Much of the damage is in the country’s second most-populous city, Mandalay, home to 1.2 million people. Airports are closed and power is out in many places. A state of emergency has been declared in six areas: Sagaing; Mandalay; Magway; eastern Shan State; Naypyidaw; and Bago. The military also made a rare request for humanitarian aid from the international community, which is unusual and a clear signal of the extent of the problem.
The United States Geological Society (USGS) issued a “red alert” for the earthquake, indicating they believed there would be a high number of fatalities and a significant economic impact. USGS estimates a potential loss of life in the thousands and an economic impact that would exceed Myanmar’s GDP. As of Monday, March 31, more than 2,000 people have died, over 3,500 are injured, and many others are missing. The full extent of the damage may not be known for weeks, as there’s been a loss of communications, and many rural areas cannot be accessed.
Other countries impacted by the earthquake include India, Laos, China, Bangladesh, and Thailand. In Bangkok, a high-rise building under construction collapsed, trapping several dozen workers.
How to help those affected by the earthquakes
Funds supporting relief efforts:
Center for Disaster Philanthropy (CDP) – EIN: 45-5257937 – Global Recovery Fund – CDP’s Global Recovery Fund provides donors an efficient, flexible solution to support recovery efforts for people affected by sudden and slow-onset disasters or protracted humanitarian emergencies worldwide. CDP is able to support local and national actors on the ground in affected countries which are not 501(c)3 organizations.
Nonprofits Agencies providing aid:
Action Against Hunger – EIN: 13-3327220 – Action Against Hunger immediately mobilized its emergency response team, including specialists in logistics; food and nutrition; and water, sanitation and hygiene. In coordination with authorities in both countries, Action Against Hunger is currently conducting needs assessments around rapid distributions of food, clean water, hygiene products, and shelter. Action Against Hunger leads the global movement to end hunger. It innovates solutions, advocates for change, and reaches 24 million people every year with proven hunger prevention and treatment programs.
ADRA International – EIN: 52-1314847 – ADRA’s emergency experts are on the ground, assessing the extent of the damage, which spans approximately 600 kilometers or 373 miles. ADRA expects to provide immediate and long-term relief, including emergency food, water, and relief kits, alongside local partners, including the Adventist Church, to address the needs of affected communities.
Airlink – EIN: 37-1710848 – Airlink is in close coordination with regional partners to assess emerging needs throughout the region and is providing flight and logistics assistance to partners, which is a major response hurdle due to heavy damage to key airports. Currently, Airlink is coordinating with 15+ NGOs and organizing transport for urban search and rescue teams that have been requested. Responders will be delivering life-saving assistance, including search & rescue, food & water, shelter, emergency medical care, and WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) support.
All Hands and Hearts – EIN: 20-3414952 – All Hands and Hearts is on the ground in Bangkok, Thailand, serving those most in need with urgency, care, and compassion.
Americares – EIN: 06-1008595 – Americares responds with lifesaving medical aid and relief supplies. Americares has a global response hub based in Manila. Their team of responders there are coordinating with their HQ response team to conduct a rapid needs assessment with local partners in Myanmar and Thailand. They have 45+ years of experience in sudden onset emergency response, including several earthquakes like the Turkey/Syria earthquake in 2023 and the massive Nepal earthquakes in 2015.
AVSI Foundation USA – EIN: 13-4147973 – AVSI Myanmar has been operating since 2007, focusing on emergency and development programs in areas such as education, vocational training, child protection, health and nutrition, WASH, agriculture and livelihoods, women’s empowerment and gender equality, rural development, and disaster risk reduction. Following the 2021 military coup and subsequent conflict, AVSI has focused on humanitarian assistance and emergency programs in the Kayah region, Southern and Northern Shan State, Kachin State and the central Dry Zone.
Building Markets – EIN: 98-0575195 – Building Markers is on the ground partnering directly with local small businesses and first aid responders, working to procure and deliver swift and effective aid where it matters most. Its team is working on establishing emergency shelters, distributing food and clean water, and supplying hospitals with trauma kits and medicines.
CARE – EIN: 13-1685039 – CARE is targeting 500,000 people with multi-purpose cash assistance, WASH, food security & nutrition, shelter, health, and protection assistance. The main priority will be cash assistance to cover urgent needs.
Catholic Relief Services – EIN: 13-5563422 – Catholic Relief Services has been engaged in Myanmar for more than a decade, with programming focused on agriculture, education and emergency response. Working with local partners, CRS strives to fight food insecurity. Its team has worked with local farming communities to improve production and storage practices. Catholic Relief Services is currently engaged in a needs assessment with partners and are providing technical assistance to local organizations.
Church World Services – EIN: 13-4080201 – In the days immediately following a catastrophic disaster, CWS provides cleanup buckets, kits, and vital supplies to help impacted people begin to clear up what was left behind. CWS works with trusted local community-based organizations to reach the most vulnerable communities, including immigrants and refugees, to provide the support these families need. When war, conflict, and violence force families to flee their homes in search of safety, CWS provides emergency support along the journey and connects them with vital services to rebuild their lives.
Convoy of Hope – EIN: 68-0051386 – Convoy team members are currently talking with partners in the region and responding with much-needed supplies. Food, water, and other essentials will be sent to the region as quickly as possible.
Direct Relief – EIN: 95-1831116 – Direct Relief was conducting active outreach over the weekend to assess needs with local healthcare facilities and organizations in both Myanmar and Thailand and are coordinating with local partners.
Humanity and Inclusion (HI) – EIN: 55-0914744 – HI is on the ground in Myanmar. HI intervenes in hospitals that are overwhelmed with casualties, collaborating with emergency medical teams to ensure the best possible care for patients. HI assists with rehabilitation and offers technical assistance, such as wheelchairs and crutches. Its team is particularly vigilant regarding the situation of people with disabilities, who may find themselves unable to escape without assistance.
International Medical Corps – EIN: 95-3949646 – International Medical Corps’ Emergency Response Team is deploying to Myanmar and Thailand. Its specialized team will enter the countries in the coming days to begin meeting with local authorities, assess needs on the ground and coordinate with partners to provide direct emergency-care services—including surgical services and advanced trauma care. The death toll is very high and expected to rise rapidly as search-and-rescue efforts continue. The need for healthcare—in addition to food, water and shelter—is significant.
Internews Network – EIN: 94-3027961 – Internews supports independent media in 100+ countries, from radio stations in refugee camps, to hyper-local news outlets, to individual activists and reporters. Internews Network has helped their partners reach millions of people with quality, local information that saves lives, improves livelihoods. and holds institutions accountable.
Islamic Relief USA (part of Islamic Relief Worldwide) – EIN: 95-4453134 – IRUSA is working to provide emergency aid, including cash assistance, to help families meet their most basic needs, including food, water, and temporary shelter.
Mercy Corps – EIN: 91-1148123 – Mercy Corps has worked in Myanmar since 2008 and reached over 378,000 people in 2022 with cash and voucher assistance, green agricultural growth in the face of worsening climate change, and community resilience and conflict resolution. Its team is on the ground and coordinating with the UN and other humanitarian partners, offering emergency cash assistance and supporting long-term recovery.
Norwegian Refugee Council – EIN: 47-5342860 – In the Southeast region, NRC and its partners are leading emergency response through the First line Emergency Response (FLER) Consortium’s earthquake response across the Southeast states. Following Rapid Needs Assessments conducted from March 29-30 in East Bago and Kayin state, their partners have identified approximately 332 households requiring shelter repair, kitchen kits, and food assistance in East Bago and roughly 107 households in Kayin with shelter repair, cash for food, and hygiene/dignity kits. Assessments are ongoing.
Oxfam America—EIN: 23-069110—Oxfam is working closely with local partners to ensure aid reaches those most in need. Oxfam’s priority remains clear: to save lives, preserve dignity, and prevent further suffering. First response supplies—including hygiene kits, dignity kits, and family kits—are already being dispatched to the worst-affected areas to meet immediate needs and support survivors through this critical period. Response efforts include multi-purpose cash distribution, WASH, food security, and emergency shelter.
Partners Relief & Development—EIN: 22-3786806—The Partners relief team is on the ground in Myanmar doing a needs assessment in Shan state. Its team plans to join relief efforts near Taunggyi, southeast of Mandalay. As always, Parners will focus on the hard-to-reach places to deliver food and other assistance.
PLAN International USA – EIN: 13-5661832 – PLAN has an established presence in both Thailand and Myanmar. Its teams are currently mobilizing to assess needs, but early reports suggest that Mandalay has been the worst hit with the airport possibly having collapsed, hospitals overwhelmed, and infrastructure severely damaged. Immediate response will likely focus on providing dignity kits (containing soap, toothbrush & toothpaste, menstrual health supplies, and other essentials), ensuring child protection and the continuation of education, and providing psychosocial support.
Project Hope – EIN: 53-0242962 – In response to the catastrophic 7.7 earthquake that struck Myanmar, Project HOPE is mobilizing an emergency response to assess local health infrastructure and provide medical care, critical supplies, and other aid to people impacted by this devastating earthquake.
Relief International USA – EIN: 95-4300662 – Relief International has been responding rapidly, deploying seven Emergency Response Teams to assess needs and provide immediate assistance in 12 affected townships in Southern Shan State. So far, its teams have mobilized two mobile health units to provide urgent medical care in the hardest-hit areas. However, the scale of destruction requires a significant expansion of response, including: additional mobile health teams to increase medical outreach; distribution of pre-positioned non-food items (NFIs) to displaced families; multi-purpose cash assistance to support families in crisis; emergency shelter and WASH support to ensure safe drinking water and sanitation; and protection services, including psychosocial support, particularly for women, children, and vulnerable groups.
Save the Children – EIN: 06-0726487 – Save the Children has been working in Myanmar since 1995, providing life-saving healthcare, food and nutrition, education, and child protection programs. Its teams in Thailand are assessing the extent of structural damage to schools in the north of the country and along the border with Myanmar. The earthquake has disrupted already limited hygiene and sanitation services and access to learning at the border.
Shelterbox USA—EIN: 20-0471604—Shelterbox’s assessment team has arrived in Bangkok and will likely provide emergency shelter and non-food items to families displaced by the disaster with prepositioned aid.
Veterinarians Without Borders North America – EIN: 92-2618654 – VWB has mobilized its emergency response team and is conducting a needs assessment with local veterinary partners in the affected areas. The earthquake occurred in a high livestock-density area. Its team will continue monitoring the evolving situation and work with local partners to refine and scale response. VWB aims to meet immediate needs, build resilience, and support long-term recovery for affected families and animals.
WeltHungerHilfe – Fiscally Sponsored by Myriad USA – EIN: 58-2277856 – WeltHungerHilfe has activated its emergency fund and supported 12,000 households in Mandalay, Natogyi, Myingyan, and Singu with multi-purpose cash assistance, water and hygiene products, food assistance, and direct cash support for the people affected by the earthquake.
