After Strongest Earthquake in a Century, Children in Myanmar and on the Thai-Myanmar Border Need Urgent Humanitarian Support – Save the Children

YANGON/BANGKOK, (March 29, 2025) – Children and families in Myanmar need urgent humanitarian support after the strongest earthquake in a century [1] struck the country, causing widespread damage and casualties with many people still unaccounted for, Save the Children said.

The earthquake's epicentre lay just outside Mandalay, Myanmar's second-largest city, and with a magnitude of 7.7, it was the strongest earthquake recorded anywhere in the world since the quake that hit Turkiye and Syria in 2023. Myanmar has now declared a state of emergency across six regions[2], with the death toll rising by the hour as the search for survivors continues.[3]

In neighboring Thailand, where a state of emergency has also been declared, Save the Children is assessing the extent of structural damage to schools in the north of the country and along the border with Myanmar. The earthquake has severely impacted over 28,000 children living in refugee camps, further worsening their already vulnerable situation due to recent aid funding cuts.

Jeremy Stoner, Interim Asia Regional Director at Save the Children, said:

"The earthquake has upended lives across Myanmar and in parts of Thailand, and there are children and families who will need our urgent support as they come to terms with what has happened.

"Following a disaster of this scale, we expect the immediate and long-term needs to be access to a safe place to sleep, food, water, health care and education, as well as protection from the increased risks of violence, exploitation and abuse. Children will also need emotional support in the days, weeks and months following this earthquake, and an immediate and concerted effort from the international community will be critical in responding to the needs of children and communities in Myanmar and Thailand."

Thailand is home to about 3.9 million migrant workers [4], many of them from neighboring Myanmar, and many children in the country will never have experienced something like the latest tremor in their lifetime.

Guillaume Rachou, Executive Director of Save the Children Thailand, said:

"We're working with local partners across Thailand to understand the impact to schools, children and families, including the poor and migrant communities that we work with, and to identify structural damage to schools that might be unsafe for children to return to.

"For refugee children living along the Thai-Myanmar border, the earthquake has disrupted already limited hygiene and sanitation services, and many school buildings which were already fragile have suffered structural damage or become unsafe due to aftershocks."

Over one million migrants live in Bangkok, and some who live in overcrowded and poorly built housing will face increased risk of displacement and difficulty accessing social services.

At least 40 people, including 12 children, from migrant communities reported forced displacement, forcing them into overcrowded temporary shelters with inadequate sanitation, food, and medical services. However, this number is likely to change as the impact of the earthquake and tremors becomes clear.

Save the Children has been working in Myanmar since 1995, providing life-saving healthcare, food and nutrition, education and child protection programs.  

Save the Children has worked in Thailand since 1979. Save the Children Thailand works to support children who are most impacted by discrimination and inequality through programmes on education, child protection, livelihood and child rights governance.

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NOTES

[1] Bloomberg: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-03-28/earthquake-shakes-buildings-in-bangkok-ho-chi-minh

[2] https://eng.mizzima.com/2025/03/28/20560

[3] https://www.bbc.com/news/live/c4gex01m7n5t

[4] https://thailand.iom.int/labour-mobility-and-social-inclusion