Staff profile
As the Country Director of CARE in Myanmar, I am responsible for implementing an ambitious strategy that benefits some of the poorest communities in the country. I oversee a team of more than 300 colleagues in ten offices, who are running projects all over Myanmar, including in conflict-affected areas. My job is to ensure our projects are improving the lives of the people we work with, and staff are safe, happy and productive.
I have also worked for CARE in Cambodia and Bangladesh, and I am so proud of CARE’s commitment to gender equality, which is such a key driver in the fight against poverty. I’ve been privileged to see many remarkable examples of people improving their lives with support from CARE, from poor communities in Bangladesh receiving better health services from government, indigenous children in Cambodia going to school for the first time, and women working to reduce violence and discrimination against women in Myanmar.
Seeing peoples’ lives improve is the greatest motivator for my work. I am inspired by the determination of the communities CARE serves, and motivated by the unacceptable inequalities they suffer. I am in awe of my CARE colleagues working in some of the toughest places in Myanmar, and around the world, and am also humbled by the thousands of wonderful people who donate and raise funds to support our work.
Poor women, men, girls and boys in Myanmar face so many challenges, including conflict, poor access to education, health services and natural resources and inequality between women and men. A community leader called Aye Aye Naing in Kayah State has inspired me immensely. She became the first woman elected as a leader in her village in 2015, and is helping women and their families by making childbirth safer, and seeking justice for rape survivors. Aye Aye Naing has extraordinary determination and courage, and despite setbacks she is transforming her community and is a powerful role model for others.
To anyone who supports CARE, please know you are helping to create lasting change in the lives of some of the poorest people on our planet. Your support is essential to continue and grow CARE’s work reducing poverty and tackling social injustices in Myanmar, and around the world. Thank you!
