My name is Aung Kyaw and I was born on 11th October, 1991 in Kyun Mee Village, Hlaing Bwe Township, and Karen State in southern Myanmar. I have five siblings; two brothers and three sisters. My parents are farmers.
When I was two years old, there were fightings between Karen armed group and Burmese military government in our village and we were forced to flee for safety for about one month. While in the jungle, some of my neighbours and I contracted a very serious form of malaria and some medical soldiers were there to take care of us . Unfortunately, one of my cousins and I were given the incorrect injection which adversely affected our legs. Following the incident, we could not walk anymore.
However, my mother took care of me very well that I can now function as a normal person while my cousin could not walk anymore. Due to my health condition, my parents thought that I would not be able to work and earn a proper living when I got older. So, they tried to support my education l as much as possible while my other siblings just finished the elementary education. I started school when I was seven. Again, my life had a drastic change when I finished Grade-8.
In 2008, the economy of Myanmar was cut off and Nargis Cyclone, one of the worst natural disasters in Myanmar history, destroyed the shelters and livelihoods of Myanmar people. In the aftermath, a lot of people including my family ended up in extreme poverty. Consequently, my parents could not support me anymore, and decided to send me to Mae La Refugee Camp in Thailand to stay with my uncle’s family and continue my education.
About Aung Kyaw
- Age: 32
- Ethnicity: Karen
- Country: Myanmar
School & Program
- Chiang Mai University
- Bachelor’s, Social Science
- 2nd Year in Program
Goals & Dreams
- Work with UN in Refugee Affair or INGO
- Serve my Karen People
Loan Details
- Loan Amount: $1,500
- Amount Left To Fund: $1,500
- Contract Duration: 10 years
- Status: In Limbo
I tried to settle in the refugee camp and study very hard while participating actively in Karen Students Network Group (KSNG). Unfortunately, after one year staying with my uncle’s family, they all moved to US to resettle there. After they left, I became homeless and moved to Buddhist monastery for shelter and education. In the academic year of 2010-2011, I finished my high school and joined one of the Post-Ten schools called Anglican Language and Computer Centre (ALCC).
In 2012, I moved to Thoo Mweh Khee Senior College (TMKSC) to improve my English skills and better my future career. During my time at TMKSC, as a member of student council, I had to organize the school activities and monthly students’ competition such as debates, drawings, and writing poems. In my final year, I researched about education and community development in Karen State for five weeks. After graduation, I worked as a member of school staff for one year. I also taught part-time at Thai School.
While a lot of young adults only finished secondary education in Thai-Myanmar border, I was selected to do a one-year GED program (General Education Development) at Minmahaw School in Mae Sot. As the students belong to diverse ethnic backgrounds, it was quite interesting to get to know each other’s cultures, traditions and beliefs. After I successfully completed my GED program, I worked with Burmese Migrant Teachers’ Association (BMTA) as a Data and Office Assistant for two months.
Eventually, my dream came true when I received the partial scholarship from Chiang Mai University (CMU) to do a Bachelor Degree in Social Science. Since it is a partial scholarship, I had to borrow some money from my relatives to cover all the expenses. I have learnt a lot of interesting things such as Politics, Economics, Psychology and Sociology at CMU.
At the same time, I am also working with Karen Education Department (KED) which is under the leadership of Karen National Union (KNU) to preserve the culture, literacy and identity of the Karen people. I am serving there as a data and monitoring assistant for collecting the information of schools which are under the control of KED. When I accompany the staff members of KED to monitor the schools in Karen State, I witness the bleak future of my fellow Karen people in terms of education. The Karen leaders and other Karen people are very proud of me for having a very good education background among them, because I have the highest education qualification among KED Staffs and my work place.
After finishing my study, I believe I will be able to make positive changes in Karen State. Finishing a degree in Social Science will undoubtedly benefit me, Southern Karen State, the place where I am currently working and my Karen people as a whole.
Written by Aung Kyaw with editing assistance from Zomia’s volunteer editors.
Aung Kyaw
“It took a lot of time, perseverance and hard work to overcome various life situations and reach my goal of getting a good education. ”