Our Mission

Prospect Burma's mission is to invest in the democratic future of Burma through its young people. We educate those who will spread their knowledge and skills back to Burma for its future development. The need is urgent: in 1988, the military government closed all the schools, colleges and universities in Burma following the peaceful student-led demonstrations for democracy in 1988, which were brutally put down. Although the universities are periodically reopened, they remain subject to arbitrary closure, and have been closed more often than open ever since. Those that are open are subject to repressive military control, and they are cripplingly under equipped: for instance, one class of 400 medical students had six text-books between them, published in the 1960s. The reality within Burma is that a whole generation of young people has been deprived of the opportunity of education, and the effect on Burma's future is incalculable.

In response to this, we give scholarships to gifted and needy students outside Burma, many of whom are refugees. Without our help they would be unable to study. We have grown from giving a single scholarship in 1992 to supporting 200 students around the world in 2007. They come from every ethnic background within the country, and study subjects vital to the redevelopment of Burma, including public health, education and economics. They are all committed to returning home to rebuild their country when the time comes.

We also support educational programmes such as English language courses, teacher training and vocational courses which enable young Burmese who are underqualified by the schooling they have received within Burma to acquire the skills to go on to further education or meaningful work in their new communities.

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, Nobel Peace Prize winner and leader of the democracy movement in Burma supports us, as she regards our work as vital to the future of her country. Please join her in supporting our work for Burma's future as a free and democratic society.