Emergency support – Inle Lake area
On Friday, 28 March 2025, a powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck Myanmar — affecting Sagaing, Mandalay, and the Inle region, and deeply impacting local communities, including our Khiri family.
During a field visit by our Khiri Reach team in May 2025, we assessed the situation in 13 villages around Inle Lake. Among them, Kaylar and Paukpar were the hardest hit. Tragically, some lives and homes were lost due to the earthquake’s impact.
The people of Inle mainly depend on tourism, traditional handicrafts, and natural resources such as fishing and floating agriculture. Tourism has almost come to a halt since the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing political situation in Myanmar, leaving communities with very limited means to rebuild their homes without outside help.
Khiri Reach initiated support for the affected communities through an Emergency Response approach, raising funds with our travel partners — including Alchemist, Stubborn Mule Travel, Riksja Travel, and Travel Store. Khiri Travel matched all travel agent donations 1:1, collecting a total of USD 3,692, which doubled to USD 7,384 to support two community projects in Mandalay and the Inle Lake area.
A safe home is a basic need for everyone — especially in Inle, where frequent flooding poses a serious risk. Severe flooding caused by Typhoon Yagi in September 2024 inundated large areas around Inle Lake. Then, just months later, the region was struck again by the powerful earthquake on 28 March 2025. The Inle communities have therefore faced a double crisis, compounded by ongoing political challenges.
The project covered the construction of three emergency houses (costing approximately USD 2,500) and the rebuilding of Ko Soe Win’s house (costing around USD 1,800).
Our English-speaking guide, U Kyaw Myo Tint (also known as Ko Kyaw Thu), who has worked with Khiri for more than 10 years, organized and managed the construction of the three emergency houses. He oversaw land clearance, the purchase of construction materials (iron, wood, bricks, cement, tiles), and the hiring of workers. According to him, sourcing materials and finding carpenters was difficult due to resource shortages in the area.
One of the houses belongs to Ko Myo Aung and Ma Aye Aye in Chaung Sone, where seven family members live together. Construction began on 7 July 2025 and was completed on 13 July 2025. Before the new house was finished, the family stayed with relatives. The villagers helped each other throughout the building process, and the Chaung Sone house was mainly built with bamboo.
The second house, located in Kyun Gyi North, belongs to Ko Aung and Ma Aww Lay, who live with their child and grandmother. Construction started on 12 July 2025 and was completed on 16 July 2025, with the help of local volunteers organized by our guide, Ko Kyaw Myo Tint. Some materials were reused from old buildings.
The third house belongs to U Than Aye and Daw Khin Khin Kyi, a family of nine living in Leth Thit. Rebuilding began on 15 July 2025 and was completed on 3 August 2025. According to our guide, the homeowner himself is a carpenter.
Rebuilding of Ko Soe Win – Khiri Family’s house
One of our guides, Ko Soe Win, suffered significant damage to his home, which also served as the venue for Khiri Travel’s Shan cooking class. After visiting the emergency houses, we enjoyed a delightful lunch at Ko Soe Win’s home.
His household consists of four members: Ko Soe Win, his wife, his nephew, and one child.
As an English-speaking guide, he is deeply grateful for the kind and generous support from Khiri Travel and Khiri Reach during these challenging times caused by COVID-19, the earthquake, and the current situation in Myanmar.
The rebuilding of Ko Soe Win’s house was managed and organized by himself — from purchasing materials to hiring laborers and carpenters. Construction began on 18 July 2025 and was completed on 1 August 2025.
During our final visit to the project site, we witnessed the community’s sense of relief and security with their new homes, which now protect them from potential disasters. We were also deeply inspired by the Intha people’s enthusiasm, resilience, and unity during our visit to Inle.
Through this project, we were able to support three families and our guide, Ko Soe Win — who is not only a valued member of the Khiri family but also the host of our signature Shan home-cooked lunch experience.
