This is an article from the May 2025 Civitas Examiner (Volume 2, No. 2) and was written by one of our students, Alice C. The opinions expressed herein do not reflect those of Civitas other than respect for the value of open dialogue. To read more Civitas Examiner stories or to submit your own, click here.
On March 28, disaster struck in Myanmar as an earthquake with a rating of 7.7 wrecked havoc upon the lives of Mandalay citizens. With the recorded death toll as high as 3,500 and of the injured over 4,000, these numbers are expected to rise.
Unfortunately, the government of Myanmar is struggling to deal with this disaster due to the massive destruction caused by this natural disturbance, the possibility of an upcoming monsoon due to massive rains, and the most pressing matter, the ongoing civil war.
A result of these components is a disruption of the market, which will worsen the already devastating food and healthcare shortages. UN Secretary General António Guterres emphasized the importance of providing aid to Myanmar, where, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, more than 17 million people have been affected by the earthquake.
In addition to food scarcity, water and electricity shortages plague the most affected areas.
The UN has allocated a budget of five million dollars to the relief efforts for immediate aid and 12 million dollars for food, shelter, water, sanitation, debris removal, and healthcare.
The US government planned to provide two million dollars to fund relief efforts and is considering contributing another seven million dollars to provide aid for those impacted by the earthquake, but so far this relief has not addressed pertinent issues like the overwhelmed health system.
Unlike last year, when the US provided 141 million dollars of aid to Myanmar, it is unlikely that President Donald Trump will provide a similar amount this year, as many USAID programs, which provide foreign aid and developmental assistance outside of the US, were terminated earlier in the president’s term. The dissolution of these programs has already seen tremendous consequences around the world.
It’s estimated that 1.3 billion dollars of aid money were not utilized due to the cancellation of such USAID programs. This loss of aid is devastating to those who are suffering around the globe. Some of the countries and territories that are receiving less or no USAID aid at the moment include Syria, Haiti, Niger, Lebanon, Gaza, Yemen, and Afghanistan.
In countries such as Myanmar, where citizens are relying on aid to recover from this disaster, the loss of aid could be more devastating to survivors than the disaster itself. The global community needs to support its allies, or millions will continue to die needlessly as a result. The world today is incredibly interconnected and damage to one economy or peoples will undoubtedly have a universal impact.
The disorder caused by war is one of the main reasons that providing aid is so hard to those suffering from a multitude of unfortunate circumstances in the country. For context, Myanmar was under the leadership of a military government from 1962 to 2011, until the people of Myanmar attempted to establish a democratic government.
A coup in 2021 put a stop to progress as the military seized power, creating a civil war between the National League for Democracy (civilian armies) and the previous military government. In response to the attacks, the world imposed sanctions, with little impact, upon the government, who has since continued to enforce their regime upon the people through civilian attacks and mass killings.
The civil war, natural disasters, and potential threat of losing aid are all critical causes of Myanmar sorrow and worry. It is imperative that aid is continued to be provided since more disasters are likely to strike Myanmar soon with the approaching Monsoon season.
