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Aid with Integrity: Your Impact in this Time of Crisis

Dear Friends,

As families across Myanmar welcome Thingyan, the Buddhist New Year—meant for renewal, cleansing, and joy—many are instead facing unimaginable grief. The earthquake two weeks ago brought further loss to communities already living amid years of war and repression by a brutal junta. This year, the new year festival does not feel like the celebration it once was.

Here are the sobering numbers:

• 17.2 million people affected across 60 townships, according to the UN.

• 48,834 houses destroyed-an official count that only includes the junta-controlled areas, not those held by resistance forces.

• 3,649 lives lost, according to local media reports. 

• 92 airstrikes launched by the military from March 28 and April 8—after the earthquake and despite agreeing to a ceasefire. 

And here’s what we’ve been able to do together:

• $207,900 has been contributed by you for emergency relief and distributed directly to our trusted partners on the ground.

• $134,550 in additional relief grants has been disbursed through Partners Asia on behalf of other like-minded, like-valued donors, amplifying our collective impact by supporting trusted grassroots responders.ical care, and mosquito nets. More is on the way.

• $14,000 is our average grant size, enabling prompt, targeted responses by grassroots groups delivering life-saving support: temporary shelter, clean water, food, mosquito nets, medical care, and tarps to protect against the rains.

• 674 donors like you who have entrusted us to deliver their contributions to where they’re most urgently needed.

• 48 hours is out typical turnaround time to process and disburse an emergency proposal.

Yet the challenges remain immense. The junta continues to block aid to areas outside of its control. As one of the first responders told us:

“The junta has increased restrictions on freedom of movement, been discriminatory in the locations where aid is distributed, and intensified media repression. Youth-led groups are subjected to extra scrutiny, and even risk being conscripted while carrying out relief work. Official aid efforts are being centralized in major cities. Remote villages and displacement camps in rural areas have received little support, so [we] must focus our work in these areas.”

This is why trusted local organizations are essential. They are a part of the communities they serve. They know how to navigate shifting risks and respond with deep care and integrity. For us, this isn’t an alternative way of giving aid; it is the only responsible one.

In this season of reflection and renewal, we are reminded of our shared power to ease suffering. Thank you for your metta in action—and for standing with our partners in this critical moment.