Disaster Response Myanmar Project #69271

Urgent Myanmar Earthquake Relief

Project Report | Feb 3, 2026
ActionAid's Work in Myanmar Continues...

By Ehab Elsawaf | Deputy Director of Development

Thanks for your support of this project. I'm writing to share some updates on ActionAid's work in Myanmar.

Context: Several months after the March 28, 2025 earthquakes, communities in Myanmar continue to face severe humanitarian needs compounded by ongoing conflict, flooding, and mass displacement. The earthquakes affected over 1.35 million people across more than 55 townships in five states and regions, causing 3,815 deaths, over 5,104 injuries, and displacing more than 200,000 people. Of the 6.3 million people in urgent need following the disaster, 1.8 million of the most vulnerable were prioritized for assistance. The crisis has further intensified an already fragile context, with over 5.15 million people forcibly displaced nationwide, including nearly 3.6 million internally displaced due to escalating conflict.

ActionAid Myanmar and its local partners have delivered a locally led humanitarian response under its “Everything Local” strategy, prioritizing community leadership, cultural sensitivity, and responsiveness to emerging gaps. Working in Sagaing, Mandalay Region, and Inle Lake, alongside local organizations, we were able to provide emergency relief including food, clean water, hygiene kits, first aid, shelter and non-food items, protection support, livelihoods assistance, WASH services, and multi-purpose cash assistance. Between March and June 2025, 28,891 people were reached.

From July 2025 through December 2026, we will be implementing a recovery program focused on resilient, community-driven rebuilding. Key interventions include earthquake- and flood-resistant shelters and WASH facilities in Inle Lake, ecologically adapted sanitation systems developed alongside humanitarian partners, and the establishment of the Inle Recovery and Learning Resource Center. We are also focusing on strengthening livelihoods by supporting women street vendors in Mandalay, deploying trained local fellows in affected villages to lead recovery planning, and promoting culturally respectful and environmentally sustainable reconstruction.

We apprecaite your support and partnership during this time.

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Jul 29, 2025
From Emergency Relief to Early Recovery

By Ehab Elsawaf | Deputy Director of Development

Thank you for your support of this project. I'm writing to share some updates about ActionAid's response to the earthquake in Myanmar.

Since the devastating 7.7 magnitude earthquake hit Myanmar in March of this year, we have shifted from initial stages of emergency relief to an early recovery phase, focusing on community resilience and building long-term solutions. Working alongside residents and local partners, our response is rooted in the expressed needs of the community.

In Inle Lake, where much of our response is focused, we’ve piloted and launced innovative floating bamboo shelters and improved WASH/sanitation systems to mitigate future disaster, designed with input from local and international experts. We’ve also reopened and expanded a fellowship program, training 20 local youth, half of whom are women, across 20 villages to lead recovery efforts, run transparent planning processes, and coordinate shelter, WASH, and livelihood support.

To help restore livelihoods and lay the groundwork for longer-term social enterprise opportunties, we’re working with women street vendors in Mandalay and providing support in the forms of start-up capital, hygiene kits, and business training. In Inle Lake, we’re supporting traditional income generating activities like floating gardens, lotus silk weaving, and community tourism through cooperative models that help prevent exploitation and protect people.

Our women-led protection program in Inle addresses safety and mental health risks that have worsened since the earthquake and remain of urgent concern. We have trained volunteer groups in Psychological First Aid (PFA), geneder-based violence (GBV) prevention, and safeguarding, and are holding regular sessions specifically designed for women’s groups. We’ve also set up Women Friendly Spaces stocked with essential supplies.

To date, our response has reached over 25,000 people and counting, providing not only food, shelter and clean water, but also vital capacity building support to bolster recovery and build resilience to disasters in the future.

Thank you for your partnership during this critical time. Please feel free to share this project with your network.

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