Two UB Burmese students raised funds to support relief for Myanmar after a 7.7 magnitude earthquake hit central Myanmar on March 28, causing a death toll of about 3,800. The destruction — further amplified by a civil war between Myanmar’s military government and resistance groups — has left at least 19.9 million residents in need of aid.
Sophomore computer science major Christabel Htoo and junior psychology major Eh Teh Na felt powerless when seeing the earthquake devastation on the news.
“Seeing our people not be able to access food, shelter, or get aid, and watching the severity increase while we were so blessed to be here living in comfort made us feel especially helpless,” the two said in an email to The Spectrum.
The shock and helplessness soon turned into mobilization, with the pair selling samosas and egg rolls on April 11 with the help of other Burmese students and community members.
“It started out with a small group chat of Burmese students trying to start something to support Myanmar and do what we could within our reach as students,” the two wrote in the email. “We all reached out and involved people who wanted to support and shared a sense of responsibility to do our part in supporting our community back at home.”
The pair hoped that the specific choice of selling these dishes would be meaningful and bring people together.
“Samosas and egg rolls are not only delicious, but they also represent different parts of our cultural heritage,” they said. “We had help from aunties and uncles who generously volunteered to prepare the food. It’s been heartwarming to see so many people contribute in whatever way they can.”
The money raised will be donated to the Buffalo Myanmar Association.
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