Aung Myo Hein

The keep Singapore clean love story

On the surface, Aung Myo Hein is a reserved and mild-mannered guy, spending most of his days at Pulau Bukom as a project engineer. However, if you ask him what he does on his only day off in the week, you will see his demeanour change and his face light up with joy.

The 32-year-old has been an active volunteer and environmental advocate since his days at university. After moving to Singapore in 2020, Aung’s friends invited him to participate in clean-up activities organised by the Green and Clean Volunteers Group – a member of the Public Hygiene Council (PHC)’s R.I.S.E Champions Network.

It was during one of these occasions that he met his fiancée, Aye Thet Mon Win, who shares the same passion for the environment as he does. The couple did not have much opportunity to interact at first, as they were assigned to different teams. However, Aung finally plucked up the courage to ask for her social media contact from a mutual friend. The couple eventually went out on dates, with many of these being volunteering events to care for the environment.

^{Photo Caption: Aung Myo Hein and Aye Thet Mon Win at a clean-up activity held at Fort Canning Park}

Aung shares that the work he is passionate about does not come without challenges. He has encountered negative reactions from members of the public during clean-up activities, such as on one occasion at Fort Canning Park when an inebriated man berated him and called him a disturbance.

However, with a smile on his face, Aung refuses to be discouraged. It also helps that his fiancée is on this meaningful journey with him.

With 2024 designated as the Year of Public Hygiene by the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment, Aung hopes that more people will come to experience the value and joy in volunteering, and understand the power that each one of us has when we take simple steps to care for our environment.