For ALL Women and Girls: Nandar Sanlwin on education as an equalizer of rights and social justice

Author: Montira Narkvichien

Crossing borders, breaking barriers

When Nandar Sanlwin, 27, known as “Dar Dar,” first arrived in Mae Sot, in Thailand’s Tak Province, with her family in 2005, she was 8 years old. Her parents brought their four children in search of better work and a safer future. At the time, Dar Dar did not know that education, the value she would hold most dear, would later become both her own turning point and pathway to helping other young migrants rebuild their lives.

Dar Dar first studied at a migrant learning centre in Mae Sot. Like many displaced and migrant children, she learned in uncertain conditions but remained committed to school. Over time, she became literate in Thai and fluent in English, while her family survived on low daily wages. She later returned to Myanmar to pursue a degree in international relations at the University of East Yangon. However, after two years of study, the military takeover on 1 February 2021 disrupted her plans overnight. 

Actions to bring about change, through education

She returned to Thailand, completed her studies, and in 2022 joined the Help Without Frontiers Foundation in Tak as a teacher. Today, she supports young migrants and women through education and skills development linked to the UN Women-supported Women’s Empowerment and Learning Centre (WE Centre) network.

“If I cannot change the whole situation, I shall change myself, and help others do the same,” she says. Dar Dar now trains migrant youth, including girls aged 14 to 20, on life skills. Her sessions include sexual and reproductive health and rights, prevention of gender-based violence and migrants’ rights. She also supports vocational pathways so young people are not pushed into unsafe and exploitative work.

For Dar Dar, “diversity is not a challenge to avoid but a teacher to embrace”. In a border setting where young people come from different cultures, languages and legal realities, she believes learning together builds mutual respect and social cohesion.

She also teaches mathematics and chemistry in Myanmar language, and promotes digital literacy, marketing skills and awareness of online harms, including AI-related risks and misinformation.

Her message is clear: youth have deep, often untapped potential

With access to education, technology and training, women can choose safer futures and dignified work. Without those opportunities, many are left vulnerable to hazardous labour and exploitation.

“Education is an equalizer of rights and access to justice for my students,” she says.

Dar Dar’s story reflects a core principle of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action: education is a foundation for equality, rights and social justice. In communities shaped by displacement and uncertainty, mentorship is more than guidance. It is a bridge to protection, confidence and long-term opportunity.