How donors can help survivors of the Myanmar earthquake

A 7.7-magnitude earthquake hit Myanmar on March 28, 2025, also shaking neighboring India, Laos, China, Bangladesh and Thailand. As we continue to learn more about the quake’s devastating impact, one thing is certain: Survivors have a long road to recovery ahead.

Amid the challenges of ongoing civil war, humanitarian crises, damaged infrastructure and powerful aftershocks, several countries and nongovernmental organizations are joining local efforts to support survivors and provide life-saving assistance, especially in Naypyitaw, Myanmar’s capital, and Mandalay, its second-largest city. Smaller, more rural communities are also heavily affected, but communication and transportation infrastructures are badly damaged, limiting available information and reducing access.

Among the critical needs that often arise after a devastating earthquake are immediate and long-term health and mental health, especially among the most vulnerable members of affected communities, such as internally displaced people and older adults.

Here are ways donors can help:

• Give cash, which gives responding organizations the flexibility to meet immediate and emerging needs.
• Whenever possible, give to locally led humanitarian and aid entities that are vital to long-term equitable recovery in communities after a disaster or crisis.
• Support immediate and long-term needs, especially those of marginalized communities.

Donors may give to CDP’s Global Recovery Fund to support local organizations in Myanmar and Thailand that are responding to the crisis. Or reach out to our advisory services at advising@disasterphilanthropy.org to explore disaster-giving strategies for your philanthropy or social impact program.

Join us in supporting Myanmar earthquake survivors as they rebuild and recover from the disaster.