Rangoon/Bonn, 12.05.2008. Welthungerhilfe has successfully distributed its first relief supplies to the victims of cyclone "Nargis". In the last two days, around 800 families have received the urgently needed provisions. In Htan Tabin, a rural suburb of Rangoon, each family has been given 50 kilos of rice as well as palm leaf mats, which can be used to make temporary shelter. "We have been working with local staff in these regions for many years so have been able to provide quick and efficient aid," explained Angela Schwarz, Welthungerhilfe's Regional Co-ordinator in Myanmar/Burma.

Welthungerhilfe will draw on the expertise of local staff and partners to distribute more supplies in the new few days. Twenty tons of rice and pulses will be delivered tomorrow to the Irrawaddy Delta, the low-lying area most severely hit by the cyclone. In the region of Bogale, food will initially be distributed to 1,600 cyclone victims. Welthungerhilfe has received a total of around 75 tons of rice from the United Nation's World Food Programme for distribution, providing some 6,200 people with food at last. Alongside rice, oil, salt and sugar will be handed out as weekly rations. Welthungerhilfe will also distribute soap, plastic sheeting and water purification tablets, so that people can drink clean potable water.

"Without our local workers, we wouldn't even be able to provide this aid because the regions are barely accessible for foreigners," stresses Angela Schwarz. "It is a race against time."

On request, we can arrange an interview with our staff member in Rangoon, Ralph Dickerhof.

Welthungerhilfe has been working since 2002 in Burma. The prime focus of the work is securing food and water supplies in the Northeast of the country and the suburbs of Rangoon. Currently around fifty Welthungerhilfe employees are working in the affected area.

Welthungerhilfe is a member of the alliance www.entwicklung-hilft.de, an association of German aid organisations for acute emergency aid and long-term development cooperation.