Fort Wayne, Mawlamyine Mark 10 Years of Friendship and Global Connection

Anniversary celebration reflects on a decade of education, cultural exchange and relationships between the two communities

FORT WAYNE, Ind. — Fort Wayne Sister Cities International recently commemorated the 10th anniversary of the Friendship Cities relationship between Fort Wayne and Mawlamyine, Myanmar, celebrating a decade of connections that have brought students, educators, community leaders and residents of the two cities together.

The anniversary celebration reflected on a relationship formally established in 2016 but rooted in conversations that began several years earlier within Fort Wayne's Burmese community. Those conversations grew into a broader effort to create meaningful connections between Fort Wayne and a community in Myanmar through education, cultural exchange and friendship. The Friendship City Agreement was signed in Mawlamyine on Feb. 4, 2016.

Over the next decade, that agreement became much more than a document.

Delegations of business and community leaders, educators and university students traveled between the communities, creating opportunities for people to experience another culture firsthand and develop relationships across borders.

Education became one of the partnership's most significant areas of impact.

In 2017, an English-language program was established at Mawlamyine University. The program operated in person for three years and reached hundreds of university students, including students preparing to become English-language teachers. Its success generated interest in expanding similar programming to other universities in Myanmar.

Student exchanges also became an important part of the relationship. Since 2016, three college student exchanges have taken place, with students traveling in both directions between Fort Wayne and Mawlamyine to participate in educational and cultural experiences.

The partnership has also helped create lasting connections between educational institutions. In 2023, Fort Wayne Sister Cities hosted six educators from the Mon National Education Committee, followed by five additional educators from the Mawlamyine area in 2024. That growing relationship contributed to Purdue University Fort Wayne and Mon National College signing a memorandum of understanding in November 2024 providing opportunities for student and faculty exchanges, shared research and additional collaboration.

But the story celebrated during the anniversary was about more than programs and institutional partnerships.

It was also about friendships.

Visitors from Mawlamyine experienced Fort Wayne schools and universities, the Botanical Conservatory, the public library, art galleries, Parkview hospital, homes, shopping centers and the Johnny Appleseed Festival. Visitors from Fort Wayne met educators, artists, doctors, students, community leaders and others in Mawlamyine while experiencing daily life and cultural traditions in Mon State.

Those relationships continued even when circumstances made international travel difficult. The COVID-19 pandemic interrupted in-person exchanges, while political conditions in Myanmar created additional barriers beginning in 2021. Despite those challenges, communication and educational activities continued through online meetings and classes.

The anniversary celebration also honored the many people on both sides of the relationship who have opened their homes, schools, businesses and communities to visitors and those who have volunteered, provided transportation, supported educational opportunities and helped sustain the partnership over the past decade.

A commemorative booklet created for the 10th anniversary captured that history through archival correspondence, photographs and personal reflections from people who helped build and experience the partnership.

The booklet also remembered the late Fort Wayne Mayor Tom Henry and his support of the relationship. In its closing message, the Mawlamyine committees expressed gratitude for Henry's support and reflected on their hope that the partnership will continue creating opportunities in education, economic development and cultural exchange for future generations.

The anniversary represents both a milestone and a continuation of the mission that brought the two communities together in the first place.

Fort Wayne Sister Cities International's mission centers on creating connections with partner cities through people-to-people interaction, with the goal of developing friendship, mutual understanding, global cooperation and peace.

After 10 years, the Fort Wayne–Mawlamyine relationship offers a tangible example of that mission — one built through conversations, classrooms, exchanges, shared experiences and friendships between people separated by thousands of miles.