Myanmar’s Earthquake Recovery: A Visual Gallery of Strength and Rebirth After Eight Months

On March 28, 2025, a devastating earthquake struck Myanmar, reducing homes to rubble, leaving behind irreparable loss and taking hundreds of lives. It also had a devastating impact on people already displaced by the ongoing conflict.

Despite the destruction, eight months later, families and communities are beginning to find their feet again.

The Earthquake’s Lingering Impact

Daw Swe Win remembers that day clearly. It was a quiet afternoon at the monastery. For months, the wooden shelter inside the monastery grounds had been a safe place for her family since they fled fighting in their village. The monks shared food and space with displaced families like hers, and though life was difficult, they were grateful to have a roof over their heads.

That afternoon, Daw Swe was cooking a meal after receiving rice from the monks. Her youngest of four played nearby with other children. Most of the adults had gone out to work, leaving only the elderly and young children in the shelter. Everything was quiet and normal — until the ground suddenly began to shake.

“It all happened so fast,” recalls Daw Swe Win, sitting beside her tent – now her home. “We are lucky the shelter collapsed during the second shake — we had just managed to get outside.”

That night, they slept outside on the ground with other families. The children cried, frightened by the aftershocks. “We had nothing,” Daw Swe recalls. “No mosquito nets — we just tried to help the children sleep.”

Their lives had already been full of hardship and loss due to the ongoing conflict, and the earthquake was another heavy blow when it completely destroyed the shelter.

Daily Life Made Possible

The earthquake happened in one of Myanmar’s hottest months and just before monsoon season.

Daw Swe Win and her family now live in a temporary shelter alongside other displaced families, trying to rebuild a sense of stability, safety, and daily routine amid the compounded challenges of displacement and disaster.

The new shelter is modest, with basic utilities, like pots and sleeping mats, that were donated by humanitarian organizations like UNHCR.

“I am thankful for all the things we have received,” she says, smiling softly.

Coping Amid Challenges

For Daw Swe, the most urgent need was shelter. For others, it was locating essential documents lost in the rubble or restarting their livelihoods activities.

Families affected by the earthquake are finding ways to regain independence and rebuild stability, taking on daily work to support themselves while living in temporary shelters.

Rebuilding Hope, One Brick at a Time

When the earthquake hit, Ko Thein Naing and his wife were downstairs, while their two daughters were upstairs. At the first shake, his wife began yelling and crying in fear. Without thinking, Ko Thein ran upstairs. He found his daughters crouched on the floor, frozen in shock, unable to move. He grabbed both of them, then rushed back down to his wife. Moments later, the floor above them collapsed with a loud crash.

His home was badly destroyed when the earthquake struck, and now, with patience and determination, he is reconstructing it with all the support he can get.

Since that day, Ko Thein Naing and his family have been living in a temporary shelter. Even now, months later, they are still rebuilding.

Restoring Communities

Alongside rebuilding his own home, he is helping neighbors who were also affected, sharing skills and labour to support the community.

Many families in the affected area are relying on each other as they navigate the challenges of post-earthquake life. His efforts highlight the strength and determination of individuals committed to restoring their communities.

“It’s not easy,” Ko Thein Naing says, “It will take quite some time before things start flowing again.”

“We will keep building step by step,” he says. “But many are struggling to rebuild.”

More than eight months on, families continue to face immense challenges, yet their determination and resilience remain strong. From temporary shelters to rebuilding homes brick by brick, individuals like Daw Swe Win and Ko Thein Naing are taking each step toward stability, safety, and hope.

With support from UNHCR and humanitarian partners, they have access to essential aid, but much more is needed to fully restore homes, livelihoods, and communities — including shelter repair support, emergency shelter assistance, non-food items (NFI) support, and other essential relief materials.

These stories reflect the courage, solidarity, and perseverance of people striving to rebuild their lives, showing that recovery is possible when support reaches those who need it most.

UNHCR continues to protect those still displaced in Myanmar and provide life-saving assistance to help communities recover and rebuild with dignity.

UNHCR is grateful for the critical support provided by the following donors to its Myanmar earthquake response. Donors that contributed $100,000 or above:

Australia | CERF | Aktionsbündnis Katastrophenhilfe GbR | Australia for UNHCR | Chellaram Foundation | Comitato Italiano UNICEF | España con ACNUR | FIFA Foundation | GlaxoSmithKline Services Unlimited | Japan for UNHCR | Private donors in Hong Kong SAR, Italy and Kingdom of the Netherlands | UNO-Flüchtlingshilfe | UK for UNHCR

UNHCR also extends its sincere appreciation to donors who have contributed softly earmarked and unearmarked funding to UNHCR’s operations in the region and globally, enabling a flexible and timely response:

Australia | Belgium | Canada | Denmark | European Union | France | Germany | Japan | Ireland | Netherlands (Kingdom of the) | Norway | Republic of Korea | Sweden | Switzerland | United Arab Emirates | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland | United States of America | AB MEDICA S.p.A | Adyen NV | Aotearoa New Zealand for UNHCR | Australia for UNHCR | COOP ITALIA | German Postcode Lottery | LONGi Green Energy Technology Co. Ltd. | King Baudouin Foundation | Private donors in Hong Kong SAR and Republic of Korea | Simmons and Simmons | UNO-Flüchtlingshilfe | UK for UNHCR

*This story was originally published on the UNHCR Asia Pacific website.