Sayalay Ketumala was born in Mudon Township, Mon State, Myanmar. She has completed government high school in Mudon and received a monastic education at Pa-auk Monastery in Mon State, Myanmar. She received a Bachelor of Arts from Buddhist and Pali University in Sri Lanka and a Master of Arts degree from Kelaniya University, Colombo, Sri Lanka.

She is the founder of Uppalavan Institute in Yangon, Myanmar, and an author of several articles in newspapers, journals, magazines and the book “Ketumala Nidan,” which emphasises social justice, gender equality, peace and justice, Buddhism and social welfare. In 2017, she was awarded the best articles of the year by Shwe Amyutae Magazine, Myanmar.

She is also a program director and trainer of women empowerment programs for Buddhist nuns in Myanmar and the European Buddhist Youth Forum. In addition, she has participated in many conferences, public talks, lectures and training on Buddhist ethics, peace building, dialogue, conflict resolution and conflict transformation.