Our hearts break for Myanmar
Peter Waddup, CEO - The Leprosy Mission Great Britain
Staying positive and focused in the face of adversity is something we must all do at times. Life can be incredibly hard when you're going through the mill. Just getting through day to day can feel a struggle and quite overwhelming. When I look to the people of Myanmar, I am in awe of their strength to even keep going.
Even before last Friday's 7.7 magnitude earthquake, life was tough in the war-torn country. It's been four years since Myanmar's military seized power. An armed rebel response quickly ensued. Not a day has gone by since without airstrikes, roadblocks and landmines.
The cost of the conflict to human life has been catastrophic. Spiralling costs and rapid inflation have seen prices rise each month. Even before Friday's earthquake, a third of the population - that's 18 million people - were hungry and in need of aid. Recent deadly floods, the worst in decades, have only added to the country's woes.
Just a few weeks ago we welcomed Thandar, one of our colleagues in Myanmar, to our Peterborough office. Based in Mandalay, near to the epicentre of the earthquake, she works with the Myanmar Association of People Affected by Leprosy. The disease is a real problem in her country, and she told us of the struggles people were having to get treatment. She spoke with first-hand experience. Her own father was one of many unable to access Multidrug therapy, the cure for leprosy.
As you may have read in the news, Mandalay is a city where corpses are piling high. For days people have hoped that their missing loved ones might be pulled from the rubble alive. In Peterborough, our thoughts immediately turned to Thandar when the news broke. We had spent such an uplifting time with this amazing and dynamic young woman.
Through the limited contact we have been able to make with the team in Myanmar, we heard she and her parents are safe. She was actually looking after her father at the time of the earthquake. This proved to be a rich blessing as her apartment building collapsed.
Thankfully, the rest of the team in Myanmar are also safe. We were saddened to learn that our Mandalay office had been destroyed. Yet the fact that the staff were all safe was such a relief and everyone's priority.
We are so thankful to our supporters who give by direct debit each month. It means we can set aside money to respond to emergencies such as this. We are waiting to hear how we can help. We know electricity and water supplies are proving to be major challenges. This is the even the case in Yangon, which has not been as badly hit as Mandalay.
Current high temperatures of 40 degrees plus are not helping the situation. On top of this, the monsoon is expected to arrive in a fortnight's time.
Mandalay was a deeply troubled city before the events of last Friday. It is the current frontline between pro-democracy and junta forces. Terrifyingly, the military government have continued airstrikes this week. It is just beyond belief.
We are praying for our selfless and dedicated team in Myanmar at this desperate time. For strength and the safe delivery of the resources they need to get through this ordeal.
We pray that somehow medical care will be able to reach all those who desperately need it. That all those made homeless by the disaster will be able to find shelter. It is just so difficult to even comprehend what our dear colleagues and the people they serve are going through. They have all endured too much.