Seventeen-year-old Myat Thu* lives with his family in Mandalay. He remembers the moment the quake hit: “That day, I went to buy curry for lunch because my mom asked me to. When the first quake hit, I ran out of the shop and lay prone in the field. The ground swayed very heavily for a long time. I had never encountered anything like this. I felt a bit lightheaded.”
Back home, Myat Thu discovered his family’s house was damaged and had partially sunk into the ground. “But luckily, nobody got hurt. The fear still lingers … and I always think it might be an earthquake whenever I hear a loud sound.”
Even while scared, he helped his neighbours: “When everything calmed down, my friends and I went around our neighbourhood to learn about the situation and helped people who needed some heavy lifting. We also helped repair the roads.”
Through a children’s network facilitated by one of Save the Children’s local partners, Myat Thu found support and more ways to give back. “After the earthquake, we organised frequent meetings and discussed ways to help children feel better, lessen their fears, and support one another. We also received psychosocial support and awareness sessions which helped me feel better.”
“Whenever I feel down or angry, I usually play the guitar,” says Myat Thu, who is glad he has discovered ways to cope with his complex emotions.
He also helped lead peer-to-peer activities: “We meet with other children, tell them jokes or stories, and play with them.”
What your support has made possible
Thanks to our donors, Save the Children has been able to help ensure children like Myat Thu have everything they need to get life back to normal:
- Child protection and mental health: We set up 47 safe spaces, giving 14,000 children places to play and receive emotional support. We also provided mental health and psychosocial support to 13,000 people, including 4,000 children.
- Education: We created 96 temporary learning spaces for 5,000 children, and delivered kits for students and teachers so that learning could continue.
- Essential assistance: Families received cash, food and emergency kits; more than 190,000 people accessed clean water and 12,000 hygiene kits; more than 1,000 shelters were established.
- Health & nutrition: Five mobile clinics provided emergency care to more than 22,000 people, with nearly 14,000 medical consultations and targeted nutrition support for children and mothers.
The road ahead
Save the Children has worked in Myanmar for more than 30 years and will continue helping families rebuild homes, restore education and strengthen children’s wellbeing. Over the next six months, we aim to reach 300,000 people, including 150,000 children.
With your continued support, we can keep children safe, learning and hopeful as recovery continues.
Photos: Save the Children