Simple, fast, lifesaving: cash payments help foot critical medical bills

Myanmar

4 Nov

Written By AHPSU

Ma Nu Nu* accompanies her son Htoo Htoo* while he plays in Mandalay Region, Myanmar. Photo: Save the Children

Ma Nu Nu*, 32, lives in a village in the Mandalay Region of Myanmar with her father, her sister’s family, and her 13-year-old son, Htoo Htoo,* who she adopted when he was a baby. To support the household, Ma Nu Nu* sells fish at the market with her sister. In the evening, after returning from the market, she weaves to earn extra income for her son’s education.

When the earthquake struck Myanmar in March 2025, Ma Nu Nu* was at home while Htoo Htoo* was at the mosque for prayers. Hearing a mosque had collapsed, she feared for his life and rushed to find her son. Thankfully, the building where he was praying remained standing, although he witnessed another nearby building collapse, which deeply affected him.

Ma Nu Nu*’s own house was badly damaged, and the family had to move to a temporary camp on the football field, where they stayed for several months.

“Our house had been quite sturdy, built with stone pillars. But the earthquake was so strong that all the pillars and beams broke, and the house was severely damaged,” she said.

After a couple of months in the camp, Htoo Htoo* contracted Hepatitis A, a viral infection of the liver, often caused by eating contaminated food or water.

Unfortunately, his condition worsened after being referred from one clinic to another without receiving proper treatment. Eventually, Ma Nu Nu* admitted her son to a private hospital, where he was hospitalised for a week. She struggled financially with the high costs of treatment.

When Save the Children learnt about the family’s circumstances, it provided Ma Nu Nu* with 299,000 MMK (~US $75) cash support to cover her son’s medical bills and help with his recovery, supported by the Australian Government through the Australian Humanitarian Partnership. Ma Nu Nu* is grateful for the support she received during this difficult time, which helped her care for her son when he needed it most.

“I just wanted my son to get well as soon as possible,” she said.

Now fully recovered, Htoo Htoo* is happily attending school with his friends.

Ma Nu Nu* dreams of her son becoming a doctor, but he is very interested in raising birds, so she is supporting him to pursue his passion.

*Names changed