It is an honour for me to write about Num Aye as she is such a remarkable and determined woman, who is now the head of the independent We women foundation in Myanmar. I will try to tell her story as good as I can but mostly this post is about what wonderful things can happen if you grant women their right to education.
Num Aye was born to educators in Myanmar in a Shan state and it’s her parents that inspired her and showed her that knowledge and education are crucial to a strong and successful society. Since a young age on, they made her realise ‘that strength comes from playing an active role in life, and in bearing responsibility gracefully’.
After completing her bachelor’s degree, she moved to the Burmese/Chinese border to work at an English language school. However, due to the political situation at the time, Num Aye had to flee the country. It’s important to note that this was not a choice she made freely; she was concerned for her safety and the threatening political situation in her home country.
She relocated to Thailand where she worked at an NGO teaching migrant workers English, Shan and computer skills. On top of that she also worked with a radio station where she helped to broadcast programs on education and Shan news to the Shan community. While she wasn’t able to be a teacher anymore as she was residing in Thailand illegally, Num Aye never gave up and continued to contribute towards the education of migrants. Working at the NGO she realised that many of them could neither read nor write which of course puts them at a distinct disadvantage, many of them can only accept jobs that are dangerous and very badly paid. In an interview, Num Aye said that she witnessed some laborers being unable to sign their own name and this motivated her even further to continue her fight to make education accessible to everyone.
While Num Aye was residing in Thailand she met the We women founder Ursula Cats. They soon began a professional relationship and it’s thanks to the We women foundation and the help of donors, that Num Aye could take part in a scholarship program. The scholarship allowed her to study Education Administration at Assumption University in Bangkok. After successfully completing her Master’s degree, Num Aye returned to Myanmar and started working at We women Myanmar. While Num Aye has been the director of the director of We women Myanmar for many years she is now the head of the independent We women Myanmar organization.
And ultimately, Num Aye’s story shows what happens when education is accessible to women. We know that the benefits of education are endless, unfortunately the access to education continues to be limited, especially for women and refugees. And this is exactly what the we Women foundation is working on, making education more easily accessible to women. It’s beyond inspiring to see how thanks to the education the foundation provided to her, Num Aye can now in turn help so many women and refugees around her. Talk about educate one, empower thousands!