Bitcoin Is Needed To Raise Funds In Myanmar For Earthquake Relief

TOPSHOT - A Buddhist monk walks past the damaged Mandalay Palace during sunset in Mandalay on March ... More 31, 2025, three days after the deadly Myanmar earthquake. Myanmar declared a week of national mourning on March 31 for the country's devastating earthquake, as the death toll passed 2,000 and hopes faded of finding more survivors in the rubble of ruined buildings. (Photo by Sebastien BERGER / AFP) (Photo by SEBASTIEN BERGER/AFP via Getty Images)
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After the devastating earthquake that ripped through Myanmar, images and videos have come pouring out of people doing the best they can under challenging circumstances - removing survivors by prying them out of buildings without machinery and with their bare hands, for example.
The disaster relief comes at a time of devastating civil war, where the military has been fighting different independent groups after an attempted coup. Repression and corruption reign heavily in Myanmar - making it difficult for a resilient people to recover.
Now, there is an effort to fundraise for disaster relief and to distribute meals to those in need using Bitcoin and Lightning Network. Bitcoin donations allow anybody in the world to contribute to the effort on their terms - not only choosing the amount they want to contribute but also choosing how they want to show up - with private donations as an option. Financial privacy is essential in the context of the military being able to repress dissidents within Myanmar.
The military has, in the past, used bank transfers to "hunt down and persecute" people who were seen to be on the wrong side of their politics. The official opposition, once led by Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi (now imprisoned by the junta), formed a government in exile, along with a crypto-only bank focused on keeping funds away from the prying eyes of the regime.
The earthquake, reported to be 7.7 in magnitude, struck with the force of many atomic bombs - collapsing buildings and trapping people in desperate straits. There have been thousands of deaths, and Myanmar's economy, already under strain from the civil war, now looks to be on the verge of collapse. With the Internet and electricity intermittent, fog has settled on the long-suffering people of Myanmar - who, despite their resilience, are fighting forces beyond compare.