Face of the Future: Lway Poe Ngeal  

April 24, 2025

“In our country, the military junta has been using women as weapons of war,” Lway Poe Ngeal said. Ngeal addressed the grassroots convening held in conjunction with the UN’s 2025 Commission on the Status of Women. “They use rape to express that ethnic minorities are not human beings.” 

As a leader of Women’s League of Burma (WLB) and a UUSC partner, Ngeal works to build a world where women have equal rights and dignity.  WLB is a coalition of 12 organizations fighting for gender justice.  

“Through our political empowerment program, we empower young women to grow their awareness of political issues: what is democracy? What are human rights? What are women’s rights?” Ngeal said. “We have no formal education on these issues, so that’s why we have to provide informal education.”  

The work doesn’t stop there. Members of WLB support survivors of human trafficking and sexual violence. They operate health clinics at the Shan-Kachin border and leadership training programs for young women. The WLB leads political advocacy efforts to hold the military junta accountable for its crimes.  

As a feminist organization, WLB recognizes the intersectional nature of gender justice work. The junta has used violence against both women and ethnic minorities to incite fear since 1988. That violence has only increased since the regime forcibly took power in 2021. Ngeal is a Ta’ang woman who works to achieve safety, dignity, and self-actualization for all women of Burma. WLB has fought to end military impunity on sexual violence against women and ethnic minorities since the organization was formed in 1999. 

In 2020, Ngeal won a Schuman award from the European Union for her social organizing. “When I was a child, I saw women being violated and intimidated daily,” she said in her speech. “Women belonging to ethnic minorities suffer from sexual assaults and are discriminated against in society. That’s why I started to realize I need to work for them, for my fellow ethnic women.” 

Ngeal, like all activists of Burma, now faces an even more complex disaster. As the junta continues its reign of violence and terror, U.S. leaders have gutted USAID, exacerbating an ongoing humanitarian aid crisis.  

“All 12 of our member organizations [working with refugees and survivors of gender-based violence] have been cut off,” Ngeal explained. “At the Thai-Burma border, the refugees have no right to medical treatment. [Refugees are dying] because the aid has been cut off.” 

Then, on March 28, an earthquake measuring 7.7 on the Richter scale struck Burma. In the aftermath, the junta continues bombing its own people even as they try to recover from a natural disaster. Leaders like Ngeal are forced to continually innovate as they fight back against the military regime, the aid crisis, and the impacts of the most powerful earthquake in Burma since 1912.  

“Whenever I come across cases of human rights violations, I have to act. I speak out about it. I fight it,” Ngeal said. Even in an era of intertwined crises, Ngeal continues to take action. As she works to address the issues of the present, Ngeal is building systems that support a feminist future.  

Show your solidarity with Ngeal and the people of Burma by contributing to UUSC’s emergency response fund for Burma. Your gift helps our on-the-ground partners distribute aid directly to those affected. Your steadfast support is essential during this time of crises.