Preparedness a priority

Call for support

The amount is "a lot less than expected", Alexander Matheou from the IFRC tells Reuters via video link in Mandalay.

According to a report released by the United Nations on its website on April 18, 4.3 million people urgently need clean water and sanitation.

Malnutrition is a growing concern, particularly among children as food insecurity worsens. Education infrastructure and farmlands have also been hit hard. On top of this, the report adds, women and children have become more vulnerable.

Mariko Hall, external relations officer of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, or UNHCR, told ANN that 17.2 million people were affected by the earthquake. It also reduced homes, hospitals, and schools to rubble, she added, disrupting markets and essential services, including water and sanitation.

For earthquake-affected communities, Hall said the most urgent needs include emergency shelter, core relief items such as solar lamps, tarpaulins, mosquito nets, tents, kitchen sets, and safe drinking water, food, and healthcare.

"Particularly ahead of the monsoon season, with risk of floods and landslides, shelter support is essential so that people have somewhere safe to live," she added.

Given the existing challenges on the ground, compounded by powerful aftershocks and heavy rains, Hall told ANN that to ensure rapid response, they had to reprioritize existing resources and dispatch emergency supplies from Yangon to assist survivors.

Hall said the ability of UNHCR to deliver humanitarian aid and provide protection assistance largely depends on generous donations from individuals and the international community.

"The UNHCR's total funding requirements for Myanmar in 2025 is $88.3 million to assist displaced people and their host communities," she shared, adding that "As of the end of March, less than 20 percent of funding had been secured."

"At this critical time, the people of Myanmar need the support of the international community more than ever."