Last Friday, a 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck Burma, with devastating impact. It is evident that the damage is catastrophic and robust assistance must be provided immediately. We are calling on the international community to swiftly and thoughtfully respond. It is critical for donor governments to ensure that relief money is not channeled through the junat and is used efficiently to support the immediate and reconstruction needs of the victims. 

Lessons learned from previous disasters in Burma prove that the military junta cannot be trusted to allocate resources fairly. After Cyclone Nargis in 2008 and again after Cyclone Moka in 2023, the junta restricted humanitarian access to affected communities and prevented the collection and dissemination of accurate information about the damages. During the Covid-19 pandemic, it hoarded oxygen and other medical supplies, causing many preventable deaths. Even since the earthquake, the junta has continued to bomb civilians in airstrikes. Severe restrictions to telecommunications continue to challenge a full assessment of the current crisis.  

HOW YOU CAN HELP:

Prior to the earthquake, humanitarian needs had surged in central Myanmar where opposition groups have been fighting Myanmar security forces and allied militias since the February 2021 coup. This grew even more devastating by USAID and State Department funding cuts. To make matters even worse, just just hours after the earthquake, USAID employees in the region (along with other USAID employees globally) received an email that their position had been terminated. Early today, six senators sent a letter to Secretaries Rubio and Bessent, denouncing the administration’s response. Senator Booker (along with Senator Coons) also shared criticism of the administrations lack of a response during Senator Booker’s 25-hour senate speech on Tuesday. As we mentioned before, we have been conducting an aid impact survey for communities in Burma affected by the aid cuts. We will be continuing this work and trying to figure out the best recommendations for assistance for communities in all of Burma, including those affected by the earthquake.

If you’re going to read one article - It should be The New Humanitarian’s “Myanmar earthquake worsens one of the world’s largest and most neglected humanitarian crises”

Thank you for believing in us and supporting this important work. 

In Peace -
Lauren and the PAEMA Team