Understanding local systems, filling the gaps – community voices driving a more practical response to the crisis in Myanmar
Photo credit: Myo Min Tun/IRC
On 28 March 2025, two earthquakes struck Myanmar, destroying homes and vital infrastructure, and leaving 2 million people in urgent need of assistance and protection. Thes disasters have worsened an already dire humanitarian crisis in a country where nearly 20 million people are estimated to required aid. Ground Truth Solutions and partners, with support from the H2H Network and UK aid, are responding to this crisis by amplifying community perspectives and informing humanitarian action through targeted research.
We are talking with community members, local leaders, and mutual aid groups to gather first-hand insight into people’s priorities. Our goal is to understand how people in Myanmar support each other, the barriers they face in accessing aid, and their experiences with different types of assistance. A key focus of this project is to learn about mutual aid efforts - how communities organise themselves to provide support in contexts where formal humanitarian access is so limited. Data and stories will be analysed locally, shared and discussed with both local communities and humanitarian actors.
In this project we aim to:
Bridge information gaps and provide real-time insight to enhance the coordination and effectiveness of the humanitarian response
Support local actors in advocating for approaches that best align with community needs
Influence humanitarian action and encourage humanitarian actors to adopt a more community-centric approach, leveraging existing capacities and fostering mutual support
