KHT supports young Karen people through scholarships for university degrees and vocational qualifications. We currently support over 40 students and we are always happy to hear from them and learn about their plans and successes.
Nattapon’s Story
Nattapon, age 23, is one of our scholarship students and will be graduating this year! He is the oldest of 3 siblings and is the first person in his immediate family to go to university. Nattapon discovered KHT’s scholarship programme via his secondary school and successfully applied. He not only benefits from KHT’s scholarship but his village was also supported by our FRIS (Flood resistant irrigation system).
He is studying Art and Education and will begin training to become an art teacher in Chonburi province after his graduation. He has a passion for art and it is something he knows he will like working in everyday.
“I will miss home moving away but there are more opportunities in the bigger cities and I will be able to get ready to take the government exam to become a teacher. This will open more doors and benefits for me.”
Many Karen youth are aware that there are less opportunities in Mae Hong Son and therefore they study or work in other provinces. This can be difficult and a culture shock for them but Nattapon told us:
“The Karen people are friendly and helpful and in the cities it is much less like this. It can be lonely and you can face discrimination but I keep my Karen values and treat people kindly and have the same attitude I would have at home.”
Having a sense of ambition and perseverance are vital for Karen youth who face many obstacles to achieving their dreams. Scholarships provide a sense of support and security for Karen students. Nattapon was able to concentrate on his ambition to become a teacher because he had vital financial support to access education.
“Thank you for supporting me for these 4 years. I am excited for the future and I hope I can also give back and help other Karen youth when I become a teacher.”
We are grateful for the support of the Lloyd George Asian Foundation in helping Nattapon’s scholarship. You can also help us support our other bright young students and help us reach more young Karen people by donating today!