Two weeks after a 7.7 magnitude earthquake devastated Myanmar, New Yorkers who once called the country home are speaking out about the need to help the country facing an 80-year civil war.

“It’s very difficult to overcome the emotional damage or emotional sufferings,” said Min Koko. “It’s not very easy to process these things, so I just had to stay out of the news, you know, intentionally.”

Koko said he has friends and loved ones who survived but are experiencing headaches and trauma. This disaster only added to the ongoing emotional toll of the people of the country fighting for their freedom.

“We don’t know what the meaning of freedom is because we have never been freed from the military dictators,” said Thida Aye. 

Aye said efforts to help survivors of the earthquake have been generous with aid from other countries, but the people there need more than disaster recovery help. Aye said they need help getting their democracy back.

“My biggest concern is that, do the areas occupied by the population get the same treatment, get the same help from these international teams?” Aye said.

The Karen Society of Buffalo is organizing a fundraising dinner to support earthquake relief in Myanmar on Saturday, April 14 from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the O’Brien Hall at Our Lady of Hope Church located at 246 Lafayette Ave.