On May 3rd, 2008, Cyclone Nagris hits Myanmar with devastating results. Major relief agencies and western nations were turned away. Shelterbox, a UK/USA humanitarian organization, was prepared to respond with emergency shelter and supplies. They were not allowed into the country like so many other relief agencies.
Leilei Thein, Environmental Health and Safety Manager for the University of San Diego, would be granted the first and only visa for an American citizen to enter Myanmar.
Leilei's family and personal connections, at the highest level of influence in Myanmar, would open doors for her monumental work. The aid and donations from Shelterbox would flow into Mynamar 24/7.
 Leilei spearheaded the initiation and approval of visas and permissions for UK/US personnel, humanitarian aid, and the Shelterbox Response Team. "Train the Trainer" sessions began and Shelterbox's SRTs trained and dispatched over 200 fire and rescue personnel in the use of tents and equipment.
In Myanmar, disaster affected areas began to see hope and aid arrive when a DC-10 Chartered Aircraft landed in Yangon and unloaded the first signs of much-needed relief - 1000 Shelter boxes...and Leilei.
Over the next week and a half, 644 more boxes of aid bypassed customs, traveled by truck or boat, and were distributed in the storm-ravaged areas. Leilei's knowledge and experience moved mountains of government, military, and logistical hurdles. Relief flowed to 28,500 people around the clock.
The Myanmar government allowed Leilei into the nearby islands and Bogale. Boxes arrived in these devastated areas, shipped by land and sea, with the help of private construction companies. No task would be simple. Leiei did not have the military, but she had the "Train the Trainer" graduates and the Yangon Fire Brigade. Aid would arrive.
The Yangon efforts were tremendous, but Leilei knew that Kuala Lumpur desperately needed the aid that the DC-10 could transport into that storm zone, too. The charter company forgot one thing in the heat of providing relief. The fuel tank was near-empty and would not reach Kuala Lumpur.
In a country of turmoil and destruction,
in a country of scarcity and shock, Leilei was successful in obtaining fuel for the giant plane.
The national press and television stations continue to cover the work of Leilei and Shelterbox. In Myanmar, her tireless efforts and Shelterbox's contributions are documented by press agencies, too.
Leilei is back in the US now.
With plans to assist Shelterbox in the future and with promises to continue ongoing
humanitarian work for Myanmar, she will not rest for long.
Airline Ambassadors extends our sincerest thanks
to Leilei for beginning the first relief efforts, in Myanmar, under insurmountable obstacles and hurdles.
Leilei Thein's tireless efforts inspire all of us, at
Airline Ambassadors, beyond awe and wonder...
Thank you, Leilei!
To read more and see more about the work of Leilei and Shelterbox, follow our link...
Visit Shelterbox!
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