University Scholarships for Students from Burma

Overview

We at Thabyay Education Network’s Arohana Scholarship Fund would like to extend our gratitude to all of you who have donated to our ‘University Scholarships For Students From Burma’ project on GlobalGiving. So far, we have raised a total of US$ 54,810 since the 1st September 2010 so we are now more than half way to our target of US$ 99,000! 

After the deduction of GlobalGiving administrative fees, we have now received a total of approximately US$ 50,881 in disbursements from GlobalGiving for the University Scholarships For Students From Burma project (funds are received over time in Thai Baht at different exchange rates, so USD figures can only be approximately calculated).

By the 4^th March 2013, we had disbursed approximately US$ 50,069 to scholarship awards.

Selection and awards 

Since the last report on 4^th March, the Arohana Scholarship Fund Committee has made one further award totalling approximately US$ 812.

The total funds now raised by the ‘University Scholarships for Students from Burma’ project have therefore supported 46 awards enabling 39 students from marginalised communities across Burma to start or continue their Bachelor’s, Master’s or PhD studies at universities across Asia.

The recipients of these awards comprise 19 women and 20 men, ranging in age from 19 to 51 (average age of approximately 26), representing nine ethnic groups, studying 30 different majors at 17 different universities in five countries across Asia.

N.B. Names of award recipients have been changed to protect their identities.

Award Recipient Profiles

Name: Nway Nway Lin

Age: 20

Ethnicity: Mixed

Subject of Study: Journalism

Level of Study: Bachelor’s

Institution of Study: Hong Kong University  

Award amount: US$ 812

Brief overview of candidate

Nway Nway Lin faced many difficulties as a young student aiming to finish high school and obtain high marks to allow her to go to university. With her family’s land taken, and opportunities for employment limited due to the military occupation of her home town, Nway Nway Lin did not have the resources to attend a boarding house at a better school in the city like many other students from her town. Nevertheless, Nway Nway Lin attended the local school and became one of the best students in her class through studying hard. She finished her high school exam with high scores and relocated to the Thai-Burma border for a better opportunity for further education.

After attending a post-10 school for a further two years, she was one of hundreds who sat the annul entrance exam to be admitted to an international GED program, one of the few internationally recognised education programs available along the Thai-Burma border.  The one-year of intensive study in US-standard grade 12 studies helped to prepare Nway Nway Lin for international university studies and helped her to recognise her passion for writing and journalism.  In the final exam, Nway Nway Lin scored in the highest percentile rank for Language Arts – Reading, a remarkable achievement.

Having been admitted on a full tuition scholarship to The University of Hong Kong to study a Bachelor of Journalism, Nway Nway Lin required a small amount of funding to travel to Yangon to obtain a passport and undertake an official English language test, as required by the university. This funding has allowed her to obtain all the necessary documents to accept her offer from The University of Hong Kong, where she will begin studying in September.

In her own words:

“I believe that a media of an international standard should be fair and free of bias. If I become a journalist, I will find out the true stories of these conflicts and reveal to the world and deliver justice to the innocent people. I will use the media freedoms that have been granted recently to write stories that are free of bias and stand on the right side. To be able to do so, I need researching, analysing, and reporting skills. By studying in Hong Kong, I believe I will develop the knowledge I need to work on my plan to stand for the equality.”

Future Plans

The Arohana Scholarship Fund (ASF) is expecting further funds to be disbursed in late July by GlobalGiving, at which point further scholarship awards will be made.

Closing Statement

We hope that this report shows clearly the potential of these scholarship recipients to become catalysts for incremental social change in Burma, and that you can appreciate the direct link between quality higher education and grassroots development in communities in Burma. We also hope that it demonstrates that even the smallest contribution of US$ 10 can make a difference in terms of keeping a Burmese scholarship student in university education.

We would like to reiterate our gratitude to all of you who have helped raise funds for this project by making donations and spreading the word. We hope that this report will inspire you to continue to support us in the future. The beneficiaries of these awards, the students, have individually expressed their gratitude to us for the support they have received. We would like to pass on their thanks to you.

If you have any questions about this report, or about our work, please do get in touch.

With our best wishes,

Katie Hodges

Program Manager, Scholarships and Student Support

Thabyay Education Network

Email: katieh@thabyay.org

Websites: www.thabyay.org

                www.arohanascholarships.org

• GG Report 9th June 2013 (DOCX)

BONUS DAY - Wednesday 13th March!

Tomorrow, Wednesday 13th March 2013, is BONUS DAY at GlobalGiving. GlobalGiving will match donations made through GlobalGiving.org up to $1,000 per donor at 30%. There is $50,000 available in matching and they are offering a $1,000 bonus award for the most individual donors and another for the most money raised. Matching begins at 9 am EST and lasts until funds run out or 11:59 pm. So, a great day to support university scholarships for students from Burma - http://www.globalgiving.org/projects/university-scholarships-for-students-from-burma

Overview

A big thank you to all of you who have donated to our ‘University Scholarships For Students From Burma’ project on GlobalGiving. So far, we have raised a total of US$ 54,620 since the 1st September 2010 so we are now more than half way to our target of US$ 99,000!

After the deduction of GlobalGiving administrative fees, we have now received a total of approximately US$ 50,069 in disbursements from GlobalGiving for the University Scholarships For Students From Burma project (funds are received over time in Thai Baht at different exchange rates, so USD figures can only be approximately calculated). By the 12^th March 2013, we had disbursed approximately US$ 50,069 to scholarship awards.

Selection and Awards

Since the last report on 4^th December, the Arohana Scholarship Fund Committee has made two further awards totalling approximately US$ 3,692.

The total funds now raised by the ‘University Scholarships for Students from Burma’ project have therefore supported 45 awards enabling 38 students from marginalised communities across Burma to start or continue their Bachelor’s, Master’s or PhD studies at universities across Asia.

The recipients of these awards comprise 18 women and 21 men, ranging in age from 19 to 51 (average age of approximately 27), representing nine ethnic groups, studying 28 different majors at 17 different universities in five countries across Asia.

Award Recipient Profiles

Name: Naw Purity

Age: 24

Ethnicity: Karen

Subject of Study: English Language Teaching

Level of Study: Master’s

Institution of Study: Assumption University, Thailand

Award amount: US$ 2,825

Brief overview of candidate

In the village where Naw Purity grew up, it was difficult to pursue education. The war between the Burmese Army and the Karen groups had forced families to move around frequently, and many schools to close. Naw Purity’s parents, who themselves had not attended school in their youth because of the conflict, were determined to see their daughter pursue a brighter future. So, she studied in the monastery of the village, and then moved to live with her grandmother in the town of Hpa-An to obtain higher education. During her time in Hpa-An, first completing high school and then a Bachelor’s degree in English, Naw Purity was financially supported by her grandmother and uncle as her parents were unable to contribute. Early in 2011, she also completed a Master’s degree in English from Mawlamyine University. During her studies, she volunteered as an English teacher as well as participating in early child care and development programs.

 In 2011, Naw Purity passed the entrance exam to allow her to study at Assumption University in Thailand. Again, her uncle and relatives supported her financially to take up this opportunity. Unfortunately, Naw Purity’s uncle suffered from cancer and has since passed away, and her brother is now also financially supporting his wife to study a Master’s degree so Naw Purity was facing a very difficult financial situation in order to graduate from her program. This grant has allowed her to study in her final semester. Following graduation she would like to return to Karen State to share her knowledge and education with her home community.

In her own words:

“I hope the good education can also change the mind-set of our poor people. I believe that I can help them more effectively if I study MA (ELT) in Assumption University.  By learning this, I can develop the community; help poor children and vulnerable separated children to have opportunity to study and improve their moral, behavior and lifestyle.  I will be able to set up effective learning centre with modern technique and tools in those areas.  Not only that, I can also train other teachers and share them my knowledge and technique in teaching.  It is important to keep education alive in my country and to promote education for new generation.

I hope that I can accomplish my educational goal in order to improve the education systems in Myanmar. I will do my best to become a qualified teacher and I will serve for the benefits of the community and the country in Myanmar.”

Name: Mi Zar Zar

Age: 28

Ethnicity: Mon

Subject of Study: Health Economics

Level of Study: Master’s

Institution of Study: Chulalongkorn University, Thailand

Award amount: US$ 867

Brief overview of candidate

Mi Zar Zar grew up in Mon state, and lived in a small village with her family as the youngest of seven siblings. When she was six years old, a Mon armed group based themselves in her village. Conflict between the armed group and the regime led to arrests being made. Her father was arrested and imprisoned for three years, and the armed group could no longer enter the village. This was a very hard time for the family and especially for her mother.

However, Mi Zar Zar worked hard at her education and graduated from high school with a distinction, after which she attended Nazeem University to study nursing and graduated to work as a nurse in private clinics in the cities for three years.

After working for some years, Mi Zar Zar decided to pursue the course that she believes will be of most value to her country. Understanding that Burma is now going through a transformative period, Mi Zar Zar sees that there are opportunities to positively affect healthcare policy. By studying Health and Economics, and gaining a greater understanding of how these two sectors work together in other countries, Mi Zar Zar wants to improve the future of Burmese healthcare, ensuring that disadvantaged people have access to good health care.

The top-up grant issued is to fund Mi Zar Zar to return to Myanmar to conduct primary data research for her thesis, and to extend her studies for one semester to complete her thesis.

In her own words:

“I have decided however that it is time to get back to my original path, and further my health education, as I have been interested in contributing to Burma’s healthcare ever since I worked as a nurse. Much of what I witnessed taught me that Burma’s healthcare system is in dire need of development. I was particularly moved by the many cases I saw involving women with serious health issues resulting from illegal abortions. Women are not given the information and knowledge which would allow them to take care of their own bodies, and this can change their lives irrevocably, either through serious health problems or the burden of an unwanted child. This is just one example of the many ways in which there is a real need for information in Burma, and for a reform of the healthcare system. I felt inspired and motivated to work towards the development of these services, and the improvement of healthcare, for people in Burma and in particular in the Mon community.”

Future Plans

The Arohana Scholarship Fund (ASF) is expecting further funds to be disbursed in late April by GlobalGiving, at which point further scholarship awards will be made.

Closing Statement

We hope that this report shows clearly the potential of these scholarship recipients to become catalysts for incremental social change in Burma, and that you can appreciate the direct link between quality higher education and grassroots development in communities in Burma. We hope that this report will inspire you to continue to support us in the future. If you have any questions about this report, or about our work, please do get in touch.

With our best wishes,

Overview

We at Thabyay Education Network’s Arohana Scholarship Fund would like to extend our gratitude to all of you who have donated to our ‘University Scholarships For Students From Burma’ project on GlobalGiving. So far, we have raised a total of US$ 52,136 since the 1st September 2010 so we are now more than half way to our target of US$ 99,000!

After the deduction of GlobalGiving administrative fees, we have now received a total of approximately US$ 46,377 in disbursements from GlobalGiving for the University Scholarships For Students From Burma project (funds are received over time in Thai Baht at different exchange rates, so USD figures can only be approximately calculated).

By the 3rd September 2012, we had disbursed approximately US$ 39,954 to scholarship awards.

Selection and awards

Since the last report on 3rd September, the Arohana Scholarship Fund Committee has made two further awards totaling approximately US$ 6,423.

The total funds now raised by the ‘University Scholarships for Students from Burma’ project have therefore supported 43 awards enabling 36 students from marginalized communities across Burma to start or continue their Bachelor’s, Master’s or PhD studies at universities across Asia.

The recipients of these awards comprise 16 women and 20 men, ranging in age from 19 to 51 (average age of approximately 27), representing nine ethnic groups, studying 27 different majors at 15 different universities in five countries across Asia.

Below you will find information about each recipient and the details of their scholarship award.

Name: Htet Htet Zin

Sex: Female

Age: 25

Ethnicity: Kachin

Subject: English Language Teaching

University:  Hong Kong Baptist University

Level: Master’s

Award Type: Partial scholarship

Award Amount (US$): 6,123

Profile

In 2009, Htet Htet Zin graduated with a GPA of 3.59 from a respected Bachelor program in Yangon. While attending this program full time, Htet Htet Zin also completed a Bachelor of Arts in English from an Upper Burma university, via distance education. Upon graduation, Htet Htet Zin was invited to work as a Lecturer inthe English department of her university, a role which she held forover 3 years, while also working as a Teaching Assistant at an international school in Yangon and offering her service as a private tutor on the weekends to fund her education and living expenses.

During her study break, Htet Htet Zin also returned to Kachin State to volunteer as a teacher of English grammar and Kachin language to high school students. Following her passion for language education, Htet Htet Zin and a group of friends started an organisation to provide free English language training for young people in underserved areas. The organisation attracts many volunteers, however the group recognized the lack of professional language teachers to train the volunteers so Htet Htet Zin applied to further her education internationally at Hong Kong Baptist University, which quickly identified her outstanding ability and accepted her on a full tuition scholarship to the 1 year Master’s program. Two international donors came forward through GlobalGiving to finance the remainder of Htet Htet Zin’s living and travel expenses to allow her to take up her scholarship at HKBU.

In her own words:
“For me, education is nourishing our human capital and it includes any process by which a person of any age grows in knowledge, awareness and live skills. Now Myanmar needs an education system which will train people to improve their skills not merely about how to exploit one another but to develop our country as a whole. As our country is rebuilding as a democratic nation, citizens have to be professionals in their individual fields. I still also need to improve myself to become a professional in teaching field.”

Name: Aye Pwint

Sex: Female

Age: 28

Ethnicity: Burman

Subject: Social Science

University: Asian University for Women, Bangladesh

Level: Bachelor’s

Award Type: Top-up

Award Amount (US$): 300

Profile

Born into a politically active family in central Myanmar, Aye Pwint was intrigued by her country’s complicated politics from a young age. Following her father’s imprisonment, Aye Pwint dreamed of becoming a judge, believing that she would be able to bring justice and law to an unjust system. In pursuit of this dream, Aye Pwint left Burma in 2009 to obtain further education on the Thailand-Myanmar border, where she was able to gain experience with community development organizations working with Myanmar populations. Learning of others’ experiences and hardships on the border, Aye Pwint decided to change her plans and work to support communities in Myanmar through educational and social change projects.

In 2010, Aye Pwint won a tuition scholarship to study a Bachelor’s degree at the Asian University for Women in Chittagong, Bangladesh. In order to help her adapt to the new environment, Aye Pwint began organizing events to encourage the students from different countries to engage with each other from her first year of study, arranging weekly film nights at the university and volunteering to teach the cleaning staff basic English language skills.
Now in her 3rd year, this small grant is to allow Aye Pwint to continue in her studies for the semester.

In her own words:
“I would like to work to improve Burma in the future. I feel that education is the essential element which is urgently needed for the nation. First of all, I have to educate myself as otherwise I won’t be able to give the suitable paths for the next generation. I strongly believe that I can help in many alternative directions for my country’s educational and social improvement.”

Future Plans

Thabyay Education Network’s Arohana Scholarship Fund (ASF) is expecting further funds to be disbursed soon by GlobalGiving, at which point further scholarship awards will be made.

Closing Statement

We hope that this report shows clearly the potential of these scholarship recipients to become catalysts for incremental social change in Burma, and that you can appreciate the direct link between quality higher education and grassroots development in communities in Burma. We also hope that it demonstrates that even the smallest contribution of US$ 10 can make a difference in terms of keeping a Burmese scholarship student in university education.

We would like to reiterate our gratitude to all of you who have helped raise funds for this project by making donations and spreading the word. We hope that this report will inspire you to continue to support us in the future. The beneficiaries of these awards, the students, have individually expressed their gratitude to us for the support they have received. We would like to pass on their thanks to you.

If you have any questions about this report, or about our work, please do get in touch.

With our best wishes,

Katie Hodges

Program Manager, Scholarships and Student Support
Thabyay Education Network

Links:

• Arohana Scholarship Fund website

Overview

We at Thabyay Education Network’s Arohana Scholarship Fund would like to extend our gratitude to all of you who have donated to our ‘University Scholarships For Students From Burma’ project on GlobalGiving. So far, we have raised a total of US$ 49,912 since the 1st September 2010 so we are now more than half way to our target of US$ 99,000!

After the deduction of GlobalGiving administrative fees, we have now received a total of approximately US$ 40,320 in disbursements from GlobalGiving for the University Scholarships For Students From Burma project (funds are received over time in Thai Baht at different exchange rates, so USD figures can only be approximately calculated).

By the 17th April 2012, we had disbursed approximately US$ 36,854 to scholarship awards.

Selection and awards

Since the last report on 17th April, the Arohana Scholarship Fund Committee has made four further awards totaling approximately US$ 3,100.

The total funds now raised by the ‘University Scholarships for Students from Burma’ project have therefore supported 41 awards enabling 35 students from marginalized communities across Burma to start or continue their Bachelor’s, Master’s or PhD studies at universities across Asia. The recipients of these awards comprise 15 women and 20 men, ranging in age from 19 to 51 (average age of approximately 27), representing nine ethnic groups, studying 27 different majors at 15 different universities in five countries across Asia.

Our latest report, attached below, provides detailed information about the new awards made.

Award Recipients

Recipient 1:

Future Plans

The Arohana Scholarship Fund (ASF) is expecting further funds to be disbursed in late September by GlobalGiving, at which point further scholarship awards will be made.

Closing Statement

We hope that this report shows clearly the potential of these scholarship recipients to become catalysts for incremental social change in Burma, and that you can appreciate the direct link between quality higher education and grassroots development in communities in Burma. We also hope that it demonstrates that even the smallest contribution of US$ 10 can make a difference in terms of keeping a Burmese scholarship student in university education.

We would like to reiterate our gratitude to all of you who have helped raise funds for this project by making donations and spreading the word. We hope that this report will inspire you to continue to support us in the future. The beneficiaries of these awards, the students, have individually expressed their gratitude to us for the support they have received. We would like to pass on their thanks to you. If you have any questions about this report, or about our work, please do get in touch.

With our best wishes,

Websites: www.thabyay.org

www.arohanascholarships.org

• TEN- Arohana 7th Report for Global Giving 03.09.12 (PDF)
  

Jacqueline Lee is an InTheField Traveler with GlobalGiving who is visiting our partners’ projects throughout Southeast Asia. Her “Postcard” from the visit in Thailand:

On May 8, 2012, I met with TENs staff, learned about its programs, and joined two scholarship recipients in a tour of their university in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Walking in to the main office, I saw stacks and stacks of papers all organized and with little colored post-its on each. “These are some of the applications for scholarships this year,” Quentin Hewitt, TEN’s Development Director, explained. I was extremely impressed with the care and detail that went into the application processes, records kept, and all around running of the organization – the futures of these potential scholars lie in their hands.

After visiting the office and learning about TEN’s projects, I was off to meet two Burmese scholarship recipients who now attend Chiang Mai University. Kaythi and Naing Lin (names changed for security reasons) are both enrolled in CMU’s new Social Science program which includes courses on environment, sociology, statistics, and economics.  What did they like about their program? The fact that CMU offers a great social science curriculum, unavailable in Burma, challenges the way they think, and generates learning through class discussion. Such experiences are virtually unknown in universities in Burma where analytical thinking is discouraged and an overriding emphasis is placed on rote learning outdated and often irrelevant texts.

Kaythi previously worked as a volunteer with an international organization working with the elderly in Burma. Naing Lin was a teacher and a volunteer. Why did they volunteer? Because they “want to help people and want to be life trainers”, said Kaythi.  Education is extremely important and they wanted to spread awareness about it - “we are the pioneers”, Naing Lin said.  Although she had a good job, Kaythi decided to apply for a scholarship because she felt that she could work more effectively if she was better educated . Her parents are small-scale farmers who had no opportunity to attend formal education. Although they need the help of every family member to obtain enough food from their land, her parents encouraged her to take this opportunity. “Don’t come back to the fields. Continue to study,” they said.  Naing Lin explained that learning English is “a great tool to attain knowledge and then share it.” He wanted to promote awareness about education to his Shan community – “if I don’t have anything to share with them, what’s the purpose of learning?”

Afterwards, we all went to the Chiang Mai University campus to meet the scholars’ Director and Coordinator of the Social Science program, accompanied by TEN’s Development Officer, Tom. The Director explained that the goal of the program was to prepare the students in multidisciplinary studies, but a big challenge was the certification of Burma’s education systems – which often is not internationally recognized. Through the international school at Chiang Mai University, the Director stressed the importance of extracurricular activities to promote integration among the students from Burma. Kaythi and Naing Lin both spoke passionately about their university life and the difference it will make in their future endeavors. 

To read more about my experience go to: JacquelineInTheFieldBlog.

Links:

• JacquelineInTheField Blog