Volunteers from leading aid organisations are hoping to get permission to enter Burma following a huge cyclone, which has killed in excess of 20,000 people and left tens of thousands missing.
The UN is reported to be waiting for permission from the Burma government to send volunteers in to assist in the worst-hit areas of the country following Cyclone Nargis, while the International Red Cross already has volunteers on the ground of the devastated region.
Volunteers are hoping to help out by distributing relief items, such as clean water, clothes, food and tarpaulins for shelter.
The most urgent priorities are to give out drinking water and arrange emergency shelter for the thousands of people who have been displaced.
The Myanmar (Burma) Red Cross is believed to be in the process of distributing insecticide-treated bed nets and purification tablets.
Aid agencies have warned of the dangers of starvation and disease faced by the survivors of the cyclone amid reluctance by Burma's military leaders to provide visas for overseas aid workers and volunteers.
Pressure has also been increasing from worldwide leaders who have called on Burma to let aid workers in amid reports of a mounting death toll and humanitarian crisis.
