Learning to Leadership

After the military government shut down Universities in the late 1980s, and imprisoned outspoken teachers and students, there was no way for people from Myanmar to gain vital higher education qualifications and skills. As a result, what was once one of the best educated countries in the region is today lacking in vital infrastructure, as well as the educated and skilled people who could support it. Prospect Burma began life offering international scholarships to people from Myanmar, so they could gain the qualifications they could no longer get at home. Today, our Learning to Leadership programme supports talented and visionary people from Myanmar who have a real plan for making a difference in their country.

We undertake outreach activities around the country (pictured, above right), sharing information about international study, including how to apply for a scholarship, how to choose your course base on the sort of career you want to pursue, information which many of these students won’t have received before.

The Learning to Leadership (LtL) programme supports students who are interested in ensuring that their country is peaceful and democratic by providing them with the resources and support required to undertake a quality education at an overseas university. These scholars are united by their desire to build a better future for Myanmar. They gain vital skills that are desperately needed, including within subjects such as: information technology, civil engineering or infrastructure, healthcare, and education.

Studying abroad is an incredibly daunting prospect for many people who may not have left their villages before, let alone boarded a plane to a distant country. Our peer-to-peer mentoring programme and student support services are vital components of the LtL programme, as these mechanisms help ease the challenges that students might face in the process of transitioning to a new environment.

Many Prospect Burma scholars have experienced unimaginable hardship in their lives, from civil war and devastating natural disasters to childhood poverty. As a result they have a deep and passionate desire to change their country for the better. The time they spend abroad exposes them to different cultures, and different ways of thinking. It provides them with an opportunity to engage, work and live with people from other religions, faiths and cultures.