You will have seen the devastating news that Myanmar was struck by a 7.7 magnitude earthquake on Friday 28th March, the strongest earthquake to hit the country in decades. Minutes later, a second earthquake struck, followed by more aftershocks.

Millions of people have been affected, with many left without access to safe shelter, food or clean water. An estimated 2,600 people are confirmed to have died, with the death toll expected to rise.

People in Myanmar were already facing a severe humanitarian crisis, with over a third of the population in need of aid. One in four people already did not have enough to eat.

Now the situation is even more critical. The country’s authorities have declared a state of emergency and made a rare request for international humanitarian aid.

As a local community, we wish to make a contribution to the relief effort to help victims of the earthquake.