continues at hubs, as well as Sphere training; • Clusters have been devoting significant efforts to the Periodic Review, and PONREPP. AGRICULTURE Needs Assessments & Analysis • The World Society for the Protection Of Animals (WSPA) conducted a further assesment of 6 villages in Kunyangone and Khamhu regions prior to initiating a risk-reduction project within these six villages as a pilot project. In 2009 WSPA wil extend this work to further Delta villages. • HELP from Germany has carried out a needs assessment in the Hpaung Yo Chaung village tract in the northern part of Kyaiklat township area. This village tract has received no livelihood support so far. • Green Care with its local partner CDA has carried out an assessment focused mainly on livelihoods in the underserved area of Kyun Thay Yar village tract of the Kadonkani peninsula, Bogale township. The assessment of all 33 villages in this village tract serves as a basis for a new livelihood project, targeting and covering the whole Kyun Thar Yar village tract. Response & Achievements • FAO, together with its implementing partners Welt Hunger Hilfe (WHH), Groupe de Recherche et d'Echanges Technologiques (GRET), Green Care, Help from Germany, World Concern, CESVI, Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development (ACTED), Save the Children, UNDP and Mingalar Myanmar, are in the process of distributing 958 tonnes of cow pea, green gram and black gram seeds to some 27,000 farming households. • Based on needs assessments undertaken during September and October, HELP from Germany has distributed a total of 4,680 bags of Urea fertilizer to the village tracts of Kha Naung, Kaing Chaung and Bon Da Yeik of Kyaiklat township area. • FAO has distributed 5,000 chickens in Kungyangone and are starting distribution of poultry packages in Dedaye. • Green Care/CDA are about to complete the implementation of their livelihood project in Bawathit, Ayeyar and Kadonkani village tracts, Bogale township. Implementation has included distributions of fishing boats and gear, thresher machines, fertilizers and insecticides. Backyard gardening of banana trees has been supported within the cash for work segment of the project. • Myanmar/Burma Emergency Aid Network provided 6.2 tonnes of fertilizer to farmers from Tawku, Kungyangone township in addition of 12.5 tonnes provided in August. Two types of insects that destroy paddy stalks and leaves by forming tubulus leaf-cases on the plants were found in some of the farms, and 100kg of insecticide powder and 40 litres of liquid insecticide were provided for 92 acres. Gaps and Future Planning • FAO will be holding trainings in Labutta on animal health, fisheries, community forestry and nurseries for mangrove species together with Save the Children in December. • HELP from Germany is in the process of procuring vegetable seeds for four more village tracts in the Kyaiklat area. This work will include papaya, chilies, cucumbers and beetle plants as cash crop. EDUCATION Needs Assessments & Analysis • The Disaster Preparedness Response Education (DPRE) working group convened a workshop on 20 November for planning school-based disaster preparedness approaches. Three Directors- General of the Department of Educational Planning and Training, and the Departments of Basic Education (1) and (3) participated. Response & Achievements • Cluster partners are providing material support to over 3,000 schools in 21 affected townships. An estimated 509,247 girls and boys have benefited, compared with the planned target of 423,350. 2 • The planned emergency relief distribution of education materials has almost completed. The following represents a near complete list of supplies provided during the emergency response phase: • Where schools were completely destroyed, 1,323 Temporary Safe Learning Spaces (TSLS) are being established to allow learning to continue (planned target 1,315). 95% of structures have been completed and are operational (UNICEF, Save the Children, AMURT); • UN Habitat has started building the first of 40 transitional schools this month; • 1,230 damaged schools have now been repaired (including provision of 108,254 roofing sheets) against the cluster Response Plan target of 1,390; • 1,686 schools have received replacement furniture to date, including around 22,565 desks, 92,830 chairs and 11,000 blackboards. In addition, 8,514 desk and bench sets have been provided to schools in Kawthmu, Kungyangon and Dedaye for younger primary school children (UNICEF, Islamic Relief); • 2,540 school kits have been distributed, as well as 1,780 games kits and 666 library boxes; • 639 schools-in-a-box have been provided, to benefit up to 51,000 children; • 364,247 children have received packages of basic learning materials (planned target 363,750); • 9,694 teacher’s kits have been distributed; • 373,000 textbooks (including life-skills books) have been reprinted and to date 337,560 (90%) have been delivered to 2,204 basic education schools; • Younger children are being supported through 358 Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) centres, implemented by a number of partners (planned target 520). 1,574 ECD kits have been distributed to a network of partners, along with 1,334 sets of children’s books; • The Yinthway Foundation plans to rebuild 10 pre-schools in coming months, and the Metta Development Foundation will build 30 ECCD centres with support from Plan International. • 3,158 teachers have been trained on topics including provision of psychosocial support to students and on child-centred approaches (UNICEF, Save the Children). Challenges • UNICEF construction specialist shared the findings of soil testing carried out at potential sites for school reconstruction. It was noted that many sites would require soil reinforcement to ensure safer and more disaster-resistant buildings.