Partners Asia and Zomia team up to scale access to higher education in Myanmar
We’re excited to announce that Zomia has received 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsorship through Partners Asia. Under this partnership, donors in the United States can now support Zomia’s mission to increase access to higher education in Myanmar through tax-deductible gifts.
How does it work?
Donations made on this page are tax-deductible in the U.S. Tax receipts are issued by Partners Asia on Zomia’s behalf.
Does your employer match donations? If so, select “Partners Asia” as your charity of choice through your employer’s giving portal. Then write in “Zomia” as the project you’d like to support. Not seeing Partners Asia as an eligible charity? Send us a message (admin@zomia.org) and we’ll let you know whether your company is set up to provide a matching gift. If not, we can help you add Partners Asia to the list of charities eligible for your company to match.
Where does the funding go?
Over 90% of Zomia students are from Myanmar, and the average student needs over $2,500 a year to obtain a quality higher education institution. All donations, less a 7% administrative fee to support Partners Asia’s work, are sent to a fund that is disbursed directly to students to help cover their expenses. Donations are “recycled” indefinitely to help future students pay for school.
Not sure if you should make a donation or a loan?
Making a donation is the way to go if you need (or want) a tax deduction or don’t want to create or manage a Zomia account. Your donated funds will continuously recycle on future generations of students. Make a direct loan to a student if you wish to invest in a particular student, follow their progress, and receive repayments that you can then recycle or withdraw.
Why is this important?
Higher education is among the best investments you make in life, but it’s also among the most expensive and out of reach for many. In developed countries, most governments provide some form of assistance—but in a country like Myanmar, such options do not exist. Scholarships are scarce, and financial institutions lack the capacity to provide education loans (to learn why, this primer from Kiva does a nice job detailing the reasons). As a result, students in countries like Myanmar are left with few options and are among the very last served by financial markets.
We believe that everyone deserves a shot at higher education. In Myanmar today, just over 13% of the population has been able to pursue some type of higher education. This compares to an average of 20% for its neighbors and 70% in developed countries. We want to shrink this gap—and to do so in a way that proves higher education can be a viable financial and human investment. If this sounds compelling to you, we’d love for you to join us. 🙂
About Partners Asia
Partners Asia is a U.S. non-profit with a long history of commitment to vulnerable communities across Myanmar. The organization supports initiatives that improve the lives of Myanmar’s most vulnerable, and they do it by connecting these organizations with a larger international network. We have long been fans of their work and love what they do. If you have never heard of them before, now is as good a time as any to check them out!
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