What comes to mind when you hear “Myanmar”?
You might be drawing a blank. It’s possible you’ve never heard of this Southeast Asian country, nestled between Thailand, Laos, China, Bangladesh, and India. Or maybe, you know it by its former name, Burma. You might recall headlines about the Rohingya refugee crisis, or perhaps you’ve seen a grim “Do Not Travel” warning buried in a list of safer destinations.
But Myanmar is not just a headline or an outline on a map. It’s home to 55 million people, each trying to survive chaos most of us can hardly imagine.
In March 2025, a 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck the country, killing at least 3,700 people. To put that magnitude in perspective, the quake registered Level X (Extreme) by the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale which ranges from I to XII. Followed by 140 aftershocks, some reaching 5.9 magnitude, the disaster utterly devastated homes, hospitals, schools, and entire towns. Nearly 190 health facilities were damaged.
And worse, the earthquake hit amid a deadly and ongoing civil war.
After gaining independence from British colonial rule in 1948, Myanmar never truly found peace, mired in active conflict for decades since. While a glimpse of peace surfaced in 2011, just ten years later in 2021, a military coup crushed the people’s progress toward democracy, reigniting the war.
Since then, more than 80,000 people have been killed. Myanmar has been carved into battle grounds, some held by the military, others by resistance forces and activists. The frontlines shift constantly, cutting through towns, hospitals, schools, and homes.
The situation has grown even more dire following the termination of 83% of USAID programs. The people of Myanmar have lost 25-40 percent of the humanitarian funding they depended on. Essential medicines are running out. Health facilities remain damaged. Illness, malnutrition, and conflict are mounting.
Today, over 20 million people in Myanmar urgently need humanitarian aid. Every day, their most basic human rights — access to health, food, water, shelter, and safety — are violated. And every day, the world’s silence perpetuates this suffering. Yet, the people of Myanmar endure, aspiring to a life of peace.
Myanmar may look like a faraway place on a map, but the struggles of its people is not distant. It’s a reflection of our shared humanity, a call to protect the universal right to dignity, safety, and hope. As global citizens, it is our duty to stand with the people of Myanmar, demand peace, support aid efforts, and keep their story alive.
Myanmar is facing an overwhelming humanitarian crisis, but there is a way you can help.
Social media has become a powerful, widely accessible, and free tool for activists. Awareness facilitates real change around the world, and the power to inform is in your hands, literally. Inform your friends, your family, your followers, and your community. Share and empower the voices and stories of Myanmar.
Donations make a direct impact. To supply essential medicines, staff emergency and health services, and treat people in hard-to-reach areas, funds are necessary, and contributions do not have to break the bank. Spare change here can make real change there.
Donate here to Medical Action Myanmar’s Disaster Relief Campaign to support their ongoing efforts to provide healthcare, clean water, and other basic necessities to Myanmar’s people.
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