Meet Phyu Phyu Win from Myanmar

INTERVIEW WITH FAU ALUMNI (2014-2016) PHYU PHYU WIN FROM MYANMAR

Cash Technical Specialist for humanitarian cash transfers at United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund in Sudan (UNICEF).

Phyu Phyu Win has been a Cash Technical Specialist for humanitarian cash transfers with UNICEF in Sudan since 2022. She has been in the development and humanitarian field since 2008 and has worked with various NGOs and UN agencies, including WFP, IOM, MSF, and Merlin International. Currently, she is responsible for capacity building, partner and contract management, and the design and implementation of cash-based interventions. She oversees four cash programmes, and her role includes developing SOPs, guidelines, tools, and TORs; coordinating payments through financial service providers; managing complaints and case management; overseeing monitoring and third-party arrangements; and adapting delivery mechanisms in a highly volatile context, while ensuring compliance with UNICEF policies, donor requirements, and quality assurance standards.

We had the chance to set up a short interview with her about her time in Friedensau, what she struggled with, and whether she has any words of wisdom for us current Friedensaurs. Phyu Phyu joined Friedensau more than 10 years ago, in March 2014. When asked what it was like to study in Friedensau, she remembers crying on the first night of arriving in Friedensau, being in Europe and experiencing culture shock for the first time, when people eat bread for meals instead of rice. She later found out that she enjoyed German bread and sometimes misses it. She also reflected on the different learning styles in Friedensau compared to Myanmar, where she is from. She enjoyed how the professors gave students room to criticise, argue, debate, and discuss.

She says, “I think this really gave me a strength to my work as well... After Friedensau, ... I was able to participate in all the discussion, and I pushed myself, you know, to discuss, to get involved in all the group work, to keep my voice open.”

She also talked about how Friedensau gave her a chance to be exposed to different cultures through a diverse student body, and looks back at her days in Friedensau as

“a pathway that strives me and it gives me a turn”.

When asked about her biggest struggles after graduation, Phyu Phyu says that, although she doesn’t see it as a struggle, it was quite a challenge to feel the need to fulfil the expectations of others, especially back home, knowing she had studied in Germany. She faced this challenge head-on by maintaining her professionalism, and a strong support system was very helpful, as she recalled how supportive her colleagues were in Nepal, where she worked directly after graduation.

She says, “day by day, you try your best,you stay with your mandate, your values, and then I think this way, this saved me to drive on the right way.”

Phyu Phyu’s advice to students:

Manage your time well: Sometimes we enjoy life so much that we forget what we need to do before time is gone. Commit to what you need to do and align all your study goals within the given period. Be accountable and make sure you reach your goals within the time.

Evaluate yourself regularly: It is important to evaluate yourself from time to time. Daily reflection would be great, but it may be too much. Instead, do it after each semester: how many papers did you need to submit, and did you submit all of them? Zoom in and zoom out on your life so you can adjust and not fall too far behind schedule.

Focus on your studies, but also on what’s happening outside: Pay attention to the job market and the political situation. This helps you think critically and plan for the future.