Our thoughts are with BRAC’s 510 colleagues, our program participants, and partners in Myanmar, where a 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck just before 1pm local time on Friday, followed by strong aftershocks. The death toll has reached 2,056, with more than 3,900 injured. At least 270 people are unaccounted for.

We are grateful to report that our Myanmar colleagues are all reported safe. However, at least six BRAC buildings have been reported as damaged by the earthquake.

“Right now, our team’s priority is to check on our program participants and clients, especially in the north, where connectivity is so badly damaged,” says Sazaduzzaman Sazad, Managing Director of BRAC Myanmar. “Understanding their needs will inform our response, and ensure that people get the support they need to recover.”

“My thoughts are with all our program participants, more than 500 BRAC colleagues, and all the communities affected by the earthquake across Myanmar,” Shameran Abed, Executive Director of BRAC International, shared on LinkedIn. “It’s difficult to imagine that I was just with them a few days ago celebrating BRAC’s 53rd anniversary, and now they are reeling from another disaster. We will do everything we can to support them through this latest crisis.”

BRAC has worked in Myanmar since 2013. Since then, BRAC has trained people in marketable skills and strengthening their links to markets, helping smallholder farmers adapt to climate change, and improving access to financial tools such as loans for those living in hard-to-reach areas, with a particular focus on women.

In Myanmar, BRAC’s previous work in agriculture, emergency preparedness and response, and financial inclusion has reached hundreds of thousands of people.

  • 254,000 people accessed microfinance services, of whom 94% are women
  • 10,000 families in conflict zones participated in life skills training, including 809 people with disabilities

Several BRAC offices in Myanmar have been damaged. Pictured above at left, the white exterior walls on the second floor of a BRAC office are shown to have separated from the corner. Above at right, a second photo shows the damaged interior of a BRAC office, with many items leaning or fallen over. Header image at top of page shows the exterior of a damaged office. The green walls are cracked and a garden wall has collapsed.

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