Before we start the Thingyan festival (13-16 April) – Burmese New Year Festival or Water Festival – in Myanmar, I would like to take time for a short recap about the latest ‘Crazy About Water’ adventures.
1. Crazy About Water – Myanmar
- Our ambition is to get more people excited or ‘Crazy' About Water in Myanmar. It all starts with leadership, excitement and partnerships. Please check out the latest Crazy About Water presentation for updated products. We are also working on e.g. WaterGames, Aye, Pokemon4Water and WaterHub - please connect for more information.
- Crazy About Water is hiring! – and is looking for a Myanmar change-maker to join the team.
- We are exploring authentic ‘WaterHub’ locations in Yangon – where people can be inspired about water (challenges and solutions), learn from each other and play (work) with water. Our dream would be e.g. Floating hub (boat) in the river or lake, Agriculture Museum Kandawgyi Lake, marketplace with three Hino - busses (permanent or on the move) or Yangon Sailing / Boat Club.
#CrazyAboutWater #MMwater
2. AsiaP3Hub – Singapore / Myanmar
- In September, Crazy About Water conducted, in partnership with The Partnering Initiative (TPI), the Market Research and Scoping Study for AsiaP3Hub. In December, we hosted a three-day certified Partnership Brokering workshop for the Singapore stakeholder community.
- In Partnership with Oxfam GB, AsiaP3Hub organized a Challenge Lab around Desalination at Collision8. This resulted in valuable insights re proposed desalination specification and a steep learning curve re our Challenge Lab methodology.
- For the coming months we are focussed on the following outcomes: 1. Co-creation session around water in Myanmar (June) with tri-sector parties, 2. Broker (sign) two new partnerships for the AsiaP3Hub, and 3. Combinatorial teamwork with Phearak Svay (full-time AsiaP3Hub WorldVision Sr Water / Partnership expert)
- Water Water Asia Magazine requested to share my ten lessons from the Responsible Business Forum in Singapore https://twitter.com/Frodo1977/status/829309396710785024
#AsiaP3Hub @WVwater
3. The Water Agency – Australia / Myanmar / Netherlands
- We soft-launched 'The Water Agency' with the objective to bring effective value to existing (or new) programs by activating ‘Roadmap-services’ (18months journeys) that excel business- and branding opportunities for engaged group of partners. There is a good momentum to launch the Myanmar-The Netherlands Roadmap (in collaboration with Australia) towards Amsterdam International Water Week (AIWW) 2017.
- Gregor, Piet and myself are three complimentary types of change-makers. We 'Network Orchestrators', strongly believe that creating the right connections between people is critical to solving many of the world's water challenges (in Australia, Netherlands, Singapore and Myanmar).
- Our collaboration started at the Amsterdam International Water Week in 2015.
#TWA @WaterChallenges @Floop_CoP @Frodo1977
4. Dutch Embassy – Myanmar / Singapore
- In Myanmar we are mostly focussing on local business development for the Dutch Water Sector, and to build the foundation of a water hub for Myanmar in partnership with other countries (e.g. Australia, Netherlands, Singapore, Japan, Korea, etc).
- The 2016 edition of Singapore International Water Week (SIWW) resulted in positive business opportunities for Dutch Water Sector during high-level meetings, workshops, network drinks and publication of the first Singapore The Netherlands magazine. Looking forward to this year's 'SIWW in the spotlight' event in July in Singapore.
- As a Board member of the DutchCham, and Chairman of the Singapore Netherlands Water House, I am in conversation with suitable passionate water professional to take-over the SNWH journey.
#Myanmar @NLinMyanmar #Singapore @NlinSingapore @DutchCham
5. Living Lab – Myanmar
- Working with variety of start-ups to connect their water tech innovations to the right people and strengthen their business models and stakeholder pitch. E.g. Akvo.org (Caddisfly), SubNero (SWAN), WateROAM, TU Delft.
- Learning by doing: I am committed to have a ‘Thingyan in a box (or bus)’ that brings a festival of water games / start ups / innovations. Focus on excitement, action and demonstrations.
X. Singapore Management University – Master for Tri-Sector Collaboration
- I am proud to be part of Cohort 4 team of Singapore Management University (SMU) Master of Tri-Sector Collaboration programme. This 18-month programme brings me back to Singapore every two months for 10 days. Somebody described participation as “strategic therapy" – to funnel all your experiences, ideas and thinking via the latest literature and guest-lectures, and I believe that’s very true.
- In July, cohort4 will visit the Brookings Institute in Washington DC. I am looking forward to re-connecting with some US Water Friends. Please link me to relevant stakeholders to meet.
- We will have one group-capstone (hopefully around plastic waste (ban on plastic bags) and one individual capstone; I am thinking of writing my thesis in ‘Monocle’ style around the Myanmar Water Story and to focus on Nation building via tri-sector partnerships. (Governance / Partnership).
@sgSMU #MTSC
HF. Personal
- Frodo40 is something I am not going to talk about ;-) but I would like to use the opportunity to bring joy and play to kids in Myanmar by bringing 40 'AquaPlay' sets (WaterTables) to primary schools outside Yangon. (crowdfunding / partnership with AquaPlay).
- Capture our adventures via HF-in-MM blog. Hanke will be chief writing and I will be chief photos.
- Rangoon Bus Company – authentic sightseeing – in partnership with Hino, private sector and YCDC.
