Since 2011 when I returned to my country, my partners and I, in a volunteer-based organization called Golden Green Group (G3), started hosting “Community Education and Awareness for Waste Management” programs. These programs involve different youth role-players across the country and support broader awareness of waste management.
In 2017, I began leading the grassroots movement “Beat Plastic Pollution,” a program called Thant Myanmar, which advocates to the government and educates the community about environmentally sustainable solutions.
The aim of this community education and awareness is to help control plastic consumption and work toward a vision of zero waste.
The team’s successful engagement in Myanmar highlights my proven analytical skills. Apart from that, I am helping local governments develop their regional waste management action plans in different regions around the country.
Before the coup of February 2021, I worked as the National Technical Expert for “Building Climate Resilience of Urban Systems through Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) in the Asia Pacific Region” with UNEP and the Environmental Conservation Department under MoNREC.
In this role, I provided technical support to key counterparts to understand the importance of climate adaptation, ecosystems, and community livelihood development. I also advocated with different stakeholders, CSOs, and government counterparts to help project operations run smoothly at both the union-level project steering committee and the regional committee.
About Wyne
- Age: 43
- Ethnicity: Burmese, Kachin, Shan
- Country: Myanmar
School & Program
- Asian Institute of Technology
- Master’s, Environment, Resources & Development
- Withdrawn
Goals & Dreams
- Start a foundation to save trees
- Improve environmental conservation
Loan Details
- Loan Amount: $3,800
- Amount Left To Fund: $3,750
- Contract Duration: 11 years
- Status: In Repayment
I am also an ILO-certified Master Trainer for the “Start and Improve Your Business” program, giving several pilot trainings in rural areas for micro-SME development. Having worked in “Development Missions (GIZ),” the “SME Sector Development Project (ILO),” and “Tourism Development (MRTI)” for about five years convinced me that micro-level SME development is one of the biggest obstacles for Myanmar firms and families in doing business.
On weekends, I used to teach as a part-time lecturer at Star University in Diploma and Bachelor of Tourism courses, and supported three community-based tourism sites.
Besides being a global leadership development mentor with Wedu and the 10 Billion Strong Movement, I volunteer with youth from underserved communities in roles involving leadership development training, communications, and counseling on various youth-led projects.
In addition, I am running an individual project that received funding from the U.S. Embassy’s Alumni Engagement Innovation Fund Global Competition in 2019. My fellows and I won this project because we aimed to help the community reduce wasteful behaviors and turn waste into a socio-economic resource for underprivileged women in tourist destination areas. We not only aim to reduce waste by changing behavior, but also to turn existing and unavoidable waste into upcycled products that generate income for women.
Honestly speaking, I previously believed that implementing grassroots-level development projects was the most important thing for a country. Nevertheless, my two-year master’s study experience in Political Management, followed by about seven years of practical work experience at macro, meso, and micro levels, broadened my horizons and changed this perspective enormously. I gradually came to understand that ensuring an enabling environment for households and enterprises to do business plays a critical role in making a country successful and sustainable.
That is why, upon returning home after completing my studies at AIT University, I plan to continue my focus on “Beating Plastic Pollution.” I believe I will gain professional experience from other international students’ perspectives on social development, with a focus on sustainable economic development linked with community planning, policy formulation, program design and implementation, and the management of significant projects.
I will also be able to provide additional opportunities to my community, where my personal mission is to promote sustainable development through a circular economy and the optimization of resources in Myanmar.
To put it in a nutshell, my vision is to become a prominent and competent specialist in Myanmar’s environmental sector, contributing to the development of Myanmar and supporting the country’s economic governance and democratization process. With my life motto, “Impossible is I’m Possible,” I am eager to prove myself in any position within your esteemed organization.
Written by Wyne with editing assistance from Zomia’s volunteer editors.
Patrick Arnol – 10 Billion Strong, Founder
“Wyne is truly committed to the environment and her community. She’s well-known as an entrepreneur, creative thinker, connecter, and mentor. She’s a life-long learner but takes a lot of time to teach others, helping them on their journeys.”
