Singapore Red Cross to send another S$600,000 in aid to Myanmar in wake of deadly quake

CHALLENGES TO RELIEF EFFORTS 

One of the biggest challenges impeding these relief efforts is access. 

In Myanmar, much of the quake-hit zones are in areas that are affected by the ongoing civil war. 

Although a ceasefire has been announced, there are still conflicts, making it difficult for humanitarian actors to know which safe spaces they can access, said Mr William.

This is on top of the fact that a lot of infrastructure has collapsed due to the earthquake, making it challenging to access affected areas, he added.  

Mr Elkhan Rahimov, the IFRC representative to ASEAN, added that another challenge is the shifting attention of the public to other issues.

“Unfortunately, even with the disasters on this scale, attention shifts quite swiftly from one emergency to another,” he said. 

But the first response always comes from the community, he added.

To date, the SRC has raised more than S$4 million through its public appeal for those affected by the Myanmar earthquake. 

“The generous outpouring of support has enabled SRC to deliver critical aid, but the needs on the ground remain urgent,” the SRC said. 

It has called on the public to continue to support the affected communities.

The SRC is running public fundraising appeals for Gaza until Apr 30, and for the Myanmar and Thailand earthquake until May 30.