One year after Samaritan’s Purse responded to a deadly earthquake in Myanmar, God has opened new doors to share His love with those in need.
One year ago, on March 28, 2025, a record-breaking earthquake shattered parts of Myanmar.
Samaritan’s Purse responded immediately. For the first time in our history, we sent an Emergency Field Hospital from Canada to the disaster zone. Over 220 Disaster Assistance Response Team members deployed and helped perform surgeries and treat patients. They also distributed emergency kits and produced safe water to save lives and reduce suffering.
A New Opportunity to Serve
As Myanmar continues to recover, the Lord has given Samaritan’s Purse a new opportunity to serve those who are “crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18, ESV). We are working alongside a partner to extend God’s love to victims of human trafficking.
Exploitation and human trafficking have devastating consequences across Myanmar. The problem has only gotten worse with widespread conflict.
Drop-In Center Sparks Hope
Some victims of human trafficking—like 25-year-old Nay Chi*—are tricked into working at brothels, often referred to as “karaoke bars.”
An online agent told Nay Chi that the nursing job of her dreams was available over 1,000 kilometers away from her home city in Myanmar. As a single mom to a toddler with autism, she was desperate for a good income so she could access specialized care for her child.
But the nursing job was a myth. Upon arrival, Nay Chi discovered that the agent was a trafficker who had hired her for a six-month contract at a brothel. She was forced to provide sexual services for the expatriate managers of a nearby scam center.
Nay Chi was shaken to the core. The daily trauma she experienced caused panic attacks.
In desperation, she called a friend back home, who told her about our partner’s drop-in center, where women experiencing exploitation can receive help, free counseling, and job skills training. “This was the spark of hope she needed,” our partner shared.
“This was the spark of hope she needed.”
Nay Chi decided that attempting to escape the brothel, though dangerous, was worth the risk. Praise God, she was able to flee and find transportation home.
From Rescue to Restoration
Our partner’s drop-in center became a refuge where Nay Chi could heal and grow alongside other women on the road to freedom. She learned how to manage the panic attacks and was restored through trauma counseling.
Nay Chi also mastered beautician skills and received a start-up kit to run her own small business. She now styles makeup and hair for local weddings and graduations.
Women escaping exploitation learn job skills in areas such as sewing, hairstyling, and makeup. Faces are hidden to protect privacy.
Best of all, Nay Chi experienced the love of God, who gives “beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness (Isaiah 61:3).
In the area surrounding our partner’s drop-in center, an estimated 10,000 women and girls are forced into sexual slavery. The Lord is using your prayers and support to provide a place of escape and restoration, while also enabling programs that raise awareness about the dangers of human trafficking and how to avoid it.
In addition to the brothels, many are lured into a life of misery by false job offers. Thousands of people are forced into employment at scam centers run by organized crime groups. Instead of the dignified work they were promised, both locals and migrants are coerced into running cyber scams that target people worldwide.
Samaritan’s Purse and our partner are working to provide food, water, medical care, hygiene kits, and assistance with getting home for people trapped in forced labor.
We give God the glory for each physical need met, and for every opportunity to share love in Jesus’ Name, “a strong tower” (Proverbs 18:10). We’re also grateful for the prayers and partnership of friends like you.
Please continue to pray for those across Myanmar who are trapped and exploited today, and for families still recovering from last year’s earthquake. Ask God to provide rescue and restoration. Please also pray for our partners who are working to bring help and hope in Jesus’ Name.
“I have set the LORD always before me; because He is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken” (Psalm 16:8, ESV).
*Name and photo changed for security.
