“In my village very few women have leadership roles. I want women to be leaders.”
Nanh Kham Hom Hleng is a 27-year-old woman from Myanmar. Kham Hom grew up in Myanmar in a small village called Noung Kong Village in northern Shan State. There are many conflicts in this area which bring insecurity and instability. Because the town is on the border of China, many armed groups come to fight over who can take control. Drug problems, lack of education, and numerous political parties create a lack of unity among the people.
**DISCLAIMER: this interview has been translated, transcribed, and condensed for clarity purposes. The final article was reviewed by the Daughter Rising team to ensure accuracy and integrity of the original interview was kept.
Education
She is one of very few who passed high school and the only one who had the opportunity to go study abroad. When she finished high school in 2012, she was unable to go to university as her parents could not afford the costs. She joined Kaw Dai organization which teaches English and Thai language alongside various other skills. She attended school there from 2012-2014, and worked for them from 2015-2016.
During this time, she still strived to go to university. It was important to her parents, and it was important to her. Her mother was never able to attend school and her father dropped out in 2nd grade to help with his parents’ work. Her two younger brothers also dropped out to help work on their family farm, so she was the only one in her family who had made it to high school.
Although she had to stay an extra year to work on her English, Kham Hom was the first of 9 students in her class to get accepted into university. She worked very hard. In 2016, Kham Hom was accepted into Chiang Mai University. Without a scholarship secured, she had to make a difficult decision. She feared if she put off attendance another year, she may not get accepted again. After speaking with her parents, they told her not to worry, just go. Her parents sold their family farm to fund the expenses. In addition, she was working every job she could find, cleaning houses and selling food in the market.
The university saw how hard she had been working in school and awarded her a tuition waiver for 3 years, but she still needed assistance with living expenses. She had to spend a lot of money upfront because she didn’t have anything. Kham Hom reflects on that time, “I didn’t have much money for food. Sometimes I would spread one can of fish over one week. It’s the kind of experience that teaches us not to give up.”
It was then that she met Alexa, founder of Daughters Rising. Daughters rising was able to fill that gap so she could give her full focus to her studies. She has been involved with Daughter’s Rising since 2017. At the time, they were supporting 3-4 students. Now, they are able to support over 15 women in their education.
From 2018-2020 Kham Hom worked with Daughters Rising and Chai Lai Orchid. She helped with emails and scholarships as well as checking in with students. In 2019, she lent a helping hand in buying food and distributing to local people who didn’t have work due to COVID shutdowns.
After completing her bachelor’s degree in social science, Kham Hom returned to Myanmar to fulfill a contract with Kaw Dai Organization for two years. She worked as an English teacher and logistic official. She has now returned to Thailand to again work with Daughters Rising.
Her dream is to be a social worker helping local people in the community. Chai Lai Orchid founder, Alexa Bay, is her inspiration for her kindness and dedication to helping people around her.
Are you ever able to return to see your family?
I am, but it is very tricky. Once a year I get to go back for 2-3 days. It’s a day long trip each way, and I must come back to work. Getting across the border is extensive as they check all of your things and have to answer all their questions correctly. With many armed groups, they suspect that you are a dictator from some other group. You just have to be careful, even when you are doing nothing wrong.
What makes you happy?
Seeing other people happy because I love to help people. I like to make other people smile.
What do you like to do for fun?
Chen traditional dance. Sometimes in my free time I stay in my room alone practicing my dance. It’s good for health and helps us to relax and reduce our stress.
If you could give advice to your younger self, what would it be?
Don’t waste your time. When I was young, I would spend my time playing around in the farm with friends and didn’t focus on my studies. So, when I grew up, I had to spend extra time studying. I wish my younger self to spend her time well.
Her message to others:
Kham Hom believes when people grow up and have education, they can be a good leader for their community. With this, she wants to encourage young people to pursue higher education to support their family, children, and come back and work for their communities. If that happened, she believes people would be more happy and the community would be more stable.
“Many women from Myanmar are raised to believe they will grow up to be a housewife and I don’t want it to be like that. They are not only that. They are and can be more than that. I want them to study and see the world wider than that. In my village, very few women have leadership roles. I want women to be a leader.”
She hopes to be a role model for young people from her village.
“Kham Hom is a role model to us all. Her passion, perseverance, bravery, and strive for leadership are a force to be reckoned with. We feel so lucky to have been able to spotlight her at 100 Rural Women and can’t wait to see all the amazing things she will continue to do for not only her community, but the world.”
-Alexa (100 Rural Women)
For more information, visit Daughters Rising and Chai Lai Orchid.
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Alexandra Pham
founder of daughters Rising and chai lai orchid
Daughters Rising
non-profit organization
malida
Daughters Rising kids house Staff
Win
Daughters Rising program director
