By Ling Chang Hong

Seik Gyi Village (Myanmar) - Cyclone Nargis nearly levelled Nyi Nyi Tun's school in May, leaving him worried over whether he would ever get an education.

Since that tragedy, however, the eight-year-old has been able to go back to third grade at Seik Gyi Primary, which reopened in June.

'I was very sad when the school was destroyed,' he said. 'Now, I'm happy I can come to school every day.'

The school's classrooms have been refurnished with desks and blackboards. Nyi Nyi proudly showed off his new turquoise school bag filled with new textbooks and other supplies.

Much of the credit for the school's quick recovery - and the village itself - goes to the Tripartite Core Group (TCG), a joint effort by Asean, Myanmar's government and the United Nations to assist in post-Nargis relief and recovery work.

Yesterday, Asean Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan came to the village with other TCG officials to mark the 100th day since the group was formed.

A three-hour drive south of Yangon, Seik Gyi stood at the tail end of the powerful cyclone that hit Myanmar on May 2, leaving more than 138,000 dead or missing across the country.

'Three months ago, we didn't see smiles or hope in their eyes,' said Dr Surin. 'Now, you can see the excitement and a sense of hope for the future. It is truly a narrative of survival.'

Seik Gyi is the pilot rehabilitation project for recovery efforts around Myanmar. Sixty-seven of the village's 1,318 people died. The villagers also lost their monastery, which served both as a place of worship and a community centre.

Seik Gyi's main industries - fishing and betel leaf farming - were also hit hard. Much of the fleet used by its 50 fishermen was damaged, and betel crops, grown by half the villagers, were washed away.

Since then, the TCG has helped them rebuild their monastery and school. Some of the villagers' thatched-roof dwellings that were swept away by the cyclone have been replaced by sturdier, new wooden houses.

Two of the 24 new boats built in just a month were also launched by the beaming villagers yesterday. The TCG, meanwhile, provided betel seeds for farmers.

Dr Surin said the TCG had allocated US$170,000 (S$240,000) to the Seik Gyi project. It plans to extend the programme to at least two more villages in the next few weeks, including those in the worst-hit Irrawaddy Delta.

While agreeing with Dr Surin that progress had been tremendous, UN resident coordinator Bishow Parajuli cautioned against complacency. 'My biggest worry is about sustaining the efforts,' he told The Sunday Times.

A report by the TCG in July estimated that US$1 billion would be needed in the next three years for the 2.4 million victims of the cyclone. To date, less than half had been raised, Dr Surin said.

Myanmar Deputy Foreign Minister Kyaw Thu, who is also the chairman of the TCG, said: 'Assistance coming in should be more balanced, so that there won't be any gaps.'

The biggest challenge facing the victims is sanitation.

Ms Krongkeaw Sritaborvornpaiboon, a 21-year-old volunteer from Thailand, said many areas need clean water and toilets. 'What we need is education,' she said. 'Many wells were contaminated because they were built near toilets. We need to educate the people.'

She is also worried about diseases such as dengue and malaria. But she can take comfort that Seik Gyi's children are back in school, and will be better prepared to face whatever the future brings.

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