Myanmar: One week after the earthquake
Welthungerhilfe extends support for survivors despite catastrophic conditions
Bonn/Berlin, 4th April 2025. One week after the devastating earthquake in Myanmar, the true extent of the disaster is still not clear. The death toll is rising daily, and many areas remain inaccessible due to destroyed roads and bridges. Even before the earthquake, Myanmar was considered one of the poorest countries in the world, with 15.2 million people suffering from hunger.
Welthungerhilfe has begun initial distributions with local partners and is expanding its support to survivors despite the catastrophic conditions. Given the scale of the need, donations are still urgently needed.
Dramatic situation - first emergency aid started
Henry Braun, Welthungerhilfe’s Country Director in Myanmar, describes the situation in Sagaing, close to the epicentre: "Our teams are seeing massive destruction. People are digging for buried bodies with their bare hands in temperatures of 40 degrees Celcius. There are no body bags and the chances of recovering any living bodies are almost nil. The task now is to provide the survivors with basic necessities as quickly as possible."
Together with local partners, Welthungerhilfe has started distributing food to the most vulnerable families in Sagaing. Safe drinking water, cash aid and much-needed shelters will follow in the coming days. Many survivors are still sleeping in the open. In Mandalay, women and children have taken refuge in a monastery. "There is hardly any water or food. Hundreds of people are sharing five latrines," said one aid worker. The collapse of the water supply is leading to an increase in diarrhoeal diseases and risk of epidemics such as cholera.
Hope through ceasefire - aid is being increased
"This is an earthquake of the century and a catastrophe of the century. We urgently need donations to help the people affected. The needs are enormous," says Henry Braun. But there is also hope: rebel groups and the government have announced a ceasefire. "This could facilitate access to people in need and save lives. We need a minimum level of security in order to be able to help." Welthungerhilfe is doubling its emergency aid to 200,000 euros. The focus is on the distribution of water, food and hygiene products, cash aid and shelter. Local restaurants will also be supported to provide hot meals.
Henry Braun, Welthungerhilfe’s Country Director in Myanmar, is available for interviews in Mandalay.
Welthungerhilfe is one of the largest private aid organizations in Germany; it is politically independent and non-denominational. With courage and determination, it is striving for a world without hunger. Since it was founded on December 14, 1962, 12,128 overseas projects in about 72 countries have been supported with 5.07 billion euros. Welthungerhilfe follows the principle of empowering people to help themselves to sustainably improve their living conditions, offering everything from fast disaster relief to reconstruction and long-term development cooperation projects with national and international partner organizations.
