Daunt Gyi

Location

Cyclone Nargis

Livelihood

The village of Daunt Gyi which means “the Big Bend” along the river

Village: Daunt Gyi

Tract: Daunt Gyi

Township: Bogale

Total population: 845

Households:152

Village Head: U The Ne

Farmers: 20%

Fisherman: 0%*

Others: 80%

School Level: Primary

Number of Students: 195

Number of Teachers: 3

Number of Churches: 1

Church Attendance: 244

Village Christian population: 75%

Latitude: 16°02.519’ N Longitude: 95°27.357’ E

Helipad: Yes

Storm Surge: 10 ft

Houses destroyed: ~ 95%

Lives Lost: 2

Water: Four freshwater lakes have been cleaned by AZG and are drinkable

Crops: Farmers expect 35-40% harvest

I Love Myanmar involvement: 148 houses donated. 98 completed, 17 are in progress as of Nov 10, 2008

1 motorized large boat (47ft), 2 tillers and 50 small boats(18ft),

one school and one church building

Location

The meaning of Daunt Gyi is “the big bend”, similarly the village of Daunt Gyi is located at where a river enters into a large bend. It is approximately 3 hours by boat from the town of Bogale and transportation is slightly more challenging as rivers in the region do not lead directly to Daunt Gyi, passengers and materials have to be offloaded at the “old rice mill” and moved across 100 meters of dry ground to the next river and transported by another boat to the village.

Cyclone Nargis

Storm surge levels were approximately 10 ft in the area. Over 95% of the houses were destroyed. As the storm intensified during the night of May 2, 2008, majority of villagers ran to the village rice storage to weather the storm, several stayed in the village church building and 2 lives were lost when the church building collapsed. After the cyclone, villagers lived at the rice storage sharing the food while the supply lasted. I Love Myanmar was the first to reach this village distributing rice and other necessities.

Livelihood

98 of the 148 houses donated by ILM have been completed; many villagers have moved into their new houses and are very grateful. Some have moved into partially completed houses while others are still living in their temporary houses.

Compared to the living environment observed by ILM staff end of September, conditions have improved significantly. Roads have been widened, new houses have been constructed in an orderly manner, area for new school has been allocated, and even the river appears to be cleaner.

Farmers have only been able to plant 500 acres of the 893 acres owned by the village. Villagers only expect a 35% to 40% harvest compared to a normal season; the two main reasons affecting the harvest are the lack of rice seeds during planting season and late planting.

In Daunt Gyi there are no villagers that only fish for a living as fishing is seasonal, only good from November to February. All fishermen also engage in other forms of work. Some work as carpenters, others work for land owners in the fields. Fishing is only used to supplement the villager’s income. ILM delivered eighteen 12 dong (18ft) boats and will donate a total of 50 boats to the village of Daunt Gyi. ILM have also brought rights for the villagers to fish in the river which is required in the area.


	Temporary housing

Food & Water

Initially i Love Myanmar was the only provider of rice and food for the villagers for the last six months. World Food Program delivered rice the beginning of November, hence food should be sufficient until the harvest during the first week of December. However, it is still uncertain if the harvest will be sufficient for the entire village.

The village has 4 freshwater storage lakes which have been cleaned by NGO AZG( MSF Holland). These lakes are sufficient in supplying drinking water to Daunt Gyi villagers.

Right: Freshwater storage lake

School

The Daunt Gyi village primary school serves 195 students and is taught by 3 teachers. The school building collapsed under the force of Cyclone Nargis. Students now attend school in two temporary school buildings constructed mainly out of wood and canvas; creating a learning environment that is hot and stuffy. Although they have received school books from UNICEF, students still lack pencils and notebooks to write upon.

Temporary school built by villagers

Interior of another temporary school built out of bamboo and canvas

i Love Myanmar has engaged Diamond Mercury Co Ltd to build a new school building measuring 30x 80 ft out of reinforced concrete and extra thick brick walls. The new school site has already been located and materials should be arriving on site before the end of November. The school will be completed within 4 months; hence students will have a new school building when their next school year starts in June 2009.

Church

There is only 1 church in Daunt Gyi. Despite the village being 75% Christian, only about 30% attend church on a frequent basis. Pastor Di Di leads the church and every morning at 4:30 am the pastor’s wife leads the morning prayer meeting, while in the evening families pray at home when the village bell is rung.

The church building was destroyed completely during the cyclone and now acts as a football ground for the children. The congregation meets in the partially covered assembly hall.

ILM is in the process of the church to be rebuilt in Daunt Gyi.

Foundation of where the church once stood

Assembly hall sustained substantial damage

Rebuilding Progress

A total of 148 houses will be built by Min Construction Company for the original 148 families. Since then, 4 additional families have moved into the village. 98 houses have been completed and 17 houses have been partially completed, 33 houses are yet to be built.

Construction has stopped temporarily due to lack of wood, however it will resume once a new batch of wood is delivered to the village.

Left: House Number # 2 in Daunt Gyi village

i Love Myanmar Team

Daunt Gyi was one of the very first villages that I Love Myanmar visited after Cyclone Nargis and has revisited multiple times since then. Initially ILM distributed rice, cooked for the villagers, provided essential medical care and counseled many of the villagers. ILM has also ministered in song with famous Myanmar singer Mi Mi K and Htoo Ell Lynn; teams have also been sent to spread the gospel on a number of occasions.

In addition to the 148 houses that have been donated to Daunt Gyi village, ILM has also donated 1 large boat for the transportation of building materials and 50 small boats, each 18 ft long will be completed the first week of December. Aside from nets that ILM purchased for villagers, the fishing rights to the river was also purchased by ILM for Daunt Gyi village.

During ILM’s most recent trip, the ILM team delivered 18 boats as well as 2 tillers to the village of Daunt Gyi. Boats were distributed to gleeful villagers after a dedication service where the local pastor and ILM staff prayed over and blessed the boats. The ILM staff also ministered in word and song to the congregation on Sunday.


	i Love Myanmar boat for Daunt Gyi

* Note: It is common procedure to submerge new wooden boats under water to allow wood to expand

Stories

Although the loss of life was not as serious as other villages, individuals were still traumatized in the village. The most interesting story in this village however, is how God is at work, revealing Himself to individuals through dreams.

On a recent trip I met an elderly lady who appeared to be one of the most fervent believers. After further inquiry, the story of how she got save unfolded. Prior to Cyclone Nargis, the lady had been a Buddhist nun for 12 years; shortly after the cyclone, one night while she was asleep she had a dream. In the dream she saw herself as if dead, floating in the water, but then a man, clothed in great light came, picked her up and held her in His arms. Awakening, she knew the Man was Jesus and she had to be saved. She quickly approached the village pastor and committed her life to Jesus.

ILM guest with the elderly lady

A similar story followed where another lady had a dream where a shepherd approached her and said “you must believe”. The next day the lady approached the village pastor asking how to be baptized.

Conclusion

Conditions in Daunt Gyi have improved drastically over the last few months, from the supply of food, to housing, ILM has seen significant changes for the better. As the school and church is rebuilt, ILM hopes and prays that the village of Daunt Gyi will be a place where life, hope and joy abides and spreads to surrounding villages.

i Love Myanmar on Facebook

in Loving Memory of Baby Emmanuel