By Quentin Hewitt | Development Director
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$ 39,837 since the 1st September 2010.
After the deduction of GlobalGiving administrative fees, we have now received a total of approximately US$ 36,922 in disbursements from GlobalGiving (funds are received over time in Thai Baht at different exchange rates, so USD figres can only be approximately calculated).
By the 3rd January 2012, we had disbursed approximately US$ 34,854 to scholarship awards, leaving a remainder of approximately US$ 2,068.
Selection and awards
Since the last report on 3rd January 2012, the Arohana Scholarship Fund Committee has made four further awards totalling US$ 2,000. Please see the attached report document for full profiles of each scholarship recipient.
The award recipients were as follows:
Recipient 1:
Name: Aung KhineRecipient 2:
Name: KaythiRecipient 3:
Name: Naing LinRecipient 4:
Name: Theingi AyeThe total funds now raised by the ‘University Scholarships for Students from Burma’ project have therefore supported 37 awards enabling 32 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 14 women and 18 men, ranging in age from 19 to 51 (average age of approximately 27), representing nine ethnic groups, studying 22 different majors at 14 different universities in five countries across Asia.
Future Plans
The significant and positive changes that have occured in Burma in the last 12 months represent an unprecendented opportunity for communities and civil society throughout the country. While change is nascent and unpredictable, it has undeniably created increased space for community organizations to consolidate and push forward with reconciliation and development, and build a better future. The Arohana Scohlarship Fund remains committed to helping key community actors gain access to appropriate higher education to optimize their positive impact in Burma in key secotrs including health care, education, community development, rights and media.
The Arohana Scholarship Fund is currently waiting for further funds to be received from GlobalGiving before the Selection Committee meets to decide on further scholarship awards.
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 fundraising, 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, frequently express to us their gratitude 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,
Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.
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