The We women foundation promotes the education of ethnic women from marginalized communities in Myanmar. We target women whose passions, goals and motivations identify them as future leaders of Myanmar. We women provides a much needed service to women by offering them the opportunity to succeed in higher education.
Each year the We women foundation supports a select number of qualified women as they prepare themselves for leadership in their country and communities. We women assists students to prepare for university, advising them during the application process, supporting them during their study and throughout their job search. During each woman’s period of study, the We women foundation provides scholarship funding for their university tuition, as well as academic tutoring and coaching. In order to provide long-term success, We women assists its alumni in their search for both internships and employment as they enter the professional world.
The long-term aim of the Formal Education Support Program is to assist women from marginalized communities in Myanmar into obtaining positions of authority within policy making or influential organizations so that they then can empower other women and their communities, on their own terms.
The Formal Education Support Program consists of a range of projects which aid women at different stages of professional development:
Impact:
We are already seeing positive impacts based on our alumni students!
Meet our successful graduate students:
Hom Bee
After having worked as a social worker and having followed several trainings, internships and programs Hom Bee continued to pursue her desire for a better education by applying for- and being granted a scholarship at We women foundation to study at Webster University majoring in International Relations. For Hom Bee and many like her, it is important to study abroad. The poor education system in Myanmar, which Hom Bee refers to as “spoon-fed education”, is based on memorising facts, instead of developing critical thinking. Her master’s degree helped her take charge of her own learning process. Courses about global politics have helped her understand the situation in her own country better. Having just graduated, Hom Bee is figuring out her next step. Her dream is to become a documentary maker or researcher. She wants to use her research skills to become an advocate and give a voice to Burmese war victims who are often neglected in the political process and by the international community.
Noan Harn
Unsatisfied with the quality of her university education in Myanmar and ever eager to learn, Noan Harn decided to pursue opportunities in Thailand. She applied for We Women’s pre-University program, which prepared her to undertake an MBA “With the information and understanding I have gained through my Masters, I will be able to help create other jobs for the people in my community, and help create better development. It is my dream to develop local businesses for local people, and in so doing, build human capacity for the entire nation.” Noan Harn started her own social business and is improving the capacity of women to run a profitable, ethical and inclusive business, which inspires many ethnic women
Pao Hom
“At an early age, I was bored with my studies, because I believe the Burmese educational system did not challenge me and enable me to develop critical thinking skills ” says We Women student Pao Hom. After earning a Bachelor’s degree in Myanmar she moved to Thailand, feeling that she had no choice but to leave her country in order to obtain a more concrete education. She came into contact with We Women foundation and set off to pursue her degree in Educational Management. She firmly believes that. “Through a more creative curriculum, we can encourage children to think for themselves, share their opinions, and learn to follow their aspirations.” Since then Pao Hom has trained up to 100 teachers in critical thinking skills, that has improved the education of over 700 students from Myanmar. Right now, Pao Hom is working for Chiang Mai’s Pyidaungsu Institute for Peace and Dialogue. Here she is contributing to change by working across stakeholders to help build a more sustainable and equitable peace process for Myanmar.