Since finishing his Australia Awards Scholarship in 2017, Ye Min Aung has worked at UNICEF Myanmar as WASH Officer. In this role, he is also leading water supply, sanitation and hygiene activities for schools in Kayin (Karen) State, Mon State and Tanintharyi Region to prevent the spread of COVID-19. This includes managing coordination to provide technical assistance, procurement and installation of handwashing stations in schools and public locations.

“Access to handwashing stations is vital for preventing the spread of COVID-19,” says Ye Min Aung. “So, we have installed handwashing stations in schools for the schoolchildren, and in public spaces such as markets and bus terminals for the general public.”

Kayin State is one of Myanmar’s high-risk areas for COVID-19 infection. This is because its Myawaddy–Mae Sot border point is a major trading hub between Myanmar and Thailand. It has also received a huge number of returning migrant Myanmar workers from Thailand over the past year.

Ye Min Aung explains that UNICEF’s WASH activities are implemented in collaboration with a range of partners, “in the South-East regions of Mon, Kayin and Tanintharyi.”

He also emphasises that social inclusion is a core component of the school-based WASH activities he is leading. Examples of inclusion measures include ensuring that students with disability are able to access WASH services and practices, and overseeing construction of gender-segregated school latrines that also include access ramps.

Ye Min Aung received an Australia Awards Scholarship to study a Master of Water Resources Management at Flinders University. The Scholarship built on his existing experience and skills in water management, equipping him to be able to drive change and contribute to Myanmar’s development.

Through the course, Ye Min Aung was particularly interested to learn about water management in Australia. “Australia is the second-driest continent on earth. I wanted to learn how water professionals in Australia are managing and tackling the water shortage issues,” he explains. He also valued learning from leading water management and research experts in South Australia through his course.

During the global pandemic, Ye Min Aung is drawing on his experiences in Australia to provide virtual training for teachers, principals, and volunteers about WASH activities. He is also involved in UNICEF’s global outreach activities such as promoting the importance of handwashing.

“As a WASH professional, I feel very much motivated about my contribution and working on the front line, using my qualification to prevent the spread of COVID-19 from the state, regional and township level to the community level for the people in Kayin and Mon States, and Tanintharyi region,” he says.

As part of ongoing activities related to COVID-19, Ye Min Aung has implemented hygiene promotion awareness sessions and personal hygiene messaging to help prevent the spread of communicable diseases. These sessions were conducted as Training of Trainers for partnered organizations, who will extend these awareness sessions to their teams and beneficiaries.

Following the recent floods, Ye Min Aung led efforts to disinfect water sources and distribute water purification chemicals to populations affected by acute watery diarrhea. This immediate response was crucial in preventing further health crises.

The Program applies a nexus programming approach integrating emergency WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) interventions with recovery efforts aimed at building climate resilience. This is particularly vital for communities in the hilly regions of Kayin State, where access to clean water is a persistent challenge. Ye Min Aung attended the Australia Awards Short Course, ‘Responding to Climate Change Challenge,’ delivered by the University of Queensland which equipped Ye Min Aung with knowledge and skills to tackle climate challenges.

In addition to community-level interventions, the WASH program extends to schools and health care facilities in ethnic communities across Kayin, Mon, and Tanintharyi regions. These initiatives ensure that children and patients have access to safe water and sanitation, which is crucial for their health and well-being. Throughout planning and implementation, Prevention of Sexual Exploitation, Abuse, and Harassment (PSEAH) and Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP) serve as key foundations, with zero tolerance for any form of harassment and abuse, ensuring no one is left behind.

Ye Min Aung also serves as the WASH Cluster Coordinator at the sub-national level, managing key areas including Mon, Kayin, Tanintharyi, and Bago-East. This dual role ensures cohesive management and implementation of WASH activities across these regions. Ye Min Aung is committed to working in the sector and is facilitating systems strengthening of WASH programs in Myanmar’s Southeast region.

This article is updated to reflect Ye Min Aung’s latest involvement and impact.

Su Su Tun has worked in health and disaster risk management as an advocate for inclusive practices and policies for people with disability since 2013.

She says, “People with disability need to have equal access to healthcare and it is crucial for service providers to be advocates for disability-inclusive health care and to ensure services and facilities are accessible.”

People with disability in Myanmar encounter barriers in accessing necessary health and rehabilitation services. The COVID-19 pandemic and the instability in 2021 brought people with disability more challenges in accessing essential services.

Su Su Tun is managing projects designed to empower people with disability and their organisations by contributing to equal access to basic social services and strengthening local policy-making processes.

In the health sector, Su Su Tun has worked in physiotherapy and rehabilitation for people with disability, including providing caregiver training and negotiating with local and state authorities and other stakeholders as an advocate for inclusion. Su Su Tun’s work within disaster risk reduction has been equally rewarding, including developing training resources and programs in inclusive disaster risk management.

Her broad experience working in the disability field led her to pursue a Master of Disability Policy from Flinders University in 2019 with the support of an Australia Awards Scholarship.

“The on-the-job skills I received through my advanced work placement in Australia have certainly built up my confidence and skills in disability inclusion,” she says.

Su Su Tun has recently taken a role working as a Program Management Senior Officer (Disability Inclusion & Cross Cutting) for the Access to Health Fund with the United Nations Office for Project Services. The Access to Health Fund (the Fund) aims to increase access of vulnerable populations to better and more relevant health services, strengthen health systems, and increase social cohesion. Disability inclusion is mainstreamed across the Fund to ensure that people with disability can access necessary health services. The Fund promotes disability-inclusive health practices, viewing people with disability as active partners.

Su Su Tun is responsible for the management of grants and programs on disability inclusion and cross-cutting themes such as gender equality; community feedback; prevention of sexual exploitation, harassment and abuse; emergency preparedness and response; conflict sensitivity; and social cohesion. The Fund focuses mainly on the most underserved and vulnerable populations of the country through a rights-based and inclusive approach.

Su Su Tun says, “I’ve been providing technical inputs on disability-inclusive health to the Fund and its implementing partners.” This work includes the provision of necessary rehabilitation services to people with disability, awareness raising in communities and with key stakeholders, ensuring that emergency referral support and essential health services are available and accessible to people with disability, and providing health education in accessible formats.

However, there are challenges in working for disability inclusion. These include the scarcity of resources and limited number of service providers for disability-related health. There are many people with disability in the community who need physical rehabilitation and assistive devices; however, in certain regions these people face service gaps.

Despite the challenges, Su Su Tun is dedicated to advocating for partner organisations in the non-profit sector to integrate disability inclusion and social inclusion in their policies and to involve people with disability in their activities and interventions.