2015 - present: Founder and director of C4DM, Communication for Development Services Myanmar
C4DM Ltd offers strategic and online communication and media services, knowledge management solutions and public consultations support to international and local development organisations.
Design of Curriculums on English proficiency for short-term courses
Training of English teachers of Ministry of Education, Popa, Mandalay Region
Training of university students and civil servants in Popa Region
8/2016 – 7/2018: Asian Development Bank (ADB) Communications Consultant for (1) the Power Transmission and Distribution Improvement project and (2) the Eindu-Kawkareik Road Improvement project in Myanmar, and (3) support to communication toolkit development for Southeast Asia ADB staff and consultants. Specific tasks included:
Support to stakeholder consultations, design and implementation of communications strategies
Development and (supervision of) production of IEC materials (booklets, manuals, hotline, Facebook)
Capacity assessments and capacity building of government staff to effectively carry out activities set forth in the communication strategies
Support to development of project Grievance Redress Mechanism(s)
Identification and supervision of local resource persons
Review of ADB communication practices and draft design of Communication Toolkit for staff
3/2014 – 7/2015: Coordinator/English Program Advisor, Pour Sourire d'Enfant (PSE) Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Advising on English teaching to Director of PSE Vocational Training Institute (PSEI) and to national supervisors of English team in PSE Foundation Studies Division (FSD) on curriculum and capacity development
Pedagogy Development: design/introduction of new curriculum for 2014-15 academic year; design teaching methods and strategies suiting PSE’s multi-level classroom system; introduction of learner-centred approach methodologies
Guidance to and training of international English teaching volunteers
Teacher training/capacity building: Providing orientation, suggestions, recommendations, plans and teaching support to teachers on designed curriculum; training and presentations on language teaching, teaching methods, pronunciation, grammar, etcetera; hands-on advice to help teachers overcome challenges in teaching/implementing the new curriculum
Assessment and Evaluation: Classroom monitoring of teachers’ use of/adaptation to introduced new teaching methods/ strategies/teaching aids in class, and ensuring teachers apply suggested methods instead of traditional language teaching; provision feedback for improvement; revision criteria for assessment of teachers; design criteria for evaluating students’ progress and grading systems
Teaching English to Cambodian PSE students aged 17+ from socially underprivileged backgrounds
8/2011 – 4/2013: (1) Teacher, British International School Phnom Penh (BISPP) and (2) Instructor, Pannasastra UniversityCambodia
Teach English Language and Literature for Cambridge Exams (IGCSE) to Cambodian and expatriate students in Grades 7 and 8
Evening classes to adolescent students in General and Communication English
Teach General English to Cambodian and expatriate children aged 8 to 13 years
1/2004 – 4/2008: Information and Health Communication Assistant and Library Manager, UNICEF Myanmar
Management of UNICEF library & Information centre and initiating and organising its transformation into a Resource Centre open to the public
Conduct media and government staff trainings, workshops and other capacity building activities related to Avian Influenza, inclusive of monitoring of public impact of activities
Monitor Facts for Life trainings given by UNICEF to impact basic life-saving information to hard-to-reach grassroots communities through religious organizations
Supervise production of UNICEF-supported IEC and behaviour change communication materials (Avian Influenza, Dengue, Malaria) including draft script writing for videos, audio-visuals, radio programs, animations, booklets, posters, and oversee the qualitative aspects of production (translations, quality control, cultural and linguistic appropriateness, reviews of layout)
Facilitate Early Childhood Development workshops and guiding the development of a first series of illustrated books on early childhood development and other communication materials for children
Take coverage and video footage on post-Nargis Tsunami development activities (in terms of Health, Water and sanitation, Hygiene) in the affected areas (the Irrawaddy delta)
Field monitoring, interviews and draft human-interest stories covering the post-Tsunami programme, Mass Measles campaign, Avian Influenza capacity building programme, and Facts for Life trainings
Media monitoring and analysis, drafting press releases, edit stories, translations Myanmar-English
Operate and maintain Young journalist training/ project to children from disadvantaged background
Media monitoring and analyses, researches on social, cultural and political backgrounds of Myanmar and its military relationship with neighbouring countries, liaison with Myanmar Ministries of Defense and Foreign Affairs and with the Defense Services Attaché Corps, translations and interpretations
Education
987–1988 & 1991–1992: MA English - Teaching English as Foreign Language (TEFL), Early Childhood Development, Syllabus Designing, Language Testing, English for Specific Purposes, Comparative English, Psycholinguistics, Sociolinguistics, Theoretical Linguistics, and Communicative English Rangoon Arts and Science University, Burma
1985–1986: BA Honors English – Advanced Linguistics & Literature, Rangoon Arts and Science University, Burma
1980–1985: BA English – Linguistics, Phonetics & Phonology, Literature, History, Political Science, Rangoon Arts and Science University, Burma
(Short) Training Course Certificates:
Library & Information Management, Myanmar Library Association, Yangon University, 2016
Managing Upward, UNICEF Myanmar, March 2008
Excelling as a Supervisor, UNICEF Myanmar, March 2008
Performance Coaching and Feedback, UNICEF Myanmar 2008
Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation, ELD, Bangkok, Thailand, July 2007
Report Writing, British Council, Rangoon, April 2007
Emergency Preparedness and Response, UNICEF Myanmar, September 2005
Basic Security in the Field -Staff Safety, Health & Welfare, UNICEF Myanmar. October 2004
Emergency Response and Risk Communication, CDC, 2007
Current Events, American Center, Rangoon, September 2003
Promoting and Nurturing Early Learning Capacities of young children through innovative media, UNICEF Myanmar, December 2005
Writing books for Myanmar children 0-6 years, UNICEF Myanmar, June 2005
Holistic Early Child Development and Media for Infants, UNICEF Myanmar, April 2005