Christian organisations in Myanmar are still supporting people who lost everything when a devastating earthquake struck the country exactly a year ago.
The 7.7 magnitude quake killed thousands of people, with many more injured and displaced.
Since then, organisations such as the Catholic aid agency CAFOD and World Vision have been supporting people and helping them begin to rebuild their lives.
Richard Sloman, is CAFOD's representative for Bangladesh and Myanmar. He told Premier: “Many people remember the TV pictures of shaking buildings in Bangkok in Thailand a year ago, but very little was seen of the devastation close to the epicentre, which was in neighbouring Myanmar.
“As time went on, people realized how serious the earthquake was. We now know it killed over 5000 people. 10,000 people were left severely injured or in desperate need of medical care, and tens of thousands were left without homes.”
Working with the church, CAFOD and other Christian organisations found that in some areas, around 70% of the buildings had either been significantly damaged or completely collapsed. Their first response was to offer life-saving support in the form of food, water and shelter.
Richard Sloman said that despite a huge number of people saved “millions are still in need, particularly around the longer-term support, such as reconstruction of homes and helping them rebuild their lives and livelihoods.”
The challenges are made even greater because millions of people in Myanmar have already been displaced because of conflict, climate change and flooding.
World Vision said that families have still not recovered as they grapple with damaged farmland and property, disrupted markets, and the rising cost of basic goods.
Dr. Edward Zan, Senior Operations and Response Director of World Vision International Myanmar, said: “Children and their families were already living in fragile conditions, but the earthquake greatly worsened their situation. Despite support from humanitarian agencies, families face soaring prices for food and other essentials due to the compounding effects of intensified domestic conflict and the lingering economic disruption from the March 2025 earthquake.”