Major 7.7-magnitude earthquake strikes Myanmar

Our thoughts are with BRAC’s 510 colleagues, our programme participants, and partners in Myanmar, where a 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck Friday, March 28th just before 1pm local time.

YANGON, MYANMAR – Our thoughts are with BRAC’s 510 colleagues, our programme participants, and partners in Myanmar, where a 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck just before 1pm local time on Friday, followed by strong aftershocks. We are grateful to report that our Yangon colleagues are all reported safe. BRAC staff in Yangon are now checking with on our team members in dozens of locations across the country.

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, the white exterior walls on the second floor of a BRAC office are shown to have separated from the corner. Below, a second photo shows the damaged interior of a BRAC office, with many items leaning or fallen over.

Notes to the editor

About BRAC

BRAC was founded in and has been working in Bangladesh for 53 years. Together with government, civil society organisations, communities and businesses, BRAC teams have worked with more than 130 million people living with inequality and poverty to create opportunities to realize human potential. BRAC operates as a solutions ecosystem, including social development programs, social enterprises, humanitarian response, a bank, and a university. Outside of Bangladesh, BRAC works with communities in marginalised situations, hard-to-reach areas, and post-disaster settings across Asia and Africa, with a particular focus on women and children.

About BRAC Europe

BRAC Europe is a registered charity supporting BRAC’s development work around the world by developing partnerships with like-minded organisations in Europe. BRAC Europe also plays a leading role in BRAC’s work engaging with and influencing policy makers and practitioners to tackle extreme poverty.