Before cyclone Nargis struck southern Myanmar, Ko Maung Zaw supported his family of six by working as a motorbike taxi driver. The cyclone destroyed his life by taking away all his possessions; his house, household items, clothes and even his motorbike, his only source of income.
His motorbike was crushed by a falling wall during the storm, which prevented him from being able to make a living. To try and support his family he had to work as a labourer in the rice fields and sometimes in the rice mill. But the money he earned didn’t even cover the cost of buying rice for his family, although he worked from dawn to dusk.
The uncertainty about being able to provide for his family was the thing that upset him the most.
"I was busy trying to earn enough for food, so I had no time to repair my bike to restart my old career again. Then, last month Islamic Relief gave our family enough rice and edible oil for more than a month and many essential items such as clothes and soap,” said Ko Maung Zaw.
“Because of this support I felt certain my family would not go without food, so I was able to stop working as a labourer and I borrowed some money to repair my bike.”