SPOTLIGHT SERIES: Kaliar Saw
A Myanmar national and an ethnic woman, Kaliar Saw, ’14 DeBoer Fellow, is a triple minority among her peers as she performs her daily work at World Vision International as a Strategy Specialist for the East Asia Region. She has to be assertive and cannot expect anything to come easy. We sat down and asked her about her experience working and leading in a multicultural environment at the regional level.
DeBoer Fellowship (DF) staff: Why are you in this field of work? What motivates you to do what you do?
Kaliar Saw: Before I began working for a development organization,
SPOTLIGHT SERIES: Dr. Nyi Nyi Zaw
Combining both passion and professional expertise, Dr. Nyi Nyi Zaw is helping change the field of hospital management for the better. In Myanmar, the hospital management industry is booming and has room to improve and grow. We sat down with Dr. Nyi Nyi Zaw to ask more about his work and what motivates him. His answers and his personal story, we believe, will inspire our readers.
DeBoer Fellowship (DF) staff: Why are you in this field of work?
Dr. Nyi Nyi Zaw: During the second semester of my final year of medical school,
SPOTLIGHT SERIES: Sai Sam Phoon Seng
Grassroots-oriented leader and community mobilizer Sai Sam Phoon Seng played an important role in the most recent election campaign for Shan Nationalities League for Democracy, where he serves as its International Secretary. Sai Sam is also a 2015 DeBoer Fellow and has been deeply invested in his communities for years. The following is an excerpt from our interview with him.
DeBoer Fellowship (DF) staff: Why are you in this field of work?
Sai Sam: I was born into a family that inspired me to be intrigued in politics and political work that benefits the community.
SPOTLIGHT SERIES: Naw Paw Gaw
Naw Paw Gaw: Leading from the heart; serving with humility
We had the great opportunity to talk with DeBoer Lifelong Fellow, Naw Paw Gaw ’14 about the work she does and the values which guide her efforts. Read our interview with her below.
DeBoer Fellowship (DF) staff: “Why are you in this field of work?”
Naw Paw Gaw: “I believe I was chosen by God to work for women’s empowerment. I have focused all my concern, my choices and my life for this work. I’m interested in responding to the challenges faced by marginalized women in grassroots level and women leaders in the rural areas.
SPOTLIGHT SERIES: Michael Suantak
DeBoer Fellow 2015, Civic-minded Social Innovator and Entrepreneur
Sometimes leaders are selected; in other cases, leaders are called.
When you feel you are called to do something, it is simply very difficult to turn the other way around, no matter how good that other opportunity is. Michael Suantak felt this calling when he decided to leave a position in an international organization in Yangon. He returned to the hills of Chin State to build a community wireless network as an alternative communication platform, connecting more than 20 jungle villages over the hills in Chin State in Northwestern Myanmar.