Since finishing his Australia Awards Scholarship in 2017, Ye Min Aung has worked at UNICEF Myanmar as WASH Officer. In this role, he is also leading water supply, sanitation and hygiene activities for schools in Kayin (Karen) State, Mon State and Tanintharyi Region to prevent the spread of COVID-19. This includes managing coordination to provide technical assistance, procurement and installation of handwashing stations in schools and public locations.

“Access to handwashing stations is vital for preventing the spread of COVID-19,” says Ye Min Aung. “So, we have installed handwashing stations in schools for the schoolchildren, and in public spaces such as markets and bus terminals for the general public.”

Kayin State is one of Myanmar’s high-risk areas for COVID-19 infection. This is because its Myawaddy–Mae Sot border point is a major trading hub between Myanmar and Thailand. It has also received a huge number of returning migrant Myanmar workers from Thailand over the past year.

Ye Min Aung explains that UNICEF’s WASH activities are implemented in collaboration with a range of partners, “in the South-East regions of Mon, Kayin and Tanintharyi.”

He also emphasises that social inclusion is a core component of the school-based WASH activities he is leading. Examples of inclusion measures include ensuring that students with disability are able to access WASH services and practices, and overseeing construction of gender-segregated school latrines that also include access ramps.

Ye Min Aung received an Australia Awards Scholarship to study a Master of Water Resources Management at Flinders University. The Scholarship built on his existing experience and skills in water management, equipping him to be able to drive change and contribute to Myanmar’s development.

Through the course, Ye Min Aung was particularly interested to learn about water management in Australia. “Australia is the second-driest continent on earth. I wanted to learn how water professionals in Australia are managing and tackling the water shortage issues,” he explains. He also valued learning from leading water management and research experts in South Australia through his course.

During the global pandemic, Ye Min Aung is drawing on his experiences in Australia to provide virtual training for teachers, principals, and volunteers about WASH activities. He is also involved in UNICEF’s global outreach activities such as promoting the importance of handwashing.

“As a WASH professional, I feel very much motivated about my contribution and working on the front line, using my qualification to prevent the spread of COVID-19 from the state, regional and township level to the community level for the people in Kayin and Mon States, and Tanintharyi region,” he says.

As part of ongoing activities related to COVID-19, Ye Min Aung has implemented hygiene promotion awareness sessions and personal hygiene messaging to help prevent the spread of communicable diseases. These sessions were conducted as Training of Trainers for partnered organizations, who will extend these awareness sessions to their teams and beneficiaries.

Following the recent floods, Ye Min Aung led efforts to disinfect water sources and distribute water purification chemicals to populations affected by acute watery diarrhea. This immediate response was crucial in preventing further health crises.

The Program applies a nexus programming approach integrating emergency WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) interventions with recovery efforts aimed at building climate resilience. This is particularly vital for communities in the hilly regions of Kayin State, where access to clean water is a persistent challenge. Ye Min Aung attended the Australia Awards Short Course, ‘Responding to Climate Change Challenge,’ delivered by the University of Queensland which equipped Ye Min Aung with knowledge and skills to tackle climate challenges.

In addition to community-level interventions, the WASH program extends to schools and health care facilities in ethnic communities across Kayin, Mon, and Tanintharyi regions. These initiatives ensure that children and patients have access to safe water and sanitation, which is crucial for their health and well-being. Throughout planning and implementation, Prevention of Sexual Exploitation, Abuse, and Harassment (PSEAH) and Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP) serve as key foundations, with zero tolerance for any form of harassment and abuse, ensuring no one is left behind.

Ye Min Aung also serves as the WASH Cluster Coordinator at the sub-national level, managing key areas including Mon, Kayin, Tanintharyi, and Bago-East. This dual role ensures cohesive management and implementation of WASH activities across these regions. Ye Min Aung is committed to working in the sector and is facilitating systems strengthening of WASH programs in Myanmar’s Southeast region.

This article is updated to reflect Ye Min Aung’s latest involvement and impact.

Reflecting on his work experience before being selected for an Australia Awards Scholarship, he recalls; “I joined Community Partners International in 2009 as a program coordinator supporting vulnerable communities in Myanmar to build community resilience in health and humanitarian services. I worked with local civil society leaders to strengthen local organisations and implement community-driven activities in remote areas.”

Dr Si Thura was awarded an Australia Awards Scholarship to acquire a master’s degree in public health at the Australian National University.

“The Australia Awards Scholarship enabled me to study major public health subjects such as epidemiology, biostatistics, qualitative and quantitative research, organisation and project management, global health and policy at one of the top universities in the world,” says Dr Si Thura.

He explains that; “The Australia Awards Scholarship not only provides assistance for the postgraduate degree course but also for leadership skills development. The scholarship supported me to attend a youth conference in Perth where I connected with academic and research professionals from different parts of the world and learned about recent developments in youth health and social issues.”

“The skills acquired during my study in Australia empower me to work with people from diverse communities, resolve complex issues, and advocate effectively to policy makers.”

After graduating and returning to Myanmar in 2013, Dr. Si Thura rejoined CPI as a Director and was subsequently promoted to Executive Director in 2017 covering CPI’s multi-country operations. In this role, he leads CPI’s efforts to empower vulnerable communities in Asia to meet their essential health, humanitarian and development needs. In Myanmar, he has helped local civil society and ethnic nationality organisations to strengthen health service delivery and contribute to the goal of universal health coverage.

In 2020 and 2021, Dr Si Thura led CPI’s COVID-19 pandemic response. As the virus brought devastating impacts, CPI mobilised emergency oxygen supplies, treatment and prevention, helping to save thousands of lives in Myanmar, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. In responding to the global pandemic, CPI is focused on closing health equity gaps to ensure that under-served and marginalised populations can access affordable and effective COVID-19 prevention and care services.

“We provide a variety of services ranging from medicines and supplies to the health systems, provision of oxygen therapy and COVID-19 treatment services through health posts, clinics, hospitals and tele-health platforms, to the establishment of community-based oxygen networks and oxygen plants,” explains Dr Si Thura.

In July 2021, a third wave of COVID-19 arrived in Myanmar. The country’s health system was already on the brink of collapse. The number of severe COVID-19 cases and the demand of oxygen increased dramatically in a matter of days. In this context, CPI launched a COVID-19 tele-health project, promoted through local social media channels, to ensure that desperately ill patients could access emergency medical consultations and care.

“Treatment was provided through tele-health consultations. Oxygen concentrators and cylinders were delivered through local civil society networks. For severe cases, mobile medical teams visited patients’ houses to administer treatment and, in some areas, patients were referred to COVID-19 treatment centres run by community-based organisations,” says Dr Si Thura.

The global pandemic brought significant challenges to people’s livelihoods in Myanmar. Under Dr Si Thura’s leadership, CPI helped community organisations establish and grow livelihood projects for women and vulnerable communities. The projects supported women to make cloth face masks, hand sanitiser, soap, and other products for sale. CPI also launched micro-loan and entrepreneurship initiatives to help women to start small enterprises in organic farming and livestock.

Dr Si Thura reports that CPI’s COVID-19 response reached more than one million people in Myanmar, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

“Partnership with local organisations is critical in navigating a variety of obstacles during the pandemic,” Dr Si Thura says.

Dr Si Thura is committed to working for health sector development in Myanmar and across Asia. He encourages international stakeholders “to recognise the key role of local actors and ensure that support is provided as directly as possible to these local organisations to help meet essential health and humanitarian needs.”

Australia Awards alumna and primary teaching specialist Tin Ma Ma Htet did not want children to be left behind in their learning because of COVID-19. This led her to launch an innovative education program for primary school children – ‘Learning at Home’ – that is accessible to all Myanmar students and their families.

Tin Ma Ma Htet is the founder of Saya Foundation, an organisation that provides technical support and mentoring to educators and schools at individual and whole-school levels. Through Saya Foundation, Tin Ma Ma Htet launched the first Learning at Home program in April 2020. Her team posted daily Learning at Home video lessons for a one-month period, providing opportunities for children to continue their education online.

The first online program was received with enthusiasm and appreciation by parents of primary school-age children. This led Tin Ma Ma Htet to develop three additional programs, with the latest being launched in October 2020.

To produce Learning at Home, Saya Foundation’s team members and external volunteer teachers prepare short video lessons for primary school students. The lessons are accompanied by guidelines for parents and guardians on making adjustments to suit their child’s age and stage of learning. The team publishes two to three videos every weekday on the Sayarma Facebook page.

A unique feature of the program is that parents can use the videos to teach their children at home with minimum support required. Each video lesson requires the child and their parent to submit an activity to review the child’s knowledge.

“The Learning at Home program reaches children and parents across the country,” explains Tin Ma Ma Htet with pride.

“Our lesson videos have received more than 16 million views, and around 100 students have received certificates for completing 75 percent of lessons.”

In addition, so far 699 children, including Myanmar children from Malaysia and Thailand, have participated in the video lessons and 499 have received certificates for completing their lessons.

In support of their mission to make education accessible, Tin Ma Ma Htet and her team have introduced ‘Learning at Home Awards’ to celebrate and encourage devoted supporters of children’s learning. For example, committed parents and teachers are rewarded with ‘Super Phay Phay (dad)’, ‘Super May May (mum)’ and ‘Super Mentor’ awards. People who support children who do not have access to the internet or mobile phones to do the video lessons are eligible to receive an ‘Ambassadors of Learning’ award.

“We now have Ambassadors of Learning in Kayah State, Ayeyarwaddy, Tanintharyi and Sagaing Regions, who we also support with teaching materials and storybooks,” says Tin Ma Ma Htet.

Overall, Tin Ma Ma Htet and her team have prepared close to 200 video lessons for students through the Learning at Home program.

“It demands a lot of work in managing the team, recording the participating students and keeping track of the activities they have submitted,” says Tin Ma Ma Htet.

However, the demanding work not only offers benefits to children and their parents, but also to Myanmar’s teachers.

“This program opens up opportunities for volunteer teachers. Through Learning at Home, passionate teachers have come together as a group, building and expanding their professional network.”

As an Australia Awards scholar, Tin Ma Ma Htet completed a Master of Teaching (Primary) at Australian Catholic University in 2015. Her learning experiences in Australia contributed to her wealth of teaching knowledge in childhood education.

“My scholarship equipped me with relevant knowledge and hands-on experience in teaching primary school children,” she said. “My Master’s degree enhanced my competency of knowledge, skills and self-confidence.”

“My Australia Awards Scholarship has also broadened my professional network,” she continues. “I have connected with scholars and alumni from diverse backgrounds, which can be helpful to implement activities.”

In addition to her work on the Learning at Home online program, Tin Ma Ma Htet provides the Teaching Foundation online course for parents who want to provide homeschooling for their young children during the COVID-19 pandemic, and people who are interested in teaching but have not attended teacher training. The course fees contribute to Saya Foundation’s Whole School Support programs.

She also shares posts about teaching, education or parenting every Saturday and hosts a monthly live discussion with an expert or a group of experts on the Sayarma Facebook page.

Tin Ma Ma Htet’s devotion to creating and sharing accessible education resources is evident throughout her work with school students, their parents and families, and schools and educators.

“My vision for the future is to make quality educational resources accessible to children in Myanmar,” she says. “This includes ensuring that resources are inclusive to all children, such as those from different ethnic backgrounds, religions, and children with disability.”