DDM Social Welfare and Charity Foundation Assisted Typhoon-affected Communities in Myanmar and Thailand

In mid-September 2024, typhoon Yagi swept across mainland Southeast Asia, causing floods and landslides in northern Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, and Myanmar and resulting in the death of hundreds of people. Upon receiving an overseas appeal from the Chit Myit Tar Foundation (CMTF) in Myanmar, Dharma Drum Mountain Social Welfare and Charity Foundation (DDMSWCF) immediately made donations for them to purchase rice, cooking oil, potatoes, and other supplies in Myanmar. Moreover, from October 9^th to 11^th, DDMSWCF visited flood-stricken areas including Nyaungshwe Township along Inle Lake, Naypyidaw, and Taungoo, to assist a total of 350 disaster-affected families.

On September 30^th, Zhao De-ren (趙德仁), the CEO of CMTF, and Li Tian-fu (李添富), a DDMSWCF volunteer in Lashio, led volunteers to inquire into the situation in Nyaungshwe Township and Kalaw Township in Taunggyi District and adjacent areas, in order to prepare for and facilitate the subsequent relief and reconstruction work in the disaster areas. The two organizations, along with local volunteer groups, visited the disaster areas from October 9^th to 11^th to provide disaster relief as well as distribute basic necessities in the shelter centers for the affected people. This relief work was also reported by local media source SKYNET.

In addition to disasters in Myanmar, more than 2,000 hectares of farmland in northern Thailand have been under water in the past month due to heavy downpours during the rainy season. The rainfall-inflicted disasters have affected more than ten thousand families and even caused severe casualties. In Doi Pha Tang, Chiang Rai Municipality, the hardest hit area in northern Thailand, Peiying Junior High School (培英中學), a Chinese school established for more than 55 years, suffered serious mudslides caused by downpours. The campus was left with a large amount of soil and rocks that needed to be cleaned up, and many of its facilities were damaged as a result.

In order to help rebuild the campus and enable the 237 students from kindergarten to ninth grade to attend school safely, DDM Association of Dharma Supporters in Thailand has raised funds for tuition assistance and immediate restoration of the campus. Furthermore, DDMSWCF will donate funds to the school to carry out safety enhancements, drainage and flood prevention facilities, as well as to subsidize the salaries of the teaching staff, in order to restore the school to its regular operation and help the students to learn at school safely.

Jing Tai-ying (景泰英), the principal of Peiying Junior High School, led the teachers and students to record a video in which they thanked DDM for their assistance in helping the students to resume their interrupted studies due to the mudslide. The school has now started its campus drainage and flood prevention project, which will allow for a safer learning environment for the students in the future.



Original Chinese text and photos / Dharma Drum Mountain Social Welfare and Charity Foundation
Translation / Li Siang-ling
Editing / Keith Brown, YKL