Czech non-profit organisations have opened public fundraising campaigns to assist relief efforts after Friday’s earthquakes in Myanmar and Thailand. On Saturday, the Diakonie of the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren (CCE) NGO said it had established an account for this purpose. On Friday, the Adra humanitarian NGO opened a fundraising account.
Both organisations, as well as others such as People in Need and Doctors Without Borders, have been helping in Myanmar for several years. They are in the process of assessing what the situation is like in affected areas and what kind of help will be needed.
The Czech Foreign Ministry also wants to discuss assistance to Myanmar with the organisations, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mariana Wernerova told CTK.
Friday’s massive earthquake in Myanmar has already claimed more than 1,700 victims, the AFP news agency reported, citing the country’s ruling military junta. The death toll is expected to rise further, according to local officials who have called on the international community to help.
UNICEF said the aftermath of the earthquake will further compound the crisis in the country related to the escalating conflict. “There are currently 19.9 million people in need of urgent humanitarian assistance in the country, including 6.4 million children,” the organization said on Saturday. The public can donate through the Donate.cz platform or through the unicef.cz website, where the Help the Children in Myanmar project is among the one-off donations. “For example, for 560 crowns we can provide 7,000 water purification tablets, each of which will provide up to 35,000 litres of drinking water,” said UNICEF Czech Republic Director Pavla Gomba.
Diakonie CCE says it has been assisting internally displaced persons and the host communities of the Muslim Rohingya and Buddhist Arakanese people in Myanmar since 2014. “We are working here with the Lutheran World Federation Myanmar with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Czech Development Agency,” Diakonie said.
Adra Czech Republic is now awaiting more information from partners in the region. “The local Adra branches are monitoring the situation and assessing how they will help the affected people and then Adra CR will be involved accordingly,” Filip Muron of Adra told CTK. Adra has so far released CZK 100,000 as aid.
People in Need wrote on its website that it was currently determining the extent of damage and acute needs through partners working in the affected areas.
Doctors Without Borders teams have been working in the area since 1992, treating HIV or tuberculosis in addition to primary care. They are now ready to provide assistance as soon as the authorities allow them access to the affected areas, the organisation said on its website.
