My name is Saw Kyaw. I was born and raised in Hpa-an, Karen State, Myanmar. My father formerly worked in the Department of Agriculture. Currently, he is serving as a member of the House of Nationalities (Myanmar). My mother is a housewife.
When I was in tenth grade, I was selected as a representative of Myanmar to participate in the ASEAN Culture Exchange Program in Laos. I passed my matriculation exam in 2002. In 2008, I earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from the Yangon Institute of Economics.
After graduating, I volunteered at World Vision. I later joined Save the Children as an outreach worker to implement an Early Childhood Care and Development program. While working there, I attended a community management course offered by the Czech Republic.
In 2011, I joined Education Gathering Group (EGG), run by Tounge La’ Yat Academy, in order to improve my intellectual capacity and develop leadership skills. During my time at EGG, I was elected president of the student association for two consecutive years. Serving in this position gave me opportunities to organize student activities. In order to support our community learning centers, alumni activities and disadvantaged students, we were able to raise 3,000,000 MMK (about US $2,000) through various fundraising activities.
After finishing the program, I joined the academy as an office administrator to help run the academy smoothly. At the same time, I served as an adviser for the EGG Alumni Network. Moreover, I actively participated in the election process by conducting voter education workshops in Karen State. Following the election, I was invited by the Ministry of Information and Social Affairs to participate in the formulation of National Youth Policy as a representative of Karen State.
About Saw Kyaw
- Age: 36
- Ethnicity: Karen
- Country: Myanmar
School & Program
- Assumption University
- Master’s, Management in Organization Development & Management
- Graduated
Goals & Dreams
- Become Prime Minister of Karen State
- Transform our learning center into a community college
Loan Details
- Loan Amount: $5,875
- Amount Left To Fund: $0
- Contract Duration: 12 years
- Status: Repaid in Full
Quotable
What Others Are Saying About Saw Kyaw
Furthermore, I attended an organizational development course offered by Payap University. As a final project, I helped my organization with the process of upgrading their structures and policies systematically. Following the program, I was given a wonderful opportunity to work as as a member of the documentation team for Union Peace Dialogue and Joint Committee (UPDJC) in order to support the peace process under the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement in Myanmar. A few months later, I was assigned to assist the Joint Ceasefire Monitoring Committee (JMC) in coordination with UPDJC.
I am currently in Thailand working toward a master’s degree in Organization Development and Management. After finishing the program, I will return to Myanmar to work for Tounge La’ Yat Academy, my host organization in Karen State. Currently, there are altogether five programs run by my organization. They are Education Gathering Group (EGG) Academy, EGG Alumni Network, Youth Learning Center (YLC), “Veranda” Youth Community Café (YCC), and an Organizational Development Course.
Our goal is to transform our community learning center into a community college. It would be the very first community college in Karen State. Regarding our plan, we have already had discussions with community leaders including local authorities, cultural and literature groups, prominent religious leaders, and academics. In order to achieve our goal, it is imperative for our organization to have sufficient and qualified human resources. Therefore, I would like to equip myself with necessary knowledge and skills so that I will be able to contribute to my organization effectively.
During this democratic transition, our country needs more educated people in order to achieve peace and prosperity. Thus, I would like to improve my intellectual skills and learn more about management and organizational development through my program of study.
Written by Saw Kyaw with editing assistance from Zomia’s volunteer editors.
Saw Kyaw
“During this democratic transition, our country needs more educated people in order to achieve peace and prosperity.”
Saw Kyaw
“I would like to improve my intellectual skills and learn more about management and organizational development through my study program.”