On Friday, a massive 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck Myanmar, sending shockwaves throughout the nation and into neighboring Thailand, including its capital city, Bangkok. Several powerful aftershocks also followed the initial quake. According to the Associated Press, the death toll from the earthquake has surpassed 2,000, with Myanmar officials telling the news agency that this number is expected to rise. 

Relief to the region will likely be slow, as the area is still suffering through power outages, while Myanmar has been embroiled in a civil war since 2021. 

However, there are still ways in which you can help citizens of both Myanmar and Thailand now and into the future. 

World Central Kitchen 

World Central Kitchen announced that its teams are en route to both Myanmar and Thailand to assist in recovery efforts. As always, its teams offer victims hot meals and a helping hand. It’s asking for donations to ensure its mobile teams can bring in the supplies they need to provide people with much-needed care.

International Rescue Committee (IRC)

The IRC is working with local organizations to bring essential supplies and services, including medical care and hygiene kits, to areas that are most in need. It noted that its “teams on the ground are reporting staggering humanitarian needs.” For now, it’s asking for monetary assistance to ensure it can continue bringing critical supplies to those who need them now and into the coming months. 

Save the Children

Save the Children specifically focuses on ensuring children and their families receive essential resources after a disaster. Following the earthquake, it began distributing kits containing “toiletries, blankets, tarpaulin for makeshift shelters and learning and recreational materials for children.” It too is asking for monetary aid. 

World Food Program (WFP) 

The WFP is already on the ground distributing ready-to-eat food and is preparing to dispatch to more earthquake-hit areas with meal kits to keep them sustained for as long as possible. As the organization noted, those living in Myanmar have already been hard-hit with food insecurity due to the war, making donating to this organization all the more important. 

Doctors Without Borders 

A critical issue right now is that regional hospitals are completely overwhelmed. That’s where organizations like Doctors Without Borders become absolutely essential. The non-profit’s teams of medical experts have already deployed to provide frontline medical care in hard-to-reach communities, including via mobile clinics. It’s also coordinating with local health authorities to assist with any existing medical services, which you can donate to and assist here. 

International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC)

IFRC is working with local Red Cross chapters to provide medical supplies, temporary shelter, and emergency kits to displaced people. Its teams are also helping to reunite families separated by the earthquake. “Despite facing damage to their own homes and facilities, Red Cross volunteers have acted with courage and speed to help their neighbors,” Alexander Matheou, Regional Director for Asia Pacific at the IFRC. shared in a release. “The magnitude of this disaster is substantial, and the need for support is urgent.” You can read more about its efforts and donate here. 

This story will be updated with additional resources as they become available.