Dreams cannot come true without passion, enthusiasm, hard work, and support. I was born and raised in a village in Mon State called 6 Mile Village. My family’s livelihood is based on agriculture, and accessing education has always been a challenge. My parents struggled to support my schooling by growing vegetables and selling them at local markets. They did not want me to suffer as they had, and I tried never to let them down academically.
Since I was young, I dreamed of becoming an engineer who could earn a decent income and support my family as soon as possible. In 2016, I graduated as a civil engineer. But my focus soon shifted from generating income to working for community development, after I began serving as a technical facilitator on the National Community Driven Development Project (NCDDP).
Before graduation, I received an offer to work on the NCDDP in Kyarinseikkyi Township, Kayin State. I was assigned to be a technical facilitator for 19 villages, responsible for providing technical guidance in infrastructure construction and building community capacity to implement and maintain projects sustainably. Most of the work involved constructing schools, rural roads, bridges, and water supply systems. I gradually came to understand how vital critical infrastructure is to rural communities, and began to find deep satisfaction in contributing to that development.
After nearly two years at NCDDP, I moved to Yangon and joined Good Neighbors International as an engineering specialist. I was the only engineer in the organization representing Myanmar. I led and implemented infrastructure projects related to education across the country.
About Wai
- Age: 32
- Ethnicity: Mon
- Country: Myanmar
School & Program
- Asian Institute of Technology
- Master’s, Disaster Preparedness, Mitigation & Management
- Graduated
Goals & Dreams
- Become a civil engineer
- Travel to quiet, uncrowded places
Loan Details
- Loan Amount: $2,475
- Amount Left To Fund: $1,600
- Contract Duration: 11 years
- Status: In Repayment
Traveling to areas in need of educational buildings and monitoring construction projects nationwide, I identified the root causes of poor development: lack of resources, financial support, community participation, and the compounding effects of disasters. I came to understand that sustainable development and disaster risk reduction are deeply interlinked, and that being a proficient civil engineer without knowledge of disaster management is not enough for truly sustainable work.
In early 2022, I applied for the Disaster Preparedness, Mitigation, and Management Program at the Asian Institute of Technology and received a partial scholarship. Initially hesitant due to my financial situation, I was able to attend after negotiating to defer part of the fees, with my parents selling vegetables to cover necessary expenses. I have now completed my second semester and am preparing a thesis on assessing disaster risk and the resilience of infrastructure. My dream of becoming a proficient civil engineer working in community development is getting closer, thanks to my passion and my parents’ unwavering support.
Written by Wai with editing assistance from Zomia’s volunteer editors.
Wai
“Sustainable development and disaster risk reduction are deeply interlinked. Being a proficient civil engineer without knowledge of disaster management is not enough for truly sustainable work.”
