Labutta/Cologne. A team of Malteser International with eight staff members reached the city of Labutta in the Irrawaddy Delta on Sunday and has installed an emergency health station there. The population welcomed the aid workers with jubilations. The Malteser International truck loaded with medical drugs, foodstuff, water purification tablets and plastic sheets for temporary shelters as well as the two escorting cars could make their way from Yangon to the delta region without any obstacles.

"We are very happy that Malteser International is one of the first aid agencies being able to help the survivors in this region that has been most severely hit," Ingo Radtke, Secretary General of Malteser International, says. "We could open our emergency health station in a house that belongs to the family of one of our staff members. There, our two doctors and one nurse are looking after the injured and hand out medical drugs against diarrhoea and respiratory diseases." A local water and sanitation expert of Malteser International is organising the distribution of safe drinking water to the population in Labutta. Furthermore, the team is distributing foodstuff and plastic sheets to build up emergency shelters. "Our team on the ground is the garanty that the donations from people all over the world really reach the survivors," Ingo Radtke points out.

On Tuesday and on Wednesday, Malteser International will send further transports with relief goods to Labutta. Besides additional aid workers, these transports will contain the necessary material for the construction of 100 latrines for emergency shelters as well as the medical equipment for two mobile clinics. With these mobile clinics, the Malteser International team will be in a position to go and treat also the wounded and sick people outside Labutta.

Malteser International also continues its assistance in the region around Yangon. In the three districts of Dawbon, Tantabin and Thongwa, staff members distribute water purification tab-lets for 40,000 people, provide medical assistance, treat injured people and distribute medical drugs. Furthermore, 750 "family kits" including cookware, hygiene articles and water cans as well as 850 plastic sheets for the construction of emergency shelters are being distributed.

The disaster relief of Malteser International is being supported by the Federal Foreign Office of Germany and by Caritas. But to be able to continue and to extend its relief measures, Malteser International is urgently depending on further donations.

To support the work of Malteser International in Myanmar, please transfer your donations to:

Donation Account 120 120 120 Bank für Sozialwirtschaft, Wörthstr. 15-17, D-50668 Köln Sort Code : 370 205 00 IBAN : DE49 3702 0500 0001 0258 01 BIC: BFSWDE33XXX Reference : "Myanmar"

Recent photos of Malteser International's relief activities can be downloaded on our website: http://php.malteser.de/cpg133/thumbnails.php?album=198&page=1

Attention editorial offices: Ingo Radtke, Secretary General of Malteser International, is available for interviews. Please contact: +49 (0)221 / 9822-213.