Rebuilding from the ground up in Myanmar

A year after the earthquake, recovery is taking shape not only in what has been rebuilt, but in how communities are reconnecting. Across affected areas, the restoration of roads, pathways and public infrastructure is helping people return to daily routines such as accessing markets, schools and services, and gradually rebuilding livelihoods. Often led by communities themselves, these efforts are laying the foundations for a recovery that extends beyond physical repairs.

In a village near Nay Pyi Daw, what had once been a muddy path is now a concrete road lined with solar-powered streetlights. For years, residents had worked to build it themselves. When the earthquake struck, the effort stalled, with nearly 900 metres unfinished.

When construction resumed, it was not simply about finishing what had been left behind. It was about restoring a connection – to schools, to health services, to work, and to daily routines.

“The road is important for commuting to school, for daily work and for health,” one youth volunteer said. “Before, it was muddy and very difficult to travel.”

Now, even in the rainy season, people can move more freely. Children reach school more safely. Small-scale farming and local activities, once disrupted, are gradually resuming. Across earthquake-affected areas of central Myanmar, recovery has often begun in similar ways — by restoring the pathways that allow everyday life to function. In some locations, these efforts have been complemented by support from partners such as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), including the installation of solar-powered lighting to improve safety and accessibility along rehabilitated roads.

Restoring the links that sustain daily life

When the earthquake struck on 28 March 2025, it damaged more than homes. Roads split, water sources were disrupted, and access to markets, schools and clinics became uncertain.
 

In the immediate aftermath, large volumes of debris had to be cleared before recovery could begin. An estimated 3.5 million metric tons of debris required removal to enable safe access and reconstruction. To date, more than 79,560 metric tons have been cleared, enabling access for over 544,000 people, including through efforts supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Additional clearance of over 108,000 metric tons is planned, alongside debris sorting and recycling to repurpose materials and create income opportunities for affected communities.

Restoring these connections has required sustained support over the past year. Across affected areas, efforts to repair roads, rehabilitate community infrastructure and restore access to basic services have been supported by a range of international and local partners, working alongside communities themselves.

In Mandalay’s Amarapura Township, where daily income depends on the steady movement of goods and customers, damaged roads brought activity to a halt.

“Our sales declined after the earthquake because no one could get through,” said Daw Khin San Lwin, who has run her shop for over thirty years.

As access improved, so did business. Goods could be transported again, customers returned, and routines slowly resumed. “My business is alive again,” she said.

In this way, repairing infrastructure has not only restored physical access, but also helped revive local economies and reconnect communities to the systems they rely on. While the scale of needs remains significant, these investments have helped re-establish the conditions for daily life, allowing people to move, work and reconnect.

Alongside access restoration, housing repair has also been a key priority. Around 24,200 housing units were damaged or destroyed, with approximately 2,500 homes repaired or reconstructed to date, including nearly 2,000 supported by UNDP, benefiting more than 8,200 people. Efforts are expected to scale up further, with plans to support up to 9,500 additional homes.

Built with communities

In many areas, reconstruction has been shaped by the people it is intended to serve.

In Thalay Oo Inn Village, Shan State, Mon Mon Oo, 34, was selected by her community to oversee construction work. She supervises workers, manages materials and ensures wages are paid; responsibilities that place her at the centre of the rebuilding process.

“Our development depends on having a good road,” she said.

Since completion, travel has become easier, even during the rainy season. Access to services has improved, and local economic activity has begun to return.

At the same time, the work has created opportunities beyond the immediate task. For some, it has meant gaining practical skills that can be used in the future.

Many of these community-based recovery activities have been supported through livelihoods-focused initiatives, including those led by the International Labour Organization (ILO), helping local workers build skills while contributing directly to reconstruction efforts.

Young workers, like 20-year-old Mg Tint Zin, have developed an interest in continuing in construction, building on what they have learned through hands-on experience and skills training.

Across affected areas, rebuilding has also changed how decisions are made. Community members describe a shift toward more open and inclusive processes, where discussions are held publicly, and a wider range of voices are involved.

In Shan State, community leader U Sai Aung Hlaing explained that decisions are now made through consultation, with input from different groups within the village. In Mandalay Region, similar approaches have emerged, with women and young people taking on more visible roles in discussions and planning. Across affected areas, community mechanisms have been mobilized and strengthened to plan and lead recovery activities. For example, UNDP has supported around 2,500 such mechanisms, illustrating the scale of community-driven recovery efforts.

Trust has become an important part of this process.

In some communities, residents have been directly involved in reviewing work as it progresses — checking records, inspecting construction, and confirming that what was planned has been delivered. For Daw Aye Aye Than, this level of transparency was new. Being able to see and verify the work, she said, helped build confidence and a stronger sense of shared responsibility.

Recovery that brings people together

In some places, rebuilding has also created new connections.

Activities linked to reconstruction and skills development have brought together people from different backgrounds who might not otherwise have worked side by side.

Women from different ethnic communities in Shan State have spent time learning and working together, sharing skills and supporting one another. What began as training has, in some cases, developed into ongoing collaboration — with women producing for local markets together.

In Mandalay Region, similar cooperation has taken place on construction sites, where people from different religious backgrounds have worked alongside one another. As one community supervisor described it, the work itself became a shared experience – rebuilding roads, laying pathways and contributing to something that serves everyone. These interactions, while informal, have contributed to a broader sense of connection – an aspect of recovery that is less visible than infrastructure, but no less significant. Community-driven recovery efforts have also helped strengthen social cohesion, reducing the risk of tensions and supporting more inclusive local development.

Foundations for what comes next

One year on, the signs of recovery are becoming more visible. Roads are repaired, access has improved, and movement is easier. But the impact of these changes goes beyond what can be seen.

They shape how people reach services, how they earn a living, and how communities organize themselves for the future.

Critical infrastructure recovery has also progressed across affected areas, with community facilities, irrigation systems and essential services being restored. To date, hundreds of facilities have been rehabilitated or constructed, improving access to services and livelihoods for more than 466,000 people, including water support reaching 200,000 people. With continued support from partners such as UNDP, these efforts are expected to expand significantly, with plans to restore or construct over 1,000 additional facilities reaching approximately 1.3 million people. In many areas, systems are already in place to maintain what has been rebuilt, managed by the communities themselves.

At the same time, significant needs remain.

Many communities continue to face gaps in access, services and infrastructure, requiring sustained support to ensure that recovery reaches all affected areas. How recovery unfolds in the years ahead will depend not only on what is rebuilt, but on how these efforts continue to support people in reconnecting with the systems they rely on every day.

This story is informed by field inputs and programme data from United Nations agencies, international and national non-governmental organizations and local partners supporting recovery efforts in earthquake-affected areas of Myanmar, including the provision of livelihoods support, agricultural inputs, cash assistance, training and essential services.