The Full Story

On May 2, 2008, severe tropical storm Nargis made landfall in Myanmar, sending a storm surge of 40 kilometers up the densely populated Irrawaddy Delta in the south. This unprecedented cyclone caused  catastrophic destruction. Over 140,000 people have died, more than 790,000 houses were destroyed, and more than 2.4 million people were displaced.

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At that time, several of our team members felt deeply for the victims of the Myanmar Cyclone disaster and were strongly compelled to do something to help. We started planning in 2009 and reached out to friends around us, and garnered all the help we can get. At that time, Myanmar was not yet fully opened to outsiders visiting the typhoon-affected areas.

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In March 2010, after contacting the local travel agency, we set off for Yangon, Myanmar to learn about the situation of the disaster. Under the arrangement of a local tour guide, we came to the area most severely affected by the storm - Bokalay (also known as Bogale). We learnt that many villagers were washed away by the flood. The Buddhist temple which served as a community center has fallen into ruins, with only three ancient Buddhas still standing. The temple was in a state of desolation with the roof tiles and surrounding walls gone. The destroyed temple was significant to the villagers as it had provided spiritual solace, and sheltered the local residents from wind and rain. Important rituals such as weddings and funerals were also in the temple.

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This propelled our decision to initiate our humanitarian assistance at Bokalay.

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In June of the same year, a group of more than 30 of us voluntarily came to the small village to express condolences to the villagers, and personally handed over the donations to the abbot, so that the local people could rebuild the Buddhist temple in the village. They finally held a soil collection ceremony on June 15, 2013, and the main building of the Buddhist temple was rudimentarily completed.

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