One man’s fight to save the lake

In a bamboo stilt house surrounded by kayaks, bicycles and other trappings of nature tourism, Zwe Zaw Zaw Hein is teaching village children about the value of their local environment. The 22-year-old is one of around 30 young people involved in an eco-tourism initiative called Inn Chit Thu, or Lovers of the Lake. The group’s aim is to save the wildlife rich expanse of water from destruction. So passionate is Zwe Zaw Zaw about this mission that he set aside his degree in computer programming and deferred the possibility of a high-paying job in a big city to return to his native village to work as an eco-teacher, tour guide and campaigner. “I came back to save the lake,” he says.

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