Myanmar Earthquake: How to Help
Project HOPE responded to the 7.7-magnitude 2025 earthquake in Myanmar, which caused catastrophic damage, a significant loss of life, and created urgent humanitarian needs.
This page is about a previous emergency response. For the latest on our current emergency response work, click here.
What We Know
- A deadly 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck Myanmar causing catastrophic damage
- Prior to the earthquake, nearly 20 million people were in need of humanitarian assistance and over 3 million people were internally displaced
- WASH services, medication, and food were severely disrupted
- The mental health impacts of earthquakes can be severe for children and leave a lasting impact
Following the devastating 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck Myanmar on March 28, 2025, Project HOPE quickly deployed an emergency response team to address immediate health and humanitarian needs. With more than 3,725 people killed and at least 17 million people within the country impacted and 9 million severely affected, the earthquake exacerbated an already dire humanitarian crisis.
In Mandalay, multiple buildings, a bridge, and a monastery collapsed. The disaster was compounded in lowland areas after water infrastructure was damaged and floods and monsoons affected the area.
Mandalay General Hospital received a high influx of patients and dozens were treated in the parking lot in over 100-degree temperatures. A shortage of supplies was reported at hospitals near the epicenter of the earthquake and a state of emergency was put in place across six central states of Myanmar, including Sagaing, Mandalay, Bago, Easter Shan, Mayway, and Naypyidaw.
The local government requested assistance from the international community and the United Nations system activated a response. The earthquake was felt as far as China and Thailand. In Bangkok, an apartment tower collapsed, trapping over 100 construction workers below.
“This is a historic earthquake in a country that has long had a history of adversity — where millions were already displaced and tens of millions were already in need of humanitarian aid — making the consequences of this disaster even more catastrophic.”
– Arlan Fuller, Director of Emergency Response
Project HOPE’s Response
As part of its response, Project HOPE worked with trusted local partners to deliver lifesaving aid. So far, Project HOPE has:
- Delivered water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) support through the distribution of over 7,800 hygiene kits and the construction of 20 emergency latrines.
- Installed two mobile water filtration systems, which have capacity to serve over 22,000 people a week at the rate of 5,000 liters/hour of clean water.
- Operated mobile medical units in Nyaungshwe and Southern Shan, where teams treated 993 patients in the first four weeks.
- Throughout our response, local partners provided over 11,700 consultations at 115 mobile clinic site visits , ensuring access to basic medical consultations, treatment, health education, and referral services, while also monitoring for disease outbreaks during the critical early recovery phase.
- Reached 425 people dealing with trauma and distress after the disaster with MHPSS services.
- Provided stipends to local health workers to deliver Psychological First Aid (PFA) within their own communities in Southern Shan to address the mental health needs of survivors.
- Collaborated with WHO and local civil society organizations to procure and distribute bed nets, medicines, hygiene kits, and additional non-food items in the Mandalay area.
Project HOPE responded to several earthquake disasters in recent years including the 2023 Earthquake in Türkiye and Syria, the 2023 earthquake in Morocco, and the 2022 earthquake in Indonesia.
