Secondary: Rapid Response Assemblies

Suitable for Whole School

Aim

Preparation and materials

• You might like to prepare a power point sequence using pictures from: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7384858.stm
• Music: ‘Fragile’ by Sting may be played during the reflection.

Assembly

1. Over the first May bank holiday weekend, when many of us enjoyed the first really warm weather of the year, disaster came to the distant country of Burma. A fierce typhoon called Nargis swept across the country on Saturday, leaving many thousands dead in its wake and many more homeless.
   
2. Burma is ruled by a military government and has been, until now, largely closed to the Western world. And you may remember that, not so long ago, Burma was in the news because the Buddhist monks there demonstrated against the regime. These demonstrations led to the promise of elections later this month, but now the typhoon has caused havoc in much of the country.
   
3. The storm struck with little warning, largely destroying the capital city, Rangoon. For the people of the Irrawaddy Delta region, who are largely very poor fishermen and rice farmers, the typhoon has been devastating. The wind and rain struck, destroying the bamboo huts that many people live in, as well as roads and power lines. The typhoon was followed by a 12-foot-high storm surge into the low lying coastal area, and this finished what the rain and wind had left behind. It is feared that many hundreds of thousands have been left homeless, with no food, water or shelter, and that the death toll, already at 20,000, will continue to rise rapidly over the next few days. Forty thousand people are said to be missing.
   
4. The United Nations is co-ordinating emergency aid. Usually, the Burmese military government won’t let any outside organizations work within Burma, but the effect of the typhoon has been so horrendous that the border has been opened to allow in emergency aid. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the UN would do ‘whatever [necessary] to provide urgent humanitarian assistance’. Thailand, which neighbours Burma, has sent a shipment of aid. India has sent two naval vessels to help with the search for missing people and to deliver food and shelters. Shelter and fresh water are high on the priority list.
   
5. While the nation struggles to recover, we need to bear in mind that the devastation of the Irrawaddy Delta region has decimated this year’s rice harvest. Rice is already in short supply across the world and the ruin of this year’s crop will lead to yet more hardship for the people of this area.

Time for reflection

These words are from the Psalms; they show that people down the ages have lived with terrible events:

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

Why are you so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning?

(Psalm 22)

(Play the music (and show the pictures of the devastation). Allow the students to sit and be quiet.)

(Pause.)

What can we do? The aid organizations always accept money for disasters such as this. You and your families might like to send some money.

(Your school might like to organize fund raising. Talk about it here.)

So we think of the people who have been caught up in this disaster.

(Pause.)

Prayer
Lord God,

we remember all those who have been made homeless by the typhoon in Burma.

Help the nations of the world to come together to help the people of Burma at this time.

And we remember all those who have died.

May they rest in peace.

Amen.