Sharing Hope with the People of Myanmar
Sharing Hope with the People of Myanmar
World Renew is actively responding to the recent earthquakes in Myanmar. Read below to learn more about our response from Ruairidh Waddell, World Renew’s chief program and impact officer, who recently visited Myanmar.
Greetings from Myanmar, where I’m looking out at the Yangon River, part of the Great Irrawaddy Delta. Not many miles up this river sits the twin cities of Sagaing and Mandalay. On March 28, magnitude 7.7 and 6.6 earthquakes decimated these two bustling cities—both centers of regional trade and industry in the heart of Myanmar—and reduced them to rubble.
My team and I have been meeting with World Renew partners to assess the damage and determine the most effective ways to provide support to displaced families in Myanmar. Thousands of people have lost their homes, and while some buildings are still standing, ongoing aftershocks threaten to bring them down, making them inhabitable.
Right now, our partner staff are hard at work in the earthquake zone providing food, shelter, water, and emergency medical assistance to the thousands displaced, the thousands grieving, and the thousands needing the hope that, with your support, we can provide.
Over the last two weeks, we’ve heard many stories of desperation, loss, and sorrow, but also stories of hope, triumph, and God’s mercies. As I’ve listened to those stories, I’ve noted a recurring theme: shoes.
Recently, here in Yangon, I walked to the local convenience store to buy some water. On the way, I passed a shoe store where a woman was packing up hundreds of wrapped items. I stopped to ask her what she was doing, and she told me that she was donating 300 pairs of shoes and toys from her shop for children in the earthquake zone because that was what she had to give. I was moved to tears.
During my time in Myanmar, I’ve met, joined, and prayed with our partners who have risen to this monumental challenge. With support like yours, as of last week, 12,926 households have received food and water assistance to address the most pressing survival needs. 16,220 people have received emergency cash transfers to cover essential needs—like food, water, and shelter—for one month. 617 households have received personal hygiene kits, cooking implements, cutlery, and tarps to provide some protection from the blistering 104-degree temperatures and forecasted rain.
World Renew will continue to help Myanmar for as long as it takes our partners and their communities to rebuild, restore, and reconcile their lives. We need your support to help them get there.
Please continue to give generously to support our Myanmar response.
World Renew is actively responding to the recent earthquakes in Myanmar. Read below to learn more about our response from Ruairidh Waddell, World Renew’s chief program and impact officer, who recently visited Myanmar.
Greetings from Myanmar, where I’m looking out at the Yangon River, part of the Great Irrawaddy Delta. Not many miles up this river sits the twin cities of Sagaing and Mandalay. On March 28, magnitude 7.7 and 6.6 earthquakes decimated these two bustling cities—both centers of regional trade and industry in the heart of Myanmar—and reduced them to rubble.
My team and I have been meeting with World Renew partners to assess the damage and determine the most effective ways to provide support to displaced families in Myanmar. Thousands of people have lost their homes, and while some buildings are still standing, ongoing aftershocks threaten to bring them down, making them inhabitable.
Right now, our partner staff are hard at work in the earthquake zone providing food, shelter, water, and emergency medical assistance to the thousands displaced, the thousands grieving, and the thousands needing the hope that, with your support, we can provide.
Over the last two weeks, we’ve heard many stories of desperation, loss, and sorrow, but also stories of hope, triumph, and God’s mercies. As I’ve listened to those stories, I’ve noted a recurring theme: shoes.
Recently, here in Yangon, I walked to the local convenience store to buy some water. On the way, I passed a shoe store where a woman was packing up hundreds of wrapped items. I stopped to ask her what she was doing, and she told me that she was donating 300 pairs of shoes and toys from her shop for children in the earthquake zone because that was what she had to give. I was moved to tears.
During my time in Myanmar, I’ve met, joined, and prayed with our partners who have risen to this monumental challenge. With support like yours, as of last week, 12,926 households have received food and water assistance to address the most pressing survival needs. 16,220 people have received emergency cash transfers to cover essential needs—like food, water, and shelter—for one month. 617 households have received personal hygiene kits, cooking implements, cutlery, and tarps to provide some protection from the blistering 104-degree temperatures and forecasted rain.
World Renew will continue to help Myanmar for as long as it takes our partners and their communities to rebuild, restore, and reconcile their lives. We need your support to help them get there.
Please continue to give generously to support our Myanmar response.
