The international relief organization has staff on the ground in Myanmar and Thailand and is preparing rapid deployment of life-saving medical care.
CALGARY, AB, Mar. 31, 2025 — Samaritan’s Purse Canada is responding to the deadly 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck Myanmar and Thailand on March 28. It was followed just 12 minutes later by a 6.4-magnitude aftershock. This powerful quake has caused widespread destruction across both countries—collapsing buildings and infrastructure, killing more than 1,700 people, and injuring countless more. Search and rescue efforts are still underway, and the death toll is expected to climb. The Ministry of Health in Myanmar has requested assistance as tens of thousands are suffering.
In response, Samaritan’s Purse Canada, an international relief organization with its national headquarters in Calgary, Alberta, has mobilized its initial Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) and will send its first-ever Canadian Emergency Field Hospital to Myanmar. The cargo plane will depart Calgary on Tuesday, April 1st, along with 28 disaster response specialists, including Canadians. The Emergency Field Hospital will include two operating theatres, an emergency room, in-patient wards, a pharmacy, and a laboratory—the largest model of this scalable unit.
“This deadly earthquake has killed over 1,700 people, and it’s left thousands of people in need, destroying entire communities,” said Fred Weiss, Executive Director of Samaritan’s Purse Canada. “It is for this exact purpose that we have our Canadian Emergency Field Hospital prepared, ready to meet the critical needs for victims of conflict and natural disasters. It is our privilege at Samaritan’s Purse to represent thousands of Canadian donors and be ready to respond at a moment’s notice. Please pray for all those affected and for our teams as they serve.”
Samaritan’s Purse International is actively assessing needs across the region, and already has team members on the ground in both Myanmar and Thailand. In the coming days, Samaritan’s Purse will also airlift additional components of the large-scale field hospital, water filtration systems, emergency shelter material, flashlights, and hygiene kits. The organization is working closely with local authorities and trusted church partners on the ground to coordinate relief efforts.
“I’ve been able to serve in and lead the mobile field hospital for the past eight years, with deployments in conflict zones in Iraq and Ukraine, and earthquakes in Haiti and Turkey, and grateful to draw on that experience as we mobilize quickly to meet needs in Myanmar,” said Melanie Wubs, International Health Manager, Samaritan’s Purse Canada. “It never ceases to amaze me how we can be ready at a moment’s notice to meet critical needs in such practical ways.”
Samaritan’s Purse has a long history in Myanmar, having responded to Cyclone Nargis in 2008 and maintained an in-country office from 2017 to 2022. Through its Operation Christmas Child program, the organization has continued serving children and families in Myanmar—sending more than 22,000 shoebox gifts last year alone.
Since 1973, Samaritan’s Purse Canada has been providing desperately needed relief around the world in Jesus’ Name—including food, water, and temporary shelter for victims of war, poverty, disease, and natural disasters.
##
MEDIA OPPORTUNITIES
- Interview Fred Weiss, Executive Director, Samaritan’s Purse Canada
- Interview Melanie Wubs, International Health Manager, Samaritan’s Purse Canada
- Photos and b-roll available upon request
For more information, contact Shari Fenn at sfenn@samaritan.ca, (403) 973-1009.
About Samaritan’s Purse
Samaritan’s Purse Canada is a Christian relief and development organization that takes its name from Jesus Christ’s biblical story of the Good Samaritan. Like that Good Samaritan, who found a beaten man and helped restore him, we aid victims of war, disease, disaster, poverty, famine, and persecution. Besides emergency medical relief, our work includes Operation Christmas Child and providing safe water, vocational skills, and agricultural supplies and training to families in the developing world. Visit SamaritansPurse.ca for more information.