Two years ago today, on 2 May 2008, a powerful cyclone Nargis hit south and rice bowl of Myanmar, the Ayeyarwaddy delta, killing 240,000 and left 2.4 million in destitution. It was the worst natural disaster in 's history. More than half of those who died are women and children and those children who survived lost one or both parents and they are in great need of help.

The rural poor were hardest hit by the strong wind and tidal waves as mangrove forests, the natural defences in the event of such disasters, have disappeared long ago due to many years of illegal logging. The scale of destruction was worst in . For example, in a group of 38 villages (known as village tract), all 3174 houses disappeared under 15 feet high tidal waves. Of the 15,918 people only 3069 survived. There are similar stories in other townships in the same area.

There remains enormous problem for those orphans who lost one or both parents. The government prevents legal adoption to prevent child trafficking but encouraged the nearest relatives and close family friends to look after the children. Its policy is to keep orphans in their own community where possible. Only those children with no carers were sent to centres run by the social services.

The majority of orphans live with their close relatives, usually grandparents, who themselves are old with no regular income. Therefore it is real strain to feed extra mouths. However, they do their best to share whatever they have with the children and also tried to send them to school.

It cost about one dollar a day to support an orphan i.e. $360 per annum for food, accommodation, as well as for their education.

FORM is an environmental charity with no previous experience in disaster management. However, due to the national disaster during cyclone Nargis in 2008, FORM has participated in the emergency relief work during the crisis by donating essential needs to the cyclone survivors. This was only possible due to the generous donations of friends from different parts of the world when FORM and BOB/ malikha Lodge made an on-line appeal (Justgiving etc). It is also due to the donation of ETW as well. Following that we are taking part in the rehabilitation projects in the delta area by planting trees to restore the mangrove forest, digging wells to provide clean water for villages as well as building embankment to prevent salt water pollution to rice field.

We now have a scheme of adopting cyclone orphans by providing financial support. It cost just a dollar a day to support each child for food and for his/her to continue with education. You have the choice for the full support e.g. $360 for one year or $30 for a month.

used to have the 4 largest natural mangrove forests in the Asia Pacific region. At least 50 percent of it has disappeared mainly due to illegal logging. There is scientific evidence that mangrove forests are natural defences which save lives in the events of cyclones and tsunamis. The magnitude of death (240,000) during cyclone Nargis is mainly due to the destruction of such natural defences. Mangrove forests have unique eco system for its rich marine life providing food and shelter as well as for breeding of marine life such as fish and prawns. As evergreen tropical forests each acre of mangroves removes 20 tons of CO2 from the atmosphere and exudes O2 back into it.

We guarantee to plant a mangrove tree for just one US dollar. We will plant and maintain your tree for at least 50 years followed by sustainable extraction. Our school children are enthusiastic to help in tree plantation. It is quite educational for them as we explained them about global warming, climate change and its catastrophic consequences. Children in the cyclone-hit areas have already seen it.

is the biggest country in South East Asian peninsula about the size of . It has vast natural resources including tropical rain and mangrove forests. A lot has been destroyed but they can be restored provided we have financial resources.

We, in FORM, are doing what we can to prevent or minimise the climate change as well as helping those poor cyclone orphans.

Please help us to help them.

Thank you,

Dr Win Maung

President and founder

Friends of Rainforests in (FORM)