The eMpowering Youth Across ASEAN (EYAA) Programme is organized by the ASEAN Foundation and Maybank Foundation. The programme is aimed at empowering ASEAN youth volunteers between 19 to 35 years old to implement their ideas that lead to meaningful change in local communities across ASEAN.

An emerging leader in Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Masy Consultants was entrusted as 1 of 10 successful civil society organisations (CSOs) across the ASEAN region to participate in Cohort 2 of the programme. Support included $25,000 USD funding and allocation of emerging young leaders to support the organisation's flagship project activities as EYAA Youth Volunteers.

All Youth Volunteers undertook a series of capacity building workshops to better gain knowledge and learn how they can effectively implement their community projects. Subsequently, EYAA volunteers worked closely alongside Masy Consultants as an integrated team, transforming their ideas into tangible and sustainable initiatives as part of the WASH Education (WASHEd) pilot launch in Cebu province during 2021.

This page content was prepared by the Youth Volunteers in collaboration with Masy Consultants to summarise their experience.

YOUTH VOLUNTEERS

Aldrea Leong
Sport Administrator
(Singapore)

Jeta Jiranuntarat
Teaching Fellow, Teach for Thailand
(Thailand)

Khaing Hnin Hnin Oo
Co-Programme Lead, Teach for ASEAN
(Myanmar)

Steven Setiawan
Environmental Educator
(Indonesia)

Emily Cuaycong
Project Management Officer
(The Philippines)

Thaileak Nak
Project Assistant
(Cambodia)

Vinay Chansomphou
Clinical Pharmacist
(Lao PDR)

Check out this article to learn more about our the professional background and motivations of each Youth Volunteer.

THE SELECTION PROCESS

Dec 2020 - Applications for eMpowering Youths Across ASEAN: Cohort 2 closed!

Feb 2020 - Alas! Our team of Youth Volunteers received the exciting news that we were each 1 of 110 emerging leaders selected for this highly-anticipated programme.

Much to our dismay, it was announced that in view of the COVID-19 pandemic, the regional workshops originally planned for March 2020 would be postponed. The implementation of the 10 community projects in Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines scheduled for April 2020 was also postponed.

Aug 2021 - After a long wait of close to 19-months, we finally received positive news that the programme will kick off through a virtual format! While disappointed that we could not attend the programme in person and meet our fellow team members and Masy Consultants, we understood this was for the safety of all and nevertheless were committed to making the best out of our virtual experience!

We were excited to learn that Masy Consultants was committed to the implementation of a sustainable and sustainable WASH programme and that we will be collaborating with them through an integrated team structure and hybrid delivery model. Our journey was finally starting...

OUR EXPERIENCE IN A SNAPSHOT

#1. Virtual Capacity Building Workshops

In the beginning, we participated in a series of workshops organised by the ASEAN Foundation. These workshops were led by experts and practitioners, enhancing our knowledge and understanding of project management within the context of sustainable development.

We attended a total of 9 workshops covering the following topics: Design Thinking, Impact Measurement, Sustainability, Organizational Management, Financial Management, Reporting, and Communications & Public Campaign.

#2. Deep Dive Workshops

Afterwards, we were privileged to participate in a series of experiential workshops carefully curated by Masy Consultants. The workshops were designed based on a training needs analysis on youth engagement in tackling WASH challenges in the Philippines and the wider ASEAN region.

Our team of Youth Volunteers were provided opportunities to intimately bond with each other and Masy Consultants through engaging games and cultural exchange activities, where we also learnt a lot about the rich Filipino culture through the sharing of language and music. Although these workshops were held virtually, we thoroughly enjoyed the sessions because they enabled us to forge stronger bonds within our integrated project team and build upon our advocacy, technical aptitude and leadership as WASH ambassadors.

Topics included: Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Ordinance Drafting, Intercultural Communication, Performance Optimization, Gender Equality & Social Inclusion, and Ethics & Moral Leadership in Community Development.

#3. Boosting Masy Consultants' Outreach Programs

A significant part of our EYAA experience included the opportunity to contribute to Masy Consultants' current projects in Cebu. As a result, we were split into three (3) teams alongside our Masy counterparts to maximise the social impact yielded by each priority area:

WASH Community Engagement & Project Management
WASH Education (WASHEd)
WASH Construction and Maintenance

As a combined team, we accomplished many milestones. This included the development and pilot rollout of WASH Education (WASHEd), an innovative learning curriculum endorsed by the Department of Education (DepEd), and teaching households from across several barangays about good hygiene and disinfection practices via Zoom!

#4. Delivery of project titled 'CEBU for WASH'

After a series of workshops and roundtable discussions with key stakeholders, we were entrusted to develop and deliver our own project with a budget of US$5,000 generously sponsored by the Maybank Foundation. We worked together as a team and sought advice from Masy Consultants and key stakeholders before finalising plans.

Our project titled "CEBU for WASH", stood for:

C - Community Engagement
E - Empowerment in Crisis Management
B - Building Facilities
U - Upskilling Locals

Within just two and a half months, we sourced, purchased, and distributed 100 emergency WASH kits, conducted a workshop for 10 teachers to teach them how to make their own hand sanitiser and soap sheets, and developed educational content that reached over 1,000 online users. In consultation with communities, we also channelled funds from installing WASH facilities towards the purchase of Aquatabs. The Aquatabs will support Typhoon Odette relief efforts, particularly in vulnerable communities without access to electricity.

We could have not accomplished our goals without Masy Consultants, and we are tremendously grateful for all their time, patience and dedication in guiding us throughout the entire project implementation process!

We would like to thank Masy Consultants, ASEAN Foundation, and the Maybank Foundation for this invaluable opportunity. This opportunity has equipped us with the skills and experience to become WASH leaders within our respective professions and communities to help create a water and health-conscious future for all.