Image: Ma Htwe collects scrap metal in the debris of a fire-scorched trash heap in Mandalay, Myanmar, that caught fire during the March 2025 earthquake. (Kaung Myat/CPI)
In the wake of the devastating earthquake that struck Myanmar in March 2025, thousands of families were displaced and thrust into crisis. For low-income communities, the disaster deepened already existing hardships. This is the story of Ma Htwe, a 32-year-old mother of four, who continues to fight for survival amid debt, destruction, and uncertainty.
Ma Htwe lives in a small rented home she shares with her sister and four children. Separated from her husband and without the opportunity for a formal education, she has relied on collecting trash for resale and recycling as her main source of income. Each day begins at 6 a.m. and ends with evening rounds to gather more recyclables.
Before the earthquake, life was already a tightrope. She was burdened with debts, high-interest loans for clinic visits, and struggled to provide daily meals and school costs for her children. With monthly rent and bills of 100,000 kyats (about $24) and food, water, schooling, and health care costs to cover for her children, survival required relentless effort.
“I had hoped to stop borrowing money and work toward stability,” Ma Htwe recalls. “But then the earthquake changed everything.”
When the earthquake struck, Ma Htwe was out collecting trash. The violent tremors sent her fleeing back home in terror, desperately trying to ensure her children were safe.
“I left my cart and ran to my house,” she said. “Thankfully, I found my eldest daughter by the roadside with other children. I was relieved they were safe, but so afraid.”
Her home, like many in her neighborhood, became unsafe to live in. With the structure tilted, the door unable to close, and the stairs collapsed, the family was forced to sleep outdoors. Ma Htwe couldn’t afford proper shelter or even a tarpaulin. They lived for nearly two months on a mat by the roadside, depending on donations for food and water.
Life on the streets brought new dangers. With no protection from the rain or cold, her children fell sick—her eldest daughter with a swollen hand requiring a month of treatment, and her youngest son, who suffers from asthma, had difficulty breathing. With no access to sanitation, they were forced to relieve themselves in the bushes.
“When I had no money, I used traditional medicine or asked for free medicine at nearby pharmacies,” she explained.
Her landlord offered no help repairing the damaged home, insisting she handle the costs herself. Leaky roofs and a destroyed toilet meant that even after returning home, they remained in unsafe and unsanitary conditions.
With the local shops that usually bought her recyclables closed post-quake, Ma Htwe’s daily earnings dropped to just 7,000 – 8,000 kyats ($1.70 – $1.90). She began washing neighbors’ clothes to supplement her income. School expenses, even modest ones — 1,000 kyats per child per day — became difficult to cover.
“I use 4,000 kyats ($0.95) of my daily earnings for my children, and the rest I save for rent. If I can’t earn enough, I buy 500 kyats ($0.12) worth of rice and curry from vendors. Prices have gone up. 7,000 kyats used to be enough for food, but now it’s not.”
Despite her tireless efforts, she remains trapped in debt, owing around 500,000 ($120) kyats. Borrowing often comes with daily interest, making it nearly impossible to save or rest, even when she is ill.
“If I borrow 10,000 kyats, I have to repay 1,000 kyats every day for 12 days. I cannot stop working.”
Ma Htwe lives with the constant fear that another earthquake will strike while she and her children sleep. The houses in her neighborhood are built so closely together that she worries about their collapse.
“I’ve told my children to run outside if there are tremors. We don’t dare to sleep sometimes.”
Even with her house still technically standing, it is far from safe. The absence of proper shelter, food, water, and medical care continues to threaten her family’s well-being.
When asked what kind of help would make the most difference, Ma Htwe is clear: a safe place to live and enough food for her children. She longs to repair her home and shield her children from the next storm, both literal and figurative.
“If help is available,” she said, “having a secure place to live and adequate food is crucial. Right now, I need to repair our rented house and replace the roof during this rainy season.”
Ma Htwe’s story is a stark reminder of how natural disasters compound existing inequalities and vulnerabilities. For many low-income survivors like her, the earthquake did not just shake the earth—it shattered already fragile lives. Aid must not only address emergency needs but also support the long, uphill road to recovery for those who have the least.
Myanmar’s catastrophic 7.7 magnitude earthquake shattered communities and lives, killing more than 3,700 people and displacing nearly 200,000. Tens of thousands of homes have been destroyed, with nearly three-quarters of buildings significantly damaged in some areas.
The quake deepens an already dire humanitarian crisis. Since 2021, more than 3.5 million people in Myanmar have been displaced by conflict, and over 20 million — six million of them children — urgently need humanitarian aid. More than half of Myanmar’s population lives below the poverty line.
With the seasonal monsoon underway, thousands of children and families need your help to ensure adequate shelter, safe water, food, and health care. Community Partners International’s teams and partners are on the ground helping survivors in the worst-affected areas. Since the earthquake, CPI has reached more than 160,000 people with emergency relief and recovery support.
To help families like Htwe’s survive, recover, and rebuild, donate today.
Interviews have been edited for clarity, brevity, and flow.
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