GMF#30 | Kindness Knows No Borders: How Communities Are Rallying to Help Myanmar & Thailand
TL;DR:
The recent earthquake in Myanmar and Thailand has claimed over 1,000 lives, but kindness is what connects the world in times of crisis. From travelers helping their friends to businesses rallying support, generosity shows itself in countless ways. Our approach at Give.Asia? Go direct, support local, and learn from those with the experience and compassion to make a real difference.
Kindness finds a way to shine through during crises, connecting people globally.
Helping effectively often means supporting local businesses to rebuild instead of offering temporary aid.
Going direct to the ground and working with trusted people or NGOs makes a bigger impact.
Scandals and bureaucracy can shake people’s faith, but kindness still matters.
We’re always learning and trying to find better ways to connect kindness with those who need it most.
Kindness Connects the World
In the past week, the world watched in grief as news of the earthquake in Myanmar and Thailand broke, with over 1,000 lives lost and counting. It’s devastating. It’s overwhelming.
But what warms my heart is how, amid the tragedy, kindness finds a way to shine through.
People everywhere are rising up to help. Campaigns are springing up, each one a beacon of hope for those who have lost so much. And what’s remarkable is how connected we are today, like a living, breathing game of six degrees of separation.
It often feels like there’s a friend “closer” than you think who would go the distance to help “further” than you could ever wish for. Kindness truly is what connects the world.
Kindness Comes in Many Forms
As the news unfolded, so did the stories of compassion:
🌏 Travelers who lived in Myanmar for years—now rallying support to help their friends rebuild their communities.
🤝 Good Samaritans lending a hand to local NGOs overwhelmed by the sheer number of victims needing food, clean water, and shelter.
🏢 Businesses with colleagues in Myanmar—mobilizing entire organizations to raise funds, match donations, and spread awareness.
The forms of kindness are countless. And what I’ve come to appreciate over the years is that it’s not always about how much you give—it’s about how deeply you care.
Lessons From Carlos: Going Direct and Supporting Local
The first time Give.Asia joined the effort to help with disaster relief was in 2009, during Typhoon Morakot in Taiwan. We tried a simple idea—pledging to make a donation for each share. It felt meaningful, but I wasn’t sure if we made a real difference.
In 2010, when the Haiti earthquake struck, I had the chance to meet Carlos Miranda Levy—someone who truly understood how to help effectively. His lessons opened my eyes.
“The best way to help is to go direct. As close to the ground as possible.”
Carlos explained that one of the reasons many people lose faith in charity is due to scandals, misuse of funds, and bureaucratic roadblocks. The frustration of seeing donated goods rotting in ports, or aid money being squandered, can make people feel like helping is pointless.
But Carlos had a different perspective:
💡 “Yes, chaos complicates things, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try.”
He encouraged me to focus on direct support—finding ways to help people rebuild their lives rather than just providing temporary relief.
If a local F&B business can rebuild their stall to start serving food to the community, that’s better than importing emergency rations.
Too much free food distribution can actually hurt local businesses, driving them out of operation.
Trusting the Right People on the Ground
Of course, it’s not always easy. In a crisis, verifying what’s real and what’s not can feel like a guessing game. And trying to move fast enough to make a difference is a constant challenge.
What we’ve learned over the years is this:
Find people you can trust.
Support local businesses when possible.
Partner with NGOs with a proven track record of making impact.
You can’t help everyone, but you can help someone. And that’s what we strive to do at Give.Asia—connect kindness with those who need it most.
Always Learning, Always Trying
From local floods to global pandemics, we’ve been on a journey to figure out how to help better. Every time a new crisis unfolds, we do our best to contribute while learning from the kindness of others.
If there’s one thing we’ve learned, it’s that kindness comes in more colors than the rainbow. It shows up in different forms—money, time, effort, and hope. And the world is always better when we share it.
We don’t have all the answers. But we’re here, ready to listen, ready to help, and ready to learn.
If you’re someone who wants to join us in finding better ways to give, or if you have insights on how to help those in need more effectively—we’d love to hear from you.