To assist 1.2 million survivors of the earthquake
UNHCR, the UN agency for refugees, asks for 16 million dollars to assist 1.2 million people who survived the devastating earthquake last week in Myanmar. UNHCR will use funds to expand its emergency interventions, manage the sites where the displaced people are welcomed and support vulnerable people in six regions affected until the end of the year.
In the week following the earthquake that hit the central Myanmar, the UNHCR distributed the existing stocks in the country, including plastic sheets and kitchen sets, for about 25,000 survivors in the regions of Mandalay, Sagaing and Bago, as well as in the capital Nay Pyi Taw and in some parts of the Shan (South) state.
As part of the inter-aging response to the earthquake, UNHCR is guiding the response on accommodation, emergency rescue articles, coordination of fields and protection.
The agency is mobilizing supplies from its warehouses in Myanmar for another 25,000 people, but will have to urgently supply the stocks to meet the massive needs in the areas that suffer from the impact of the earthquake, as well as for four years of conflict and forced movements. These rescue articles are fundamental for people who have lost everything, including the means to buy supplies, since some local markets are not yet functional.
Additional funding will allow UNHCR to procure and distribute emergency kits and rescue articles and to provide assistance to survivors during the first weeks and the first months of recovery. Where sites are set up to welcome the displaced people, the UNHCR will coordinate the work to improve the provision of services and mitigate the risks.
Thanks to funding, UNHCR will also strengthen protection services, including legal assistance, psychosocial support and interventions for children, women and people with disabilities. The efforts will continue to support and facilitate safe humanitarian access to the areas affected through local partnerships.
