When the deadly 7.7 earthquake in Myanmar struck on March 28, GCF reached out to our regional associate, Wichai Osathirakul (Ole), RGM for SE Asia and trusted partners, Doc Hendley from Wine to Water and Alex Shklar of the Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) to ask how we could help. Due to the civil war in Myanmar and given the difficulty in transferring funds into the country, we decided to work directly with Wine to Water and the JDC.

Based on their input, GCF recently donated $10,000 to Wine to Water and $10,000 to the JDC.  Both organizations have teams on the ground in the immediate aftermath of the quake, and both have proven track records of figuring out how to operate in very difficult situations. They work quickly and we trust their teams to get the job done.

Wine to Water has committed to provide 5000 water filters in partnership with World Central Kitchen. World Central Kitchen provides free meals in disaster areas using local food and kitchens and they reached out to Wine to Water for support to provide clean water. Through another partnership, Wine to Water obtained free shipping to get the filters from the US to Myanmar. GCF has funded $10,000 towards the cost of these filters.

Within hours of the earthquake, JDC’s disaster relief consultant was already on the ground in Thailand heading North to the border with Myanmar, and they had identified several local organizations who were positioned to provide immediate relief. This rapid response was made possible by JDC’s longstanding partnerships in Southeast Asia, which enabled swift coordination to deliver urgently needed food, water, medical supplies, and temporary shelter materials.

We are saddened by the disaster, but proud to be able to help in a small way.