Brackett Foundation

HELPING REFUGEES FROM MYANMAR ACCESS EDUCATION IN BANGLADESH,UGANDA, THAILAND AND NE INDIA.

PROGRAMS IN THAILAND - SCHOLARSHIPS: THE CONTINUING COVID PANDEMIC AS WELL AS THE MILITARY COUP IN MYANMAR INCREASED CHALLENGES FACED BY STUDENTS AND TEACHERS. MOST STUDENTS WERE ABLE TO CONTINUE THEIR STUDIES ONLINE, SOME FROM WITHIN MYANMAR. BREF DISTRIBUTED A TOTAL OF 137 SCHOLARSHIPS IN 2021. WE HAD 36 UNIVERSITY GRADUATES AND 4 GRADUATES IN DIPLOMA COURSES. 87 SCHOLARSHIPS WERE AT THE UNIVERSITY LEVEL WITH 44 STUDENTS STUDYING IN ENGLISH, THE REMAINDER IN THAI. EDUCATION AND NURSING MAJORS CONTINUE TO PREDOMINANT WITH AN INCREASING NUMBER OF STUDENTS MAJORING BUSINESS AND ENGINEERING. THERE WERE ALSO 46 GRANTS FOR VOCATIONAL AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDY WITH 13 GRADUATES.

PROGRAMS IN INDIA: : BREF DISTRIBUTED A TOTAL OF 605 SCHOLARSHIPS TO SUPPORT EDUCATION FOR CHIN REFUGEES FROM BURMA FOR THE 2022/23 ACADEMIC YEAR. MOST OF THE STUDENTS LIVE IN THE INDIAN STATE OF MIZORAM. STUDENTS' ELIGIBILITY WAS BASED ON THE ABILITY TO SHOW SIGNIFICANT FINANCIAL NEED, AS WELL AS ACADEMIC ABILITY AND DRIVE. 337 SCHOLARSHIPS WERE GIVEN TO CHILDREN FROM GRADES K TO 7 WHOSE PARENTS-MANY OF WHOM EARN MENIAL WAGES-APPRECIATE RELIEF FROM THE COSTS OF TEXTBOOKS, UNIFORMS AND EXAM FEES. THIS YEAR, SPECIAL FOCUS WAS GIVEN DURING SELECTION TO STUDENTS WHO HAVE RECENTLY BEEN DISPLACED BY THE CONFLICT IN MYANMAR. FUNDING FOR ELEMENTARY PROGRAMS NEAR THE BORDER WAS ALSO INCREASED IN ORDER TO SUPPORT MORE STUDENTS DIRECTLY AFFECTED. 152 SCHOLARSHIPS WERE DIRECTED TOWARDS HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS (GRADES 8 TO 10), AND 50 OF THESE STUDENTS ARE COMPLETING GRADE 10 IN 2023, BECOMING HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES. THERE WERE 79 UNIVERSITY PREPARATORY-LEVEL (GRADES 11 AND 12) SCHOLARSHIPS DISTRIBUTED. 38 OF THESE STUDENTS ARE GRADUATING FROM GRADE 12 IN 2023 AND WILL BE ABLE TO APPLY TO UNIVERSITY PROGRAMS ANYWHERE IN INDIA. BREF FINANCIALLY SUPPORTED 37 STUDENTS IN THEIR UNIVERSITY STUDIES. STUDENTS WHO WERE AWARDED THESE POST-SECONDARY SCHOLARSHIPS WOULD HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO--OR WOULD HAVE FOUND IT HIGHLY DIFFICULT TO--OBTAIN THE FUNDS NECESSARY TO STUDY AT A UNIVERSITY LEVEL. THIRTEEN OF THESE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS ARE GRADUATING IN THE 2022/23 ACADEMIC YEAR. UKRAINIAN FAMILY PROJECT: THIS PROJECT WAS INITIATED DURING 2022 AS A RESULT OF THE ONGOING CONFLICT IN UKRAINE. MANY INDIVIDUALS WERE DISPLACED AND FLED THE COUNTRY. ORGANIZATION WORKED WITH LOCAL TEAM THAT WAS LEADING AN EFFORT TO SPONSOR A DISPLACED FAMILY. FUNDS COLLECTED WERE AIMED AT SUPPORTING THE REFUGEE FAMILY'S EXPENSES INCLUDING SUPPORT TO EDUCATION.

PROGRAMS IN THAILAND - PROJECTS: BREF SUPPORTS HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN REFUGEE CAMPS OVERCOME OBSTACLES TO FURTHER THEIR EDUCATION. IN 2022, BREF INCREASED ITS SHARE OF FUNDING FOR LANGUAGE AND COMPUTER PROGRAMS FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN THE MAE LA REFUGEE CAMP AND AT NAI SOI OUTSIDE OF MAE HONG SON. AT THE MAE LA CAMP WE SUPPORT A PROGRAM LINKING ENGLISH LANGUAGE STUDENTS VIRTUALLY WITH VOLUNTEER ESL TEACHERS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD FOR PRACTICE IN CONVERSATIONAL ENGLISH. BREF ALSO CONTRIBUTED TO TWO POST HIGH SCHOOL PROGRAMS TO PREPARE STUDENTS FROM INSIDE MYANMAR AND FROM THE REFUGEE CAMPS FOR UNIVERSITY EDUCATION (ENGLISH MEDIUM) IN THAILAND. WE SUPPORT ANOTHER POST HIGH SCHOOL PROGRAM TRAINING TEACHERS AND COMMUNITY LEADERS TO RETURN TO WORK IN BURMA. WE CONTINUED SOME SUPPORT OF THE MIGRANT SCHOOL AT THE MAE TAO CLINIC. IN ADDITION, BREF CONTINUES TO SUPPORT A PROGRAM IN BANGKOK THAT PROVIDES ENGLISH AND THAI INSTRUCTION AND BASIC COMPUTER SKILLS TO MIGRANT BURMESE WORKERS.IN CROSS BORDER AID, POLITICAL UNREST CONTINUES TO CHALLENGE EDUCATION IN IDP AREAS. LOCAL COMMUNITIES HAVE WORKED HARD TO KEEP THEIR SCHOOLS OPEN. WE SUPPORTED 9 ELEMENTARY AND MIDDLE SCHOOLS SERVING 756 CHILDREN IN IDP AREAS WHERE THERE IS NO SUPPORT FOR EDUCATION FROM THE GOVERNMENT. IN THE MONTHS SINCE THE COUP, SOME OF THESE SCHOOLS TEMPORARILY CLOSED OR RELOCATED DUE TO GOVERNMENT SHELLING. ONE OF THESE IS A UNIQUE ANIMIST SCHOOL WHERE KAREN TRADITIONS ARE TAUGHT BY ELDERS FROM THE COMMUNITY. WE CONTINUE TO SUPPORT CHILDREN ON THE EDGE (COTE) WHO PROVIDES EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION IN 15 CAMPS ALONG THE BURMA/CHINA BORDER FOR OVER 500 CHILDREN.A NEW PROGRAM THAT BREF SUPPORTED THIS YEAR IS SMALL SCALE AGRICULTURAL PROJECT FOR INTERNALLY DISPLACED STUDENTS AT THE CHILD DEVELOPMENT TRAINING CENTER ON THE THAI/MYANMAR BORDER. FUNDING WAS PROVIDED FOR PLANTING GARDENS THAT WILL PROVIDE MORE FOOD SECURITY FOR THE CENTER AS WELL AS SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURAL PRACTICE TRAINING FOR STUDENTS.

PROGRAMS IN BANGLADESH: BREF SUPPORTS EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE TO ROHINGYA CHILDREN PROVIDED BY CHILDREN ON THE EDGE (COTE) IN REFUGEE CAMPS, THE SLUMS OF COX'S BAZAR AND DOHAZARI ENCLAVES IN BANGLADESH. WHEN THE BANGLADESHI GOVERNMENT RELOCATED ROHINGYA REFUGEES TO A SILT ISLAND IN THE BAY OF BENGAL, BASAN CHAR, COTE SET UP TEN LEARNING CENTERS ON THE ISLAND. A DIGITAL CURRICULUM, TEACHER TRAINING AND PARENT FORUMS ARE KEY TO THE SUCCESS OF THE COTE EDUCATION CENTERS AND BREF IS PROUD TO SUPPORT THEM.