Charity groups operating in Myanmar\u2019s former capital Yangon are being forced to cut back on their services amid soaring fuel prices, with some groups now entirely closed, sources say.<\/p>\n
Ambulances and other emergency vehicles are frequently grounded due to rising costs, said Than Than Soe, chairwoman of Yangon\u2019s Right to Survive Social Assistance Association.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe cost for fuel is around 60,000 kyat [$28.56] per day,\u201d Than Than Soe told RFA. \u201cWe can fill our cars with only 20,000 kyat worth each time, and that should be enough for a trip.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut sometimes we have to go to places that are quite far away, and we worry that our vehicle might not make it back home.\u201d<\/p>\n
Than Than Soe said her group does not ask for set amounts of donations for their help, which can run into costs of from 60,000 to 100,000 kyat per day. \u201cDonors can give as much as they want, and so it\u2019s very difficult for us to operate under this system,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Khin Maung Zin, secretary of the Myo U Lin Funeral Support Association, told RFA that his group can no longer travel long distances due to rising costs of fuel.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are situations where we are asked for free help but are not able to provide it. We just have to say we\u2019re sorry and refuse the requests as our association is low on funds. And we are getting even fewer donations now,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the past, we received around 450,000 kyat [$214.23] per month, but now we don\u2019t even get 200,000 [$95.21]. We even have to be thrifty in covering our office expenses.\u201d<\/p>\n
A round trip to Pathein, a city located around 190 km to the west of Yangon, used to cost only 60,000 kyat but now costs around 130,000, he added.<\/p>\n
‘Problems, inconvenience’<\/p>\n
Also speaking to RFA, Chairman Neyin Gyan of the Happy Taxi Family Charitable Group said that none of Yangon\u2019s more than 270 charity organizations have been able to function effectively since the Feb. 1, 2021 military coup in Myanmar, and half of these have now shut down.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd we have heard of similar situations with some charity groups in other places, some of which have been temporarily closed,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is very unfortunate, because if a charity group in a township stops working, this will cause a lot of problems and inconvenience for that township\u2019s residents.\u201d<\/p>\n
Charitable groups don\u2019t want to stop their work, Neyin Gyan said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut with the rising costs of fuel and repairs, this has become too much for them. Even for a big group like ours, we now have some debts to settle, but we have managed to keep going.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we become too burdened by debt, we will have to stop,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Myint Kyaing, a resident of Yangon\u2019s Dawbon township, said that poor and needy citizens suffer most when these groups are forced to close.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople ask these charity groups for help because they have no money, and when the groups can\u2019t help, it is the lower-level workers and the destitute who will suffer,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are many charity groups in this township, but where we could send out 10 cars in the past, we can now send out only three. We\u2019re running our operations now with donations and support from the people who can afford it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Social assistance associations formerly provided 24-hour service to Myanmar residents before the coup, but junta authorities then imposed restrictions on travel outside township boundaries and said that ambulances operating without official registration would be seized.<\/p>\n
However, charity groups have promised to endure the present crisis and serve the public as much as they can.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Radio Free Asia –Copyright \u00a9 1998-2016, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036Radio Free Europe–Copyright (c) 2015. RFE\/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe\/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste 400, Washington DC 20036. <\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Charity groups operating in Myanmar\u2019s former capital Yangon are being forced to cut back on their services amid soaring fuel prices, with some groups now entirely closed, sources say.Ambulances and other emergency vehicles are frequently grounded due t…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n