International
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burma educational scholarship
trust, scotland
"ah bar deh: education as a means to
both personal, cultural and community development,
liberating the mind through freedom of thought
and choice"
burmatrust@hotmail.com
BEST wishes for 2005!
Last Christmas in Chiang Mai
was very different to the commercial madness
of the Scottish holidays. There, shopping
meant the festive markets; muzak was Thai;
canapés were crispy crickets and bamboo
grubs with chilli and honey; wrapping up
warm, meant wearing a cotton long-sleeved
shirt of an evening! Being back has been
very strange… it is a different world! "Peace
on earth and goodwill" seem in short
supply and the situation for Burma and those
seeking refuge in Thailand is worsening.
Friends and family are so
important, but so too is our relationship
to the wider global community. The BEST
thing we have done this Christmas is fund
eight supplementary scholarships for refugee
students studying at university in Asia.
These young people have been selected for
their proven commitment to peace, reconciliation
and their determination to use their education
and experience to rebuild Burma in the future
by developing new skills, and emergent civil
society and respect and mutual understanding
in their beleaguered communities.
Our truly humbling experience
as volunteers on placement with VSO has
radically informed out personal perspectives
and priorities and we now know first hand
that as individuals our actions can make
a difference.
To do something is powerful…
rather than feeling powerless and therefore
to do nothing. We know too that people do
give generously to charities and campaigning
organisations already, but there is no harm
in asking. Nothing ventured, nothing gained!
If you would like to consider
helping us - you can donate using gift aid,
as BEST (Burma Educational Scholarship Trust)
is a charity registered in Scotland SC035082
and with the IRS for tax-free donations,
CR56186.
This means, if you contact
us and make a donation, we can claim back
tax on any donation adding 28% to any amount
donated. Stewart and I have established
BEST as a Trust, along with my Dad, Pip
Dundas - a producer with BBC Scotland -
and Sarah Boyack MSP and with no administrative
costs, all money raised goes to support
educational projects, which meet the priorities,
determined by the refugee communities themselves.
This New Year, rather than
just sending cards, musical emails and presents,
any donation you feel able and would like
to make to BEST, through our Treasurer's
account at BoS/Halifax Greenside Place Edinburgh:
Ac. 00001905, sort code is 11-46-37, would
be so welcome and would allow us to progress
our work further.
BEST wishes for you and yours
in the coming year!
Murray Forgie and Stewart
Simpson
