Pictured right, (c) UNICEF/HQ08-0321/. A boy whose house was destroyed by the cyclone watches an approaching storm, some 50 kilometres south-west of the township of Kunyangon. Further storms would complicate relief efforts and leave children increasingly vulnerable to disease.


As the death toll in Myanmar from Cyclone Nargis continues to climb - and with more than 1 million lives in the nation's delta region still at severe risk - Save the Children and UNICEF are expanding their relief efforts as it continues to reach tens of thousands of survivors with life-saving materials.

UNICEF has been present in Myanmar since 1950, with nine zonal offices and a head office in Yangon. Save the Children currently operates programs in all five of the affected regions and has worked in Myanmar since 1995. IKEA is the largest global donor of both these life-saving organizations.

Through their efforts, Save the Children has reached 100,000 people in three Yangon townships and has distributed 175 tons of relief supplies to other affected families throughout the region.

"There is no time to waste when it comes to saving children's lives," said Caryl Stern, President and CEO, U.S. Fund for UNICEF. "With the lives of tens of thousands of children hanging in the balance, every second counts."

Save the Children and UNICEF began responding within hours of the disaster, drawing on pre-positioned emergency medical supplies. Along with its partners, including sister UN agencies and international and national non-governmental organizations, both organizations are working to respond swiftly and effectively to the crisis.

In the wake of a disaster that has left at least 1 million people
homeless and some 24-million affected, the organizations are gearing up for a massive relief and supply effort. Prepositioned supplies have already been distributed to address lack of access to clean water and poor sanitation, inadequate shelter and poor nutrition. Additional supplies are now beginning to arrive. Both organizations are now appealing for funding to support relief efforts underway.

If you want to help, here's how:
Both organizations are accepting online donations:

  www.unicefusa.org/myanmar

 http://www.savethechildren.org/emergencies/asia/cyclone-nargis-myanmar-response.html