Aug
05
2016

Daw Mar Soe Lwin worked as a secondary school teacher in her village for 20 years. She loves to teach and was passionate about her students, but after the 1988 protests, she was dismissed from her post by local authorities for being too sympathetic to some students who had joined protests against the Government. This was a devastating loss for Mar Soe Lwin because teaching is her life’s passion.

Through the Oxfam Participatory River Management Project, Mar Soe Lwin had a chance to share her views on the natural resource issues facing her village.  In June 2016 she participated in a river visioning exercise together with other women in her village.  She lead this group and then went on to identify herself as a candidate to present the women’s vision to government officials, academics, civil society groups at a regional workshop the following month.

Despite her history of repression, Mar Soe Lwin proved that she had lost none of her leadership and presentation skills that she developed as a teacher. At the July 2016 regional workshop in front of 50 people she gave a strong presentation to the group about the challenges facing women and river management in her village. She presented the women’s vision for a healthy river and after her presentation she gave media interviews to local media outlets that had been invited to attend the workshop.

Mar Soe Lwin proved herself as a natural mentor to other women leaders. Some of the younger women from other villages were not confident to present their visions and Mar Soe Lwin coached these women prior to the regional workshop to build their confidence, sharing her tips with them for presenting in front of an audience. These women went on to successfully present in front of the regional workshop audience.

Mar Soe Lwin’s story is part of the Participatory River Management project, funded by Oxfam. The project aims to empower women and include the voices of local communities and civil society in decision-making processes about the management of the Ayeyarwady and Thanlwin Rivers.

The name of Daw Mar Soe Lwin was changed to protect her anonymity.