Flood Relief for Families in Sagaing

For families already displaced by conflict, the monsoon floods brought another devastating loss. In western Sagaing Township, villagers who had been living in temporary bamboo huts after their homes were repeatedly burned were forced to flee again as floodwater swept through their shelters.

The flooding struck during the night in late August. Many escaped with only the clothes they were wearing, losing the belongings they had only recently begun to replace. One family secured their hut to a nearby tree and climbed into its branches to wait for rescue boats. Although the shelter remained in place, the water carried away their possessions.

With support from Better Burma’s donors, a group of local Buddhist nuns responded to an urgent request: clothing for people who had nothing left to change into.

Responding to What Families Needed

The response initially focused on food assistance. But after learning that other donors were already providing food, the nuns listened to the villagers’ requests and adjusted their plans.

Women urgently needed longyis, while men needed pasoes, traditional garments worn in everyday life. The nuns purchased the clothing in Mandalay and arranged its delivery to displaced villagers sheltering at a monastery.

Better Burma’s support provided clothing for 120 people from a community of 182 families taking temporary shelter there. The wider village, comprising approximately 600 families, had dispersed across several shelter locations.

Other groups had donated shirts and blouses, but this was the first distribution of longyis and pasoes reported by the villagers. These familiar garments met a practical need while helping people regain some comfort and dignity after losing so much.

Compassion Carried by Local Communities

The nuns travelled through rain and muddy ground and crossed fast-moving river water to reach the families. Local volunteers helped organize the distribution, and villagers welcomed the assistance with gratitude.

Alongside the clothing funded through Better Burma, the nuns contributed rice and cash assistance from their own funds and donations collected from nearby nunneries, friends, and lay supporters.

The effort also reflected a longstanding relationship of mutual care. Many of the affected villagers had previously helped sustain the nuns with food donations. Now, as those communities faced displacement and loss, the nuns were able to offer support in return.

On their journey home, the group also provided rice to another flood-affected village and donated money to three families whose homes had been completely washed away.

Helping Families Through Repeated Loss

For communities facing both conflict and flooding, recovery can be interrupted again and again. A change of clothing, food to share, and the care of others cannot replace a lost home, but they can ease immediate hardship.

We are grateful to our donors, the nuns, and the local volunteers who made this response possible. Your generosity helps Better Burma support locally led relief that listens to communities and responds to their most pressing needs.

Please support Better Burma’s humanitarian work to help families affected by conflict, displacement, and natural disasters across Myanmar.