AFSC
PHILADELPHIA (April 2, 2025) – On March 28, a 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck central Myanmar, killing thousands, collapsing buildings, and damaging essential infrastructure. The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) – a Quaker organization with a long history in the region – has launched a fundraising campaign to provide humanitarian relief.
“As funding for USAID has been decimated, it is more important than ever that people come together across geographies to support communities hard hit by natural disasters,” said Kerri Kennedy, AFSC’s Associate General Secretary for International Programs. “As a Quaker organization, we work with people of all faiths and backgrounds to transform unjust conditions and lay groundwork for lasting peace. Supporting community-led disaster relief in Myanmar and elsewhere is a critical part of that work.”
AFSC has worked in Myanmar for many years and has a network of local community organizations that can deliver aid directly to impacted communities where other relief efforts may not reach. Funds will go towards providing clean water and water purifiers, food, medical supplies, hygiene kits, shelter materials, and other needed supplies. Relief efforts will focus on the hardest hit areas of the country, including Mandalay, Sagaing, and Southern Shan State.
AFSC has a long history of work on community-led humanitarian assistance. Founded in 1917 to provide alternative opportunities for service to conscientious objectors during WWI, the organization has more than a century of experience responding to both natural and human-created disasters.
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The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) promotes a world free of violence, inequality, and oppression. Guided by the Quaker belief in the divine Light within each person, we nurture the seeds of change and the respect for human life to fundamentally transform our societies and institutions. We work with people and partners worldwide, of all faiths and backgrounds, to meet urgent community needs, challenge injustice, and build peace.