Cyclone Mocha smashed through Myanmar’s Rakhine State on 14 May with winds of up 250 kilometres per hour. The powerful winds, flooding and landslides have created a humanitarian emergency in communities that were already in crisis.
As monsoon season looms, almost 700,000 people are without shelter and 1.6 million people – including pregnant women, children, women with disabilities and older women – need urgent access to food, health services, clean water and sanitation.
The destruction of shelters and latrines, combined with a lack of electricity, increases the risk of sexual and gender-based violence. And with significant damage to hospitals and clinics, there is an urgent need for sexual and reproductive health services.
The cyclone has made a dire situation worse for vulnerable women and girls in Myanmar who were already living with the compounded crises of COVID-19, ongoing conflict, and political and economic upheaval.
UN Women is in Rakhine state, responding to the specific needs of women and girls, including women with disabilities. We are working with our humanitarian partners to distribute urgently needed items including food, water supplies, clothing, and hygiene kits. And we are providing cash transfers to the most vulnerable women who need financial assistance now.
With our local partners, UN Women is also helping women and girls access essential services to help protect and empower them in the face of violence, including legal aid and counselling.
Your donation will help ensure vulnerable women and girls in Myanmar receive the urgent items and services they need.
Please donate today.
• $60 could deliver clean water and food to women and families in need.
• $80 could help build safe, accessible water and toilet facilities to help women and girls maintain their basic health and dignity.
• $100 could provide families with tools and materials to rebuild their homes, so they are safe and secure.
Photo Credit: UNICEF / Naing Linn Soe