Hau Nuam Vung is an educator in Myanmar and is passionate about ensuring all people have access to learning opportunities. More specifically, Hau Nuam is an advocate for literacy, financial management, gender and human rights, and sexual reproductive health rights. Hau Nuam is currently teaching English to youth at the Eden Learning Center in Myanmar where the goal is to make sure every child has the right to education and has access to a safe place to study.
WISE got connected to Hau Nuam through the Community Solutions Program* in 2022, where she worked with WISE for four months developing her knowledge and skills in youth group facilitation and sexual violence prevention. Hau Nuam loves reading books (especially autobiographies), watching movies, and traveling.
Hau Nuam’s Journey in Learning
Education and learning has always been a part of Hau Nuam’s life. Growing up in a rural village in Myanmar, her family raised livestock for a living. She recalled that her and her siblings would help their mother do household chores and harvest the garden after school. Even with these added responsibilities, Hau Nuam would try to complete her homework before dark as their family could not afford to light a candle or electricity.
As a young girl, Hau Nuam was extremely invested in reading. Unfortunately, there was no library in her village and her school. “There was a book rental shop in our community,” she says. “But because I had no money, I could not borrow books from there. Therefore, I visited my neighbors and borrowed any books that they had because I wanted to read a lot.”
Because of her passion to learn and the support of her family, Hau Nuam was able to complete her basic education and get into university. Hau Nuam struggled with deciding what she wanted to study but eventually settled on studying English at Dagon University. After graduating, Hau Nuam gained work experience as an assistant teacher at a nursery school, an administrator at another job, and then as a project coordinator at the Myanmar Baptist Convention (MBC) where she led humanitarian and women’s empowerment projects. There, Hau Nuam was able to work directly with women in the community to raise awareness on gender issues, women’s rights, and human rights; and provide skills training on financial literacy.
Hau Nuam is currently a freelance educator and is teaching at the Eden Learning Center to provide English classes for youth. Due to the political and economic situation in Myanmar, providing consistent and quality education for youth has been difficult. This motivated her to volunteer her time at the Eden Learning Center and provide free English classes and activities for youth.
Hau Nuam says:
“Children in my community are longing for classes to be opened. Whenever I talk with them, they keep asking me when I am going to teach them. Their interests and desires influence me to start my work.”
The Eden Learning Center is currently in its beginning development stage, but Hau Nuam hopes to one day open a mini-library at the Center and be able to provide lunch and school supplies for the children there as well.
Supporting Hau Nuam and the Eden Learning Center
Because the political and economic situation in Myanmar has halted education for the youth, youth in Hau Nuam’s village now rely on places like learning centers to receive education and skills development training. Your help will:
Purchase books to create a small library
Purchase school supplies and other teaching materials
Purchase snacks for the youth
Hau Nuam’s Work with WISE
Hau Nuam was a Community Solutions Program Fellow at WISE in 2022. The Community Solutions Program (CSP) is a four-month fellowship with a US nonprofit or local government agency where fellows receive skills training and coaching; and then they return home to apply their new skills. During her time at WISE, Hau Nuam was interested in honing her knowledge and skills to develop the self-sufficiency of women and youth. She attended Girls Getting Ahead in Leadership (GGAL) and Healthy Relationships program sessions where she was able to see how WISE facilitates and develops its curriculum. She also received sexual violence prevention training and visited other Minnesota nonprofits that work with women and youth. Hau Nuam now uses some of her new skills teaching teens about healthy relationships and facilitating life skills classes on cooking and nutrition.
*The Community Solutions Program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. Government and supported in its implementation by IREX.