Dear John,

I hope this message finds you well. I am reaching out to you today from Yangon, Myanmar, with an urgent appeal for help. A few hours ago, a powerful earthquake struck Myanmar, causing widespread devastation and leaving countless families in desperate need of assistance.

The news is devastating, especially as many affected communities observe Ramadan, a deeply significant month for them. The central and northwest parts of Myanmar are the areas hardest hit by this catastrophe. They host the highest number of internally displaced people in the country - 1.6 million people - out of the total 3.5 million, due to the conflict that had been going on for over four years and displaced some communities multiple times. This catastrophe will no doubt exacerbate the hardships endured by these people who we have been serving, along with our partners, with emergency assistance, shelter and livelihoods projects.

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is on the ground in affected areas and scaling up to provide emergency support. We’re preparing emergency shelters, essential supplies like blankets and sleeping mats, and protection services to be able to support the most vulnerable affected families - but we need your help to scale up our response.

You can help deliver urgent support to displaced families. If you can, would you consider making a gift today? Your donation can change lives by delivering critical aid to displaced people.

Every contribution, no matter the size, can make a difference.

Noriko Takagi
Representative, UNHCR Myanmar