Seng Raw, an ethnic Kachin woman and a daughter of a state-level public official and a teacher, is a Yangon University graduate. Between 1990 and 1997, she worked in Bangkok, being as development officer for the Representative Office of Kachin Affairs, the humanitarian wing of the Kachin Independent Organization. Her main focus then was to improve the social welfare of women, youth and children, setting up income generation activities and Kindergarten for ethnic groups living in the Sino-Burma border area, and placing young people in vocational training schools in Thailand and India.

With the ceasefire process between the Military Government and ethnic groups in the 1990s, there came a need for recovery and trust building measures after decades of armed conflict in the ethnic minority areas in the borderland. Having the purpose of assisting the refugees and internally displaced populations, Seng Raw returned to Myanmar in 1997, founded and directed Metta Development Foundation (Metta). The Foundation has over the years become one of the most recognized Myanmar NGOs through their support activities in conflict-affected and natural disaster- affected areas across Myanmar in collaboration with a wide variety of stakeholders.

After 14 years leading Metta, Seng Raw retired from Metta in September 2011 and is now committed to addressing underlying issues of conflicts and regressions. She also sits on the Board of Metta, Shalom Foundation and Swissaid-Myanmar. She is the recipient of 2013 Ramon Magsaysay Award, regarded to be the highest recognition in Asia.