How The Waystation is Helping Women Rebuild After Crisis: Myanmar 2025

Myanmar is still recovering. The nation is healing from scattered communities, and the deepened vulnerabilities of those already living on the margins. For women in particular, the shockwaves were more than physical; they tore through support systems, income sources, and the fragile sense of stability that had taken years to build.

But in the midst of upheaval, something powerful is stirring again: community.

In Mandalay, The Waystation, a longtime grassroots partner in the region has slowly resumed its original work in some of the most affected and underserved areas. At the heart of this recovery are Transformation Groups, intimate circles of women coming together to learn, support, and grow.

“Transformation groups are a safe place for women to meet,” shared a Waystation team member.
“We teach life skills, money management skills. We share life, and together, we can make our communities stronger and a place of mutual support.”

A Space to Breathe, Learn, and Heal

In times of crisis, women are often the first to sacrifice their own well-being for the sake of others. They stretch food, care for the sick, comfort the young. But rarely are they offered space to pause, reflect, and rebuild for themselves.

That’s what makes such groups so radical, and so necessary.

Hosted in modest, familiar spaces, sometimes someone’s home, sometimes a corner of a community center, these gatherings offer more than just training. They offer connections. Women talk about the pressures they face, the trauma they’ve experienced, the goals they still hold onto despite everything.

They learn practical tools like budgeting, savings, and small business planning. But they also gain something less measurable and more profound: belief in their own resilience.

Mutual Support as a Foundation for Change

Unlike top-down aid programs, the Waystation’s approach recognizes that sustainable change doesn’t come to a community, it comes from it. Transformation Groups are not prescriptive workshops; they’re co-created spaces where women are seen as leaders, contributors, and holders of wisdom.

Each group becomes a mini support system, some members might be widows, others single mothers, others survivors of domestic abuse or displacement. Through honest conversation and shared goals, trust grows. And from trust, so does action.

Rebuilding After the Earthquake, Together

The earthquake changed everything in an instant. But recovery, as The Waystation reminds us, is a slow and human process. It’s built in small steps: a woman gaining the confidence to open a roadside tea stall, a young mother learning to manage her income, a group rallying around a friend in need.

And while The Waystation continues to navigate the challenges of operating in Myanmar’s complex landscape, their work remains rooted in dignity and solidarity.

A Model for Resilience Across Borders

What The Waystation is doing in Mandalay is more than local impact. It’s a model for how grassroots efforts, when rooted in trust and community leadership, can quietly reshape the future.

In a world too often focused on top-down metrics, their work reminds us that real progress often begins in small, supported groups of women, sharing stories, building skills, and believing in each other again.

At Freedom World, we’re honored to stand alongside them as they help women turn loss into leadership, and crisis into connection.

Here’s How You Can Help Right Now

At Freedom World, we believe every act of support should be personal, transparent, and empowering.

When you donate through our app, you directly support projects like rebuilding homes, securing clean water, and preparing communities for the monsoon. In return, you receive a Freedom NFT, a digital badge tied to a real story of impact, showing who you helped and how.

Ready to be part of the change?

Download the Freedom World App, tap ‘Donate,’ and receive your Freedom NFT today. 

You can also stay connected by joining the communities of Freedom World Impact right inside the app. As a member, you'll get direct updates, behind-the-scenes impact stories, and the chance to walk this journey alongside those creating change every day.

Every step counts.