It has been 100 days since two devastating earthquakes measuring 7.7 and 6.4 in magnitude and a series of aftershocks ravaged central Myanmar. The disaster killed more than 3,700 people and came on top of an already desperate situation in the country after four years of escalating conflict. Even before the disaster, UNICEF estimated that 6.4 million children needed humanitarian assistance in Myanmar. Now, those numbers are expected to rise as communities continue to recover.
Since the earthquakes, the children of Myanmar have endured 100 days of loss, fear and uncertainty. But with the support of people like you, they have also felt hope. UNICEF has been on the ground providing immediate support to affected children and families, from essentials like clean water and nutrition to education and psychological support. Thanks to the generosity of people like you, we have sent more than 80 tons of supplies to Myanmar since the disaster.
Here are five ways supporters like you have helped children start to rebuild their lives after the disaster.
1. Protecting children against deadly diseases
Years of conflict in the region, compounded by the latest disaster, has left much of Myanmar’s water infrastructure severely damaged. Poor hygiene practices, including drinking unsafe water, put children and families at greater risk of developing life-threatening but preventable conditions including diarrhoea, cholera, and malnutrition.
Access to clean water is critical in the aftermath of a disaster, and UNICEF and our partners have been providing lifesaving water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services to those affected by the earthquakes. We have reached more than 615,000 people with clean water and more than 300,000 people have also received essential WASH supplies such as hygiene kits, which include soap, sanitary pads, and disinfectants.
Thanks to our generous donors, UNICEF has continued supporting displaced families as they return home. This includes restoring damaged water sources, installing semi-permanent latrines and handwashing stations, and promoting good hygiene practices to prevent disease outbreaks – particularly ahead of the approaching monsoon season.
2. Helping families afford the essentials
Before the earthquakes, years of crisis in Myanmar had already left many families struggling to afford the essentials, including food and medicines. By placing unrestricted cash directly in caregivers’ hands, UNICEF seeks to restore dignity and choice while boosting local economies – helping traders restart their businesses and accelerating the recovery of affected communities.
UNICEF is scaling up multipurpose cash assistance for the most vulnerable households in Myanmar following the earthquakes, including those caring for children and adults with disabilities like 18-year-old Min Khant (above). To date, we have reached more than 44,000 children and adults in earthquake-affected areas with this life-changing assistance.
3. Giving children the best start in life
Ma Than Than, 39, lives in a village in Myanmar that was one of the hardest hit in the earthquakes. With a young son with cerebral palsy and a baby on the way, she was one of many whose lives were turned upside down by the disaster.
In the weeks following the earthquakes, UNICEF staff on the ground provided guidance to more than 1,500 pregnant and lactating women in Mandalay region and Naypyidaw on newborn care and breastfeeding in emergencies. UNICEF also distributed clean delivery and newborn kits, including essential medical supplies like resuscitators, newborn antibiotics, respiration timers, stethoscopes, and surgical gloves. These lifesaving packs help protect newborns from life-threatening infections and breathing difficulties, giving them the best possible start in life.
4. Helping children heal through play
Playing helps children work through difficult feelings such as pain, fear or loss while still being able to act like a child. That’s why in emergencies, it’s important for children to have a space to have fun and relax.
After the earthquakes in Myanmar, UNICEF and our partners set up child-friendly spaces in earthquake-affected areas, benefiting more than 20,000 children. We also provided recreational kits, which include balls for a variety of sports, skipping ropes, and white chalk that can be used to set up playing fields in any situation. These kits provide children affected by the earthquakes with opportunities to play, learn, and bring a sense of normalcy to their lives.
5. Getting children back to learning
With the new school year beginning in Myanmar in June, communities in earthquake-affected areas are fighting to keep learning alive. The disaster destroyed more than 2,600 learning facilities and displaced thousands of families, disrupting schooling for many children. But with the help of our people like you, UNICEF is committed to ensuring every child in earthquake-affected communities can return to learning.
Since the earthquakes, UNICEF and our partners have helped rehabilitate damaged learning centres and established temporary learning spaces in monasteries and tented shelters, bringing children back to learning – and with it, a renewed sense of hope. More than 17,000 children have been reached with educational support, including Early Childhood Development (ECD) kits, school kits and Essential Learning Packages (ELP).
Grade 3 student Mg Zaw was delighted to receive an Essential Learning Package from UNICEF.
“I received books, pencils, a crayon set, a ruler, and a schoolbag,” Mg Zaw said. “My favourite is the schoolbag – because blue is my favourite colour.”
"Despite the difficulties after the earthquake, we’re relieved our child can continue learning – that’s what matters most."
Looking to the future, Mg Zaw says, “I want to become an engineer. I will build houses that don’t collapse.”
A long recovery ahead
Since the earthquakes struck, our teams have been on the ground, providing support and lifesaving supplies, including health kits, medical supplies, tents, and hygiene kits for immediate delivery to children and families in desperate need. Our teams will stay on the ground in these communities as long as it takes to ensure every child gets the care and protection they need. But with Myanmar facing an ongoing and complex humanitarian crisis, a long road to recovery lies ahead.
We need your help to do more for children who were already enduring a dire humanitarian situation before the earthquakes struck, and who continue to face uncertainty and hardship.
Myanmar Earthquakes
Before the earthquakes hit, the situation for millions of children in Myanmar was already dire. Please, donate now.
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