Myanmar Earthquake: How DEC charities are supporting those affected
9 June 2025
Before the earthquake struck Myanmar on the 28th of March, a third of the population - 19.9 million people - were already in urgent need of humanitarian support. Now millions more need vital aid.
Hundreds of thousands of buildings were destroyed, and three months on families are still living outside in makeshift shelters, exposed to the monsoon rains and a growing risk of disease. As well as homes, countless businesses and areas of farmland were also badly damaged in the earthquake, leaving people to survive without their livelihoods or a source of income.
The needs continue to be huge, but despite the many challenges delivering aid within this context, DEC charities and their local partners are reaching some of the most vulnerable with lifesaving support. During the first 6 months of the DEC funded response, they will continue to prioritise meeting people’s most urgent needs.
Healthcare services
Access to essential medicine and health support in some of the areas impacted by the earthquake can be difficult to reach. Monsoon season only makes things harder, as rural areas are cut off by the rain, and waterborne diseases spread.
DEC charity International Rescue Committee has been running mobile health clinics, reaching people who might otherwise not be able to access standard healthcare services.
Since the earthquake, Daw Win Kyi has been feeling dizziness she did not feel before. Being over 70, it is not easy to travel miles to a pharmacy, which is located in a nearby town. Thanks to the clinic, Daw Win Kyi was treated by a mobile health team, where she received medication for high blood pressure.
Daw Win Kyi receives treatment at a mobile health clinic run by International Rescue Committee in Myanmar, 1 May 2025. Image: Rita Khinn / Fairpicture / DEC
In Myanmar over half of communities do not have access to mental health and psychosocial support services. Following a disaster of this scale, the situation is now critical, and DEC charities are working to help the many people in need of support.
Doctor Thura Nyi Nyi from the International Rescue Committee (IRC) works in earthquake affected areas:
“There are those grieving profound losses—children who lost parents, parents who lost children. Mental health support has become an essential component of our care. Nearly every survivor experiences some psychological impact, which inevitably affects physical health too.”
Doctor Thura Nyi Nyi of the International Rescue Committee (IRC) works as a medical doctor for earthquake response in Myanmar. Image: Rita Khinn / Fairpicture / DEC
Access to clean water
In the aftermath of the earthquake, hundreds of thousands of homes were destroyed, leaving many people sleeping outside in soaring temperatures of 40 degrees. There have been reports of wells drying up, with access to clean water critically scarce.
With between 20-60 percent of water sources destroyed, DEC charity Plan International, in partnership with local organisations, have been distributing hundreds of 20-litre containers of drinking water to people affected by the earthquake.
However, the longer term issue for communities is disruption to their main water supplies, forcing some to drink contaminated water. To combat this, DEC charity World Vision is providing clean drinking water and water purification sachets.
DEC charity World Vision visits a rural community in Myanmar to deliver water purification sachets and provide demonstrations on how to use them correctly, April 2025. Image: World Vision
Local teams in the community have been conducting education sessions, giving instructions on how the sachets are used, helping to prevent waterborne diseases.
Temporary shelter
It is estimated that 5.2 million people in the worst earthquake affected areas are still in need of shelter assistance. Many are living in overcrowded and insecure shelters, many of which lack proper protection from the heat and make them increasingly vulnerable as the monsoon season begins.
DEC charities are working with their local partners to provide shelter kits including items such as tarpaulins, ropes, tools and bamboo building materials.
DEC charity British Red Cross local partner Myanmar Red Cross Society set up temporary shelters at a Sports Ground in Mandalay, April 2025. Image: Myanmar Red Cross Society
Tin Tin*, 32, survived the earthquake together with her four-year-old daughter. While they were struggling to live in an open field in the extreme weather and heat, DEC member charity Save the Children provided shelter support for the community, including Tin Tin and her family.
“It rained a lot with heavy wind, and everyone had to run from the field to the nearest building for shelter. The next morning, Save the Children visited us and supported us with building temporary shelters. Our family now has a shelter to stay in, " says Tin Tin.
DEC charities are responding in Myanmar now and your donations are key to supporting those affected by the earthquake:
- £10 could provide [urgently needed] water to ten families for a day
- £20 could provide essential hygiene supplies for two families for 3 months
- £50 could provide emergency food for a family for one month
