The devastating earthquake in Myanmar is a stark reminder of the importance of timely and effective disaster response efforts in the face of overwhelming human need. Gabriella Waaijman, SCI Chief Operating Officer explains further in this opinion piece.
The devastating earthquake in Myanmar, that has killed at least 2,000 people with the number rising daily, is a stark reminder of the importance of timely and effective disaster response efforts in the face of overwhelming human need - at a time when the global aid system is facing an unprecedented crisis.
As rescuers scramble to save lives in and around Mandalay and organisations race to provide water, food and shelter to affected communities, the tragedy again lays bare the need of a well-funded, coordinated global aid system. The United Nations has made an urgent appeal for funding as aid agencies such as Save the Children warn of a worsening humanitarian crisis in Myanmar.
After the earthquake on 28 March, a state of emergency was declared in the six most impacted regions - Sagaing, Mandalay, Magway, Bago, Shan, and Naypyidaw. These regions are home to more than 28 million people – about half of Myanmar’s population. Children and families in these regions were already vulnerable due to persistent conflicts and other crises, needed humanitarian assistance even before this disaster, with about 1.1 million children estimated to in need of critical support.
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Our staff are telling us of the terror last Friday when the 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck, with children screaming and now unable to sleep, fearing another earthquake is coming. Some were at school when the earthquake hit and others were on school buses returning home. Many people are too frightened to return to their homes and are instead sleeping out in the open, under makeshift shelters.
Thousands of homes have been destroyed. Hospitals are damaged and overstretched with nearly 4,000 people injured. Roads and bridges have been ripped up, making access to areas near impossible, and disruption to electricity and telecoms networks means accurate information is hard to come by.
Several countries have pledged funds for the relief effort. Save the Children and its partners in Myanmar have supplies in warehouses across the country to distribute to affected communities, including toiletries, blankets, tarpaulins for makeshift shelters and learning and recreational materials for children. We will provide cash to families so they can buy food, medicine and other essentials, and ensure access to clean water, sanitation items and health services.
We also know from experience that aid is most effective with strong local partners and with the help of communities – they are the first to respond and they are often the ones who also have to live through a disaster such as the recent earthquake while also providing lifesaving aid themselves.
The need for an international aid response like this highlights the critical role of international assistance - just as looming aid cuts threaten to undercut the very programmes that provide lifesaving relief in times of such crises. A powerful earthquake of this magnitude overwhelms the capacity of any country.
On request, the United Nations, international NGOs, and foreign governments step in to fill the gaps, based on a division of labour agreed in UN resolutions and coordinated via the UN. Such efforts require funding - and this is funding that will be significantly reduced if the cuts to foreign aid budgets continue.
