Journey into heart of darkness to reach the women and children

THIS week I managed to leave Rangoon for the first time since the cyclone struck.

On Tuesday, along with two doctors and another aid worker, we drove three hours south of the city to a boys' camp run by the department for social welfare and on to a prison for HIV-infected women.

We went past demolished schools and lots of dead bodies floating around. It is very distressing to witness but we have to be professional and get on with the job. Children chased our car because businessmen who had passed through before us had been throwing packets of noodles out for them – but we did not have anything for them.

Our car was loaded down with tarpaulins, dahl, rice and cooking oil, as well as a generator. When we got to the camp, it was a terrible scene – the roofs had gone, the place was just under water. The rain was pouring down, the weather was quite frightening.

There were 47 boys huddled on a soaking-wet platform, just waiting. They looked very miserable and then, on their faces there was just relief – they were overjoyed that someone had come.

One of the youngest boys, who was about eight or nine, had such a sad face, he was close to crying.

The women's prison, where most of the inmates are prostitutes, was less traumatic. But they needed the generator for lighting and pumping water.

A couple of them had minor injuries but in future our long-term commitment will be to get them therapy and drugs.

Another main priority for us is to make sure the children are reunited with families.

We also have got to build safe houses for the large numbers of orphans.

We need to put them somewhere where they can't be abused.

Sadly, this is something that tends to spring up in these types of conditions.

Their psychological and social needs are paramount.