When Cyclone Nargis tore through Myanmar last May, young Nway lost almost everything. Now, with the help of World Vision, she is back in school and building a new life.

May 2009

By Pamela Sitko, World Vision Myanmar, and Jessie Lester, World Vision U.S.

The events of May 2, 2008, changed 9-year-old Nway’s life forever. On that evening, Cyclone Nargis tore through southwest Myanmar, affecting some 2.4 million people and causing massive destruction in the Delta, a fertile rice-farming region known as Asia’s rice bowl.

Disaster strikes

In Nway’s small village, nearly everything was flattened, and more than one-fourth of the residents lost their lives — including Nway’s parents and three siblings. When World Vision first met her, this young girl was wandering around the remains of her village, trying to deal with the shock. “When I walked to my aunt’s house that day, my legs were scratched and I passed lots of dead bodies,” she recalls.

As she watched others in her community try to rebuild their lives, Nway felt helpless. “I wanted to help because everyone was working, but I was too scared, so I only helped clean up my auntie’s yard,” she says.

For young children like Nway, the emotional aftermath of such disasters can be devastating. In addition to emergency assistance of food, water, and clothing, World Vision set up Child-Friendly Spaces in Nway’s community, providing safe places where children could play and work through grief.

One year later

Today, Nway is much more confident and happy than she was at that original meeting, one year ago. Thanks to World Vision, who continues to remain active in her community, this young girl has found a sense of purpose for the future. “I want to be a doctor,” she says. While there are still many challenges Nway must face to discover her dreams, she is already further along than many would have thought.

Following the cyclone, one of Nway’s great disappointments was the realization that her school had been destroyed. “I loved to go to school,” she told World Vision staff. But with the school building flattened and so many teachers gone, adults in the community wondered if students like Nway would ever again get the opportunity to pursue an education.

Focusing on the future

In the year since the devastating cyclone, World Vision has been working all across Myanmar’s Delta region, building new schools, setting up early childhood care and development classes, and ensuring that children whose villages have been destroyed still have a chance at successful futures.

Nway’s school building is still being repaired, but thanks to the gift of school supplies and uniforms, children in her community have been able to continue learning. “I can read sentences now,” says Nway proudly. Attending school is also helping Nway create a new life, despite all of her loss.

“I have four best friends,” she says, grinning. “We like to memorize new words. Then, we have competitions with each other.”

Rebuilding communities

Nway lives with her aunt, who is still working to restore the family’s livelihood and hopes to one day return to their old business of renting buffalo to plow others’ fields. Though recovery will take time, Nway and her aunt have already harvested crops that provide sustenance and income. During Nway’s summer break, she travels through the village, selling vegetables to other members of the community.

Through small steps, such as starting gardens and building schools, communities are slowly reborn. One year after Cyclone Nargis, World Vision is still active all across southwest Myanmar, equipping families with resources to begin farms and build sustainable lives. As this long process continues, we remain committed to restoring schools and ensuring that children like Nway receive the education that will give them successful futures.