INKYUT, 22 December 2008 (IRIN) - Thousands of cyclone survivors across southern Myanmar are benefiting from cash-for-work programmes being implemented by the Myanmar Red Cross Society (MRCS).

In collaboration with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) [see: http://www.ifrc.org/], the projects aim to provide financial support to those left vulnerable by Cyclone Nargis by creating jobs in rebuilding infrastructure.

"Now we are working for ourselves," said Ngwe Thein, 70, one of 150 people working to repair a 1.6km stretch of road between the villages of Mayan, Inkyut and Kyitepat in Kunchangone Township in Yangon Division, one of the hardest-hit areas.

"This is a real opportunity for us," Ngwe Thein said, as two more tractors laden with soil were unloaded. "This road was in a bad condition before the cyclone. Now it will be better and transportation will improve."

Thousands benefit

As part of the programme, launched in November, 34 village groups were put to work in 11 storm-ravaged townships, including Kawhmu, Twante, Kungyangon, Dedaye, Pyapon, Bogale, Kyaiklatt, Mawlamyinegyun, Labutta, Hynegyikyun and Maubin.

MRCS and IFRC hope to complete 44 reconstruction projects, most of them lasting between four and six weeks, by end-December.

Almost eight months after the cyclone, such activities are seen as vital in assisting local communities get back on their feet, say specialists.

"For three months after the cyclone, MRCS focused on relief operations in the disaster area," U Hla Myint, deputy head of MRCS's disaster management division, said. "Then we shifted to the ongoing recovery phase, and the cash-for-work programme is part of that phase."

Participants are paid 2,000 kyat (about US$1.70) a day.

Under the programme, female-headed families and cash-labourers unable to find work are being prioritised, said one MRCS official at the Kunchangone branch office.

Community involvement in the decision-making process is key to the programme.

"We ask the people what they want to do for their villages, whether they want to dig wells or repair the roads," explained one IFRC official in Dadeye Township, at the extreme southeast corner of the delta.

Slow recovery

However, recovery will take several years given the types of loss suffered and the extent of needs, according to the first of three strategic reviews (see http://www.aseansec.org/22120.htm) published on 19 December.

Many people lost their assets and savings, reducing their capacity for recovery and leading to increased indebtedness.

Offering a snapshot of the needs of more than 2,000 households in over 100 communities in the affected area, the report noted that most people in the delta were now involved in casual labour, followed by agriculture, fishing and seasonal work.

The report also noted that changes in patterns of economic activity and livelihood had occurred because of Nargis. Since the storm, there has been a shift away from fishing and agriculture and an increase in casual labour.

"Without the capacity to produce their own food or income, communities will remain aid-dependent," the review stated.

Livelihoods within communities were interlinked and interdependent, the report said, reflecting complex social and economic structures. Casual and agricultural labourers were dependent on the recovery of the landowners for the restoration of their livelihoods, it said.

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