Dear Friend,
Thank you for partnering with us to help families facing poverty and uncertainty discover dignity and renewed hope.
Today, I need to share an urgent update from Myanmar. Across the country, families are facing enormous challenges. Conflict, economic instability, and extreme weather are disrupting livelihoods and forcing people to rebuild with very little. According to the United Nations, an estimated 3.6 million people are internally displaced. In March 2025, a major earthquake in Myanmar killed thousands and left critical infrastructure in ruins, resulting in widespread and deepening poverty, particularly for those displaced.
A parish priest serving a community of displaced people shared:
“Everyone in our community is struggling with depression because they left their homes and livestock suddenly. They could only bring a small amount of things. So many people are having mental problems from the trauma. When they go to buy the basics, like pots and utensils for cooking, they are overwhelmed with grief because they have all these things at home but had to leave them behind, including their land and livestock, which provided their livelihood. Everyone struggles for their daily food. Many men and older children have gone abroad to find basic work to provide for their families, which means more trauma as families are separated.”
Yet, in the midst of these hardships, something powerful is happening.
Through Savings Groups, business training, and spiritual formation led by local churches, participants are learning how to save, invest, and start small businesses that support their families. They are building resilience — financially and spiritually — together.
As one entrepreneur Myat shared,
“This group is so helpful for me as a business woman. I am able to take a loan to buy my materials and then sell them, I can pay back quickly and the profit is so helpful. Through my profit, I have bought my motorbike and I can repair it. I also support my mother – who is of poor health, and I can pay for my younger sister’s education.
Our group meets monthly, and we have time for discussion and fellowship together. We are friends and know each other's challenges and help with advice and sharing of what is happening.
We save different amounts in our group, depending on what we have. Some save mmk 30,000 ($7.5) and some less of mmk 10,000 ($2.5) monthly. We keep the savings in a box, but mostly the funds are given out as loans. We make sure we have turns taking out loans, and keep the interest low at 3%. Pay back the loans within 6 months, but sometimes sooner, depending on the amount. Annually there’s a share-out, and we immediately start saving again. Each year, we’ve increased our monthly savings, the first year we started with just saving mmk 5,000 ($1.25). It is also good to be able to save for special needs."
This spring, a generous donor has offered to match every gift dollar for dollar until April 30, up to $40,000! That means your gift today can have twice the impact.
Will you help us reach our goal and equip more families across Myanmar and elsewhere with the tools they need to build stable livelihoods and renewed hope?
