There were still mathematical equations chalked on the blackboards of the classrooms of the number eight middle school in Hlaing Tha Yar today, but the only lesson being given was one of survival.
Since the cyclone hit, the school, situated in a large village an hour's drive west of Rangoon, has been turned into an impromptu refugee centre, with some 2040 of the displaced now crammed into the white-washed building.
Around 17 families were camped out in each classroom, including many nappy-less babies and several grim-faced grandmothers lain out on the desks.
Mai Paw and her husband and six children had sought refuge in the school as soon as the high winds flattened her bamboo shack and ruined everything the family owned. They have been there in the same clothes ever since.
Today, they and their 50 or so noisy roommates batted away swarms of flies away from their faces as they ate the scoop of rice handed out to each by the charity World Concern. Although rice is still available to buy in the village, the price has almost doubled, putting it well out of reach of the homeless locals.
"We have lost everything. We have no house and no jobs," said Mai, as she joggled her youngest child, a seven-month-old son, to stop him crying. Her husband, clad in just a longyi, a traditional sarong, said nothing. His devastated face and sunken cheeks said everything. More...
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