As Burma, also known as Myanmar, Rev. Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan’s wallet, praised the Burmese government for its rapid cooperation as a struggle in the aftermath of a devastating earthquake, and shared his confidence in the generous US response under President Donald J. Trump.
“America has always been generous,” Graham told Fox News Digital.
“President Trump is not opposed to aid. He supports aid, but he does not support waste,” Graham continued. “And that’s what happened in some of these cases in the past. Our government has been wasting too much money. But I think the president is very generous.”
Graham also reflected on the president’s personal trial. “I believe God saved his life,” he said. He mentions an attempted assassination in Butler, Pennsylvania. “The president believes that. He needs to pray for him. There are many who want to do harm to him.
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Samaritan’s wallet has already begun surgical procedures in Nepidau, Burma’s capital between Yangon and Mandalay, and is one of the most affected areas. The organization operates in a football stadium provided by the Burmese government and is also permitted to fully cooperate, including visa approval and access to facilities.
Graham reported that the Samaritan wallet first deployed 60 beds and two operating theatres. The government added 24 more beds via a medical container unit known as Connex, which includes one operating room. “So it was 84 beds and three surgical theatres,” explained Graham. “The rest of the hospital will arrive tomorrow… We must be fully operational by the next day tomorrow.”
Samaritan wallet medical professionals prepare for surgery at an organization’s emergency site hospital in Burmese. Field Hospital includes multiple operating theatres, providing critical care following the fatal 7.7 magnitude earthquake. (Commentary of Samaritan’s wallet)
According to the organization’s official press release, Samaritan’s Purse is establishing a full-fledged emergency field hospital with an emergency room, laboratory, pharmacy, emergency room and two permanent operating rooms. When the team arrived, nearly 100 earthquake victims were already awaiting surgery.
“Speed is important after a deadly earthquake that has rocked Myanmar,” he said. “We praise God for being able to already offer surgery, even while we are still building a full field hospital.”
One of the first patients treated was a woman who protected her son during the collapse of the building. “She covered her son’s body to protect him,” Graham shared. “She had a spine problem. They have to have her surgery and she’s recovering. She’s doing well.”
Donald Trump Jr. and Christy Norm join Franklin Graham in Samaritan’s wallet in Helen Tone North Carolina
With more than 3,500 deaths and thousands of people injured or missing, the humanitarian needs are immeasurable. “People line up to come in. There’s no help there,” Graham said. “This is a very poor, very hopeless part of the world…it will take years for them to accumulate. If they can fight back, I don’t know.”
Samaritan’s wallets have sent over 104 tons of important supplies, including six water filtration systems, sanitation kits, emergency shelter materials and solar lights, on board the 747 Cargo plane from Greenville, South Carolina. They currently have over 80 members of the disaster relief response team across the country and are quickly arriving.
Earthquake survivors will be treated in temporary medical units established by the Samaritan wallet within a stadium provided by the Burmese government. The relief organization has launched a full-scale emergency department hospital following the earthquake on March 28th. (Commentary of Samaritan’s wallet)
The organization’s logistics capabilities played a key role. “We keep all of this in stock,” Graham said. “We have a warehouse here in North Carolina, so it’s just a matter of loading boxes on the plane,” he noted that hospitals need to be resupplied regularly. “About every 10 days, there are planes leaving Greensboro for Myanmar.”
Temperatures in this area exceed 110°F at high humidity. The team lives in tents and works in tough situations. “We offer our own accommodation. We have our own water. We have electricity, self-contained, but that’s a tough mission,” Graham said.
Still, the team is still committed. “They hold clinics during the day and open in the middle of the night, but our team is motivated. They are excited to serve the people of Myanmar and do it in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Samaritan wallet staff and local volunteers unload emergency relief supplies from Burmese trucks. The organization airlifted over 104 tons of aid to help victims of the 7.7 magnitude earthquake, including medical devices, water filtration systems and sanitation kits. (Commentary of Samaritan’s wallet)
Samaritan’s wallet previously worked in Burma, responding to Cyclone Nargis in 2008 and maintaining a country office from 2017 to 2022.
“Prayers are needed, number one,” Graham said. “And of course, we always need financial help. This is a very long way from home.”
“We want all patients to know that God loves them and that they are not alone. They pray for a disaster aid response team that serves those who are hurting them in the name of Jesus,” Graham added.
Samaritan’s Wallet is a Christian humanitarian organization led by the Rev. Franklin Graham, based in Boone, North Carolina. Known for its rapid disaster response, it provides critical supply to emergency medical care, shelters, clean water and crisis zones around the world.
Organizations operating in more than 100 countries bring physical relief and spiritual hope, serving those in need in the name of Jesus Christ.
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For more information, please visit samaritanspurse.org.
