By Pamela Sitko, World Vision Relief Communicator

It was business as usual for U Myint Khine and the rest of the Gyo Wah Kyauk Ye village road development crew until May 2, 2008.  That was the day when Cyclone Nargis ripped through Myanmar’s southwestern Delta, destroying a brick road path, two feet wide, built and paid for by the hands of the villagers.

These coconut and rice farmers live a few hours’ boat ride from Pyapon city centre.  They knew that improved access to a commercial jetty would enable them to sell their crops for higher prices in bigger markets.  That one small road was supposed to change the face of their village forever.

A brick road would do more than boost the local economy.  It would also to provide greater safety for children from neighbouring villages, who had to wade across chest-deep rivers to attend school in the morning. 

The road was half completed when Nargis randomly took away what was so arduous to build.

Starting over

“We had a plan, the makings of a road and the resources to build it,” says Mr. Khine. “Each family gave money – the richer families put in 2,000 Kyats (a couple of dollars), poorer ones only 1,000 Kyats and the very big business owners gave 5,000 Kyats,” he continues with a chuckle.

The building work re-started in February, when World Vision kicked-off a ‘food for work’ program.  Often introduced after a big disaster, ‘food for work’ assists communities that are still struggling to feed their loved ones.  A villager signs up, then takes home pre-determined amounts of rice in exchange for help rebuilding roads, bridges and buildings so badly needed to strengthen the community.

Food gap filled

Mr. Khine says 60 per cent of his village was out of work after the cyclone. “Our people farm rice, coconuts, bananas and flowers,” he explains. “We are waiting for our summer harvest which overall isn’t expected to be too good.”

World Vision’s field coordinator, Adino, says there are generally three kinds of workers in the Delta area: paddy field owners, fisherman and daily wage earners.  He says, “The food for work program is aimed at helping the poorest of the poor, in this case, daily wage earners who are unable to find work in the field or on fishing boats.”

“The dry season harvest is always smaller than the wet harvest.  This year has been particularly challenging because food stocks that people would normally fall back on were taken by the cyclone. So, we’ve introduced the food for work program so people can provide for their families until more jobs open up with the coming planting season,” Adino continues.

World Vision’s program will end this April, and Mr. Khine is confident the road will be completed by then.  He says the village is hopeful that the new road will help them transport and sell grain from the next harvest.