A Little Means A Lot

A few years ago, on a return flight from Bangkok to Singapore, I was seated next to a young chap. I recognised him as being on the tour my mother and I were on. He was slight and edgy, and had what I called "Nanahara's hairdo". (To be accurate, it was more the actor's hairstyle than the character's.) We started talking and I found out he was from Burma/Myanmar. I use both names here as he was still uncertain himself and flipped between the two.

I admitted that since Myanmar became a closed country, I knew very little of its contemporary life, so he began to fill me in. It turned out he was a business student who was now based in Singapore, but had great desire to return to his country and help rebuild its economic infrastructure. He had great hopes for what his generation could do to change things. We ended up chatting for the entire flight.

Although I never saw him again, that youthful hope was memorable.

I thought of him when I read the reports on Cyclone Nargis. The death toll estimated by the International Federation of the Red Cross indicated numbers between 70,000 to almost 130,000 deaths. That is stupendous. In addition, the United Nations now fear that 2.5 million could die of hunger and disease.


Photograph taken from Project Enlighten.

In the middle of all this - when all these displaced people have lost their homes, belongings, livelihoods and loved ones, the military government refused or stole aid, evicted people from public shelters when they have no where else to do, and lo and behold, announced that the referendum for the constitution last weekend was a success.

Yup, 92.4% in their favour, and 99% voter turnout.

The reality of the world we live in is sobering. Every morning, I get up, make a cup of tea and I read the news sites and blogs I follow. Sometimes it seems as if there's too much gone wrong and the efforts to fix them meagre in comparison.

But every little, even when little, is still something. And something is still better than nothing, right?

They need, and we all need, every bit of hope we can get.


Photograph taken from Project Enlighten.

Check out the work they're doing.

It may not seem like much, but they've managed to raise $4,000 US Dollars and the money was sent over to help provide clean water, medicine, food and other supplies to the survivors of the cyclone.

They've found a way to work with local organisations which have networks that successfully transport supplies from Thailand to Burma, circumventing the government's resistance to foreign aid entry and the chances of the goods being impounded.

Project Enlighten and their partners such as ABITSU, do not use any of the donations for administrative costs. All donations go directly to helping the survivors.

A transport load of supplies costing $12,000 can help 50 families.

$4,000 can help around 15? Fifteen families is a lot, that's half my street.

A little and a lot - the words are so easily intertwined.

So give a little of your lot. it brings a lot of hope for those who have nothing left.