History

Saya Foundation was founded by Tin Ma Ma Htet, and started in 2016 as a Library Project, “Santi-saya (Peaceful shade) Library”, in Mandalay. The initial aim was to bridge the divided community through a common platform, a library, where children and younger generations can learn together to live together peacefully. Activities of the project included reading clubs, English classes, computer classes, and art classes to bring children together from across communities and creating a safe space for them to build friendships. Saya Foundation also organized Interfaith tours for children, in which children learned about different religions and how to respect others regardless of their differences. The program resulted in improved communication between children and adults in the community. 

Later, it has expanded with a Facebook blog, Sayarma-ဆရာမ  facebook page, where technical knowledge on education, teaching and parenting are being shared. It has become a platform which provides important information for education purposes during the COVID-19 period. This blog focuses on distance learning for primary school students at the time of the pandemic. It has over 200 online lessons and has reached over 6 million cumulated views over Facebook, between June and October 2020.

After being recognized by a wider community, with the support of Community Partners International, a non-profit community organization was formed. It was first named as Sayarma Foundation, following the name of Sayarma facebook page. The first initiatives were to reach out to communities in Kalay and Lashio to provide technical support to schools in 2019. Foundation’s activities mainly focus on teachers’ capacity development, holistic development of schools in remote areas, and online engagement to share knowledge about education and parenting. The organization’s team members comprise of teachers in monastic, nunnery, and private schools who have the passion to support their fellow teachers in strengthening their capacities. 

In 2020, the official organization’s name was changed from Sayarma Foundation to Saya Foundation. The word Sayar and Sayarma (teacher in Myanmar language), are both derived from the Pali word “Saya”, meaning shade. As we named our organization as Saya Foundation, we would like to provide a joyful and peaceful educational experience to all the children in Myanmar.

Children in Myanmar, regardless of their differences, deserve to have quality and safe learning opportunities. It’s their rights and it’s our duties to create opportunities and environments that will enable them to learn and grow safely and joyfully.

Therefore, our vision is for children in Myanmar to receive quality and inclusive education, and meaningful support from different stakeholders.

Our missions

  • to create quality learning materials that are accessible by children, 
  • to deliver an effective model of change for the education sector, and 
  • to provide support to different stakeholders such as parents and teachers, in creating inclusive and safe learning environments.

Our values

  • Learning – We value the ability to learn and grow from mistakes. We value life-long learning to improve ourselves and others.
  • Sense-of-Ownership – We believe we can succeed from self-directed leadership. We expect collaborations to thrive for the success of ourselves and others.
  • Honesty – We only work with accountable and trusting colleagues. We appreciate transparent processes and procedures.
  • Availability – We cherish our readiness to help while balancing our life and work. We cherish our time management to complete tasks in a timely manner.
  • Professionalism – We dedicate ourselves to become unique role models in taking responsibilities and following rules and regulations.
  • Understanding – We are aware of differences in people, we respect the differences and we celebrate diversity.

Greetings from team

I am a working mother who at the same time desires to support her daughter. Saya provides me with flexible working hours which is a big help for me in managing hours to raise my daughter. I am very grateful to Saya for granting my wish. While trying to be a good parent, I am also supporting teachers’ capacity building workshops, training programs and individual consultation sessions with Saya to reach their goals. Being a mother and being a part of Saya is what I am always proud of.

– Shwe Yin Aye

Growing up, I have always wanted to make a better change in the community. Whether it would be a tiny or a huge change, I supposed consistently trying and having commitment in what you are doing would make an impact sooner or later. From early childhood education to parenting and teacher training, I found out that Saya and I share the same ideal goal; improving the livelihoods of people through education. Working in Saya was one of the best decisions I have made. Together, we have had a journey filled with splendid experiences. Since then, I find no better joy than having the opportunity to witness the growth of the community we have supported.
– Jewel

The main reason I am working in Saya is because it  focuses on the education sector. Taking an approach on improving education of children, teachers, parents and for everyone working in the community development sector, I was very eager to work here since I am also passionate about the said things. Interrelatable book production for children is also one of my favorite activities of Saya. Through this activity, children can experience interactive lessons and communication dialogues which allows them to get to know more about real life. It is always astonishing to experience their growth. 

– Hnin Hnin Wai

Saya is an organization that helps teachers and parents all around the country who have a keen interest in the education field. As an individual who wants to continue learning and on the other hand, share my knowledge at the same time, I wanted to join hands with Saya. Working with Saya, I was able to guide teachers who are new in the field and train teachers from faith-based schools and other parts of the country.

– Myo Swe Thant

I decided to build my professional career in Saya because this is where I can learn many things. Another reason is because I want to be a part of the good work Saya is doing; helping and aiding children, parents and capacity building of teachers from different sectors. Participating in Saya’s activities, you can not only help improve others but also yourself.

– Khin Khin