The ongoing civil war in Myanmar is impacting our work in many different ways. Besides the increasing number of migrant students along the Thai- Myanmar border as highlighted in our Thailand feature, we have also seen the number of applications for our university scholarships for Myanmar students to study in Thailand surge by over 400%. Before the military coup, we received approx. 200 applications annually, but this year over 800 applicants competed for 25 scholarships. This is only four scholarship places for each one hundred applicants. To review these applications and select the most deserving and promising candidates is not only a daunting, but also a sad task. We know that behind every application is an anxious person desperately trying to advance their studies in the hope of a better life and an opportunity to contribute to the development of their community.

And this is exactly what our University Scholarship Programme for International Bachelor (USPIB) delivers. We have been running this programme since 2006 and have granted 337 scholarships. An overwhelming 84% of our 216 alumni are engaged in jobs that focus on creating positive impact: they work in the field of education, humanitarian response, politics, human rights protection, peace and justice and environmental sustainability. They are truly agents of change and visionaries of the future.

A full scholarship to study at a reputable international university in Thailand costs roughly USD 8,000 per year or USD 32,000 to complete their bachelor’s degree. We wish to increase the number of scholarships to respond to the growing needs of students from war-torn Myanmar and are therefore looking for more financial means for this meaningful programme. If you are interested in supporting a student, please get in touch!