Our
Work
Military Coup and the Nation in Crisis
A decade-old budding democracy descended into crisis when the Burmese military staged a coup in February 2021, leading to the most widespread fighting and instability the country has seen in decades.
The international community’s response to the crisis in Burma has been insubstantial compared to the scale of human suffering, the magnitude of human rights abuses, and the degree of destruction. Stuck in the current geopolitical landscape, the nation of nearly 60 million people is battered by the daily atrocities of the regime, resulting in millions of people displaced and a growing refugee crisis.
Higher Education in Shackles
The coup’s effects left the public education system in shambles. Due to the historical political activism by university students, higher education is seen as a threat to the Burmese military and any form of public higher education will become nothing but a tool for the military to brainwash the young.
Displaced students inside Burma, and refugee and migrant students in neighboring countries have to rely on non-state education institutions, often with little support mechanisms, recognition, or a pathway to quality higher education.
Prolonged Crises and
Global Displacement
Unfortunately, the case of Burma is not unique. Rather than localized conflicts, we see state failures globally that have lasted decades. As in Burma, youth in countries such as Syria, Afghanistan, and South Sudan languish in failed systems and see their hopes and dreams destroyed by ongoing conflicts, wars, and political failures.
Human potential in these countries, including the prospects to create change and build long-lasting peace, is being squandered as our youth are lost to war and the global systems that fail to include and support them.
Our Core Belief
Higher education has the transformative power to develop individuals, communities, societies, and nations. Parami’s students from Burma and the global south come from communities plagued by turmoil. We need to invest in education that enables youth to fulfill their potential and become civically engaged change-makers in their societies.
Solutions for Students in Crises