Myanmar aid being collected

By Laureen McMahon

With the Myanmar cyclone death toll at tens of thousands and approaching 100,000, the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace is working internationally to funnel donations to victims.

Xinhua / Zhang Yunfei / Reuters / CNS Monks clear fallen trees from a road in Yangon, Myanmar, May 4 after Cyclone Nargis swept through the previous day, in this picture distributed by China’s official news agency Xinhua. Tens of thousands of people died in the cyclone.

John Gabor, B.C. and Yukon CCODP animator, told The B.C. Catholic that, in addition to the many dead, thousands more are homeless since the cyclone struck May 3.

CCODP is co-ordinating relief efforts with Caritas Internationalis, a confederation of 162 Catholic relief, development, and social service organizations around the world.

Donations can be made through (toll free) 1-888-664-3387 or www.devp.org. Donations by cheque should be marked Emergency: Myanmar and sent to CCODP, 1425 Rene-Levesque Blvd. West, 3rd Floor, Montreal, Quebec, H3G 1T7.