STUDENT SPONSORSHIP
By sponsoring this student, you can make healthcare accessible for an entire community. Your gift of $1,000 or more helps to provide everything this student needs to live and train for 12 months.
Full cost per student is $6,000
You can also give by:
Check | DAF | Stock | Other
Help Sponsor Saw Ler Kah
“My name is Saw Ler Klah, which means "in the rock" in Karen. I was given this name because, during an attack on our village, many people fled to the jungle. It was raining, and my mother had no shelter while she was in labor. I was born in the rock in the jungle. I have six siblings. Sadly, three of my siblings passed away when they were young due to lack of healthcare access in our remote area. When the Rain Tree Clinic was established nearby, my father worked there as a groundskeeper. I’m eager to give back to the Rain Tree Clinic after I graduate from the engineering program. I feel energized to pursue a career as an engineering technician. I want to use my skills, energy, and education to support my community’s development.”
Current Students Waiting Sponsorship
We have 81 students, with 15 sponsored.
How Student Sponsorship WorksRebuilding southeast Myanmar’s healthcare system is no simple task—but we think investing in the young leaders doing it should be. Here are three steps you can expect in the process.
1
You Make a
Donation
A gift of $6,000 sponsors a student's education for 1 year.
2
We Match You
With a Student
Once your donation is paired with a student, we send you an information packet about your sponsored student.
3
You Receive
Progress Reports
The Physician Associate program takes 5 years to complete, and the Engineering Technology program takes 3. Whether you sponsor a student for 1 year or 5, we'll keep you updated along the way!
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Playing the Long Game
In a nation that has fallen apart, sustainable healthcare systems must be built from the ground up—literally. Earth Mission’s education programs focus on equipping young leaders with the knowledge and skills they will need to make basic and life-saving healthcare accessible to the remote jungle communities of southeast Myanmar.
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Year 1: Pre-med Courses
Students are instructed across medical sciences, basic and medical mathematics, English, medical terminology, critical thinking, computers, study skills, and leadership.
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Year 2: Basic Diagnostics and Patient Care
Students study problem-based curriculum for major diagnostic categories and learn basic procedures. Clinical experience consists of history taking and physical exams, outpatient diagnostics and treatment, observation and assisting in medical procedures.
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Year 3: Advanced Diagnostics and Patient Care
Students have classes on lab, X-ray, ultrasound, EKG, and advanced management (GI bleed, dengue, etc.). Their clinicals include inpatient management, medical procedures, and scrub nurse training.
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Year 4: Independent and Team-Based Patient Care
Under senior staff supervision, students focus on start-to-finish inpatient, outpatient, ambulance teams, surgery teams, and obstetrics patient care.
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Year 5: Internships, Leadership, and Specialization
Students learn advanced public health, imaging, and surgery, oversee the outpatient department, pharmacy, and supply, and can choose to specialize in lab, obstetrics, surgery, primary care, and management.
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Graduation: Community Placement
Physician Associate graduates are awarded a Bachelor’s of Science degree by their state Department of Education. With over 4,000 hours of classroom instruction and clinic experience, graduates are sent to serve remote jungle communities for a minimum of 5 years.
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Why Engineering?
Earth Mission’s Engineering Technology program equips students to provide technical support in remote healthcare settings through training in electricity, equipment repair, construction, and project management.
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Year 1: Engineering Theory and Fabrication Basics
Students build foundational knowledge in the English language, mathematics, critical thinking, physical sciences, computers, and electrical systems.
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Year 2 & 3: Construction Practices and Special Projects
Training is rigorous and develops skills in project management, power systems, communications technology, engine rebuilding, medical equipment repairs, and construction techniques.
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Energy & Communications
Students learn how to design and operate electrical systems from solar panels and generators. This power enables the use of advanced medical equipment and creates access to the outside world through satellite internet.
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Construction & Repairs
Students learn land surveying, site layout, and construction techniques adapted to the jungle, from bamboo houses to modern concrete and steel buildings. Students troubleshoot and repair vehicles, generators, and medical equipment.
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Project Management
Students learn teamwork by managing work crews and logistics that make clinic operations possible. In the jungle, delivering vital equipment and supplies to clinics requires multiple-day transportation by boats and 4WD trucks.
FEATURED GRADUATES
Saw Poe’s Story
"Many years ago, it was impossible for a young guy in the jungle to become a surgeon. But a little boy wanted to be one, even though he knew it was impossible, and he never gave up on his dream. That young guy was me, Saw Poe. Being with Earth Mission is getting me closer to my dream. I am learning surgical procedures from the surgeons handling cases at our clinic. I am grateful to them for teaching me, guiding me, believing in me, and allowing me to perform some surgical procedures on my own. I want to be a surgeon so I can help people in the jungle who need surgical assistance to live. Many people have died in the jungle because they do not have access to healthcare, including surgery. I want to help people have a better chance of survival because they have access to surgical performance and high-quality healthcare.”
Saw Poe graduated from Earth Mission’s first cohort of Physician Associates. Today, he is the Medical Administrator and a Surgical Assistant at a jungle clinic. He believes that every single surgical case, whether major or just a minor cut, is performed on an equally valuable life.
Naw Zu Zae Nar’s Story
Naw Zu Zae Nar, a graduate of Earth Mission’s Physician Associate program, is the Patient Care Leader at a southeast Myanmar jungle clinic. A gentle young woman full of laughter, she spends each day administering vaccines, caring for new mothers and infants, and advocating for her patients with humility and medical expertise.
She is also wise beyond her years. As a Year 1 student, when asked what motivated her to join the program, Naw Zu Zae Nar answered: “We don't know what will happen tomorrow, but we will always need people who can take care of our community and provide healthcare in any situation. Now is the time to get education that will improve our community.”
This is true anywhere—but even more so in a warzone. Conflict has forced millions in Myanmar to flee their homes—including Naw Zu Zae Nar’s family. In this environment, combined with the animistic beliefs in the region, fear of the unknown keeps many people from seeking the medical help that they need.
That’s why Naw Zu Zae Nar is passionate about educating her patients with the truth—especially pregnant women. She provides the full range of prenatal to postnatal care to expectant and new mothers: training them for labor and delivery, instilling in them confidence through education, protecting them from tragedies caused by harmful delivery practices, and setting up mom and baby for a healthy start to a new life.
Saw Lah’s Story
As a Year 1 Engineering Technology student, Saw Lah was driven by a dream: “I hope that one day our people do not need to rely on others for technical support; that one day, our youth will be skillful enough to work for their own people.”
Today, he is using his engineering knowledge and skills to save lives.
Saw Lah is stationed at a jungle clinic as an Engineering Technician. One night, when doctors arrived for a pre-dawn emergency surgery, they discovered there was no power. The solar electric system batteries had been drained by the previous day’s 4 surgeries—and the clinic’s generator was broken, with replacement parts still weeks from delivery.
That’s when Saw Lah came to the rescue. Assessing the situation quickly, he rallied helpers and a truck to retrieve another generator from the nearby construction site of the new operating room. Returning with the generator, Saw Lah expertly spliced it into the electrical system. The generator droned on, and the emergency surgery began.
Before long, a newborn’s cry pierced the night. The emergency surgery had been a cesarean section. With Saw Lah’s help, two lives were saved that night.
With medical staff relying on medical equipment and infrastructure to save lives, trained engineers like Saw Lah are critical to making sustainable healthcare accessible in remote communities.
Saw Jon’s & Naw Laura’s Story
Naw Laura and Saw Jon graduated from Earth Mission’s first cohort of Physician Associates. When Naw Laura joined the program, she dreamed: “If I get more education and knowledge about healthcare, I will be able to help my family, my village and my local clinic. I would like to give public health trainings to villages in my region so they can better help themselves.”
As Saw Jon approached graduation, he reflected, “When I first started as Year 1, I didn’t have any real knowledge about what a Physician Associate really does. Now, I know that I can literally save lives, and I can make patients feel better. I know more about diseases, medication and how to take care of patients.”
Graduating from Earth Mission’s PA program with confidence, Saw Jon and Naw Laura were stationed together at a remote jungle clinic. There were only 5 staff members at the time. But step by step, they have built the clinic’s capacity to 50 staff who are treating 9,600 to 10,800 patients each year! The two PAs also started community health worker (CHW) and medic training programs in partnership with their local leaders. In just 2 years, 131 people have been trained!
Experiencing for themselves the life-changing—and life-saving—power of education, Naw Laura and Saw Jon are determined to multiply their knowledge and skills to transform even more lives with high-quality healthcare.
*Names changed for security.
REPORTING
Sponsoring a student is a major investment—and we want you to feel informed. From start to finish, the Physician Associate program typically takes five years to complete, and the Engineering Technology program takes three. Whether you sponsor a student for one year or five, you’ll receive Progress Reports during that time as well
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Sponsorship Recieved
Your donation is assigned either to a current student or invested in a new Year 1 student. Having sponsorships available for new students allows us to increase the number of students we select every year.
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Candidate Referrals
Each year, village leaders submit candidates for Earth Mission’s Physician Associate and Engineering Technology programs. Candidates complete written knowledge exams and in-person character interviews. Semifinalists are invited to the final round—boot camp.
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Student Selection
Boot camp tests the fortitude of candidates. During this intensive training, we identify the best candidates who demonstrate mental and physical strength, teamwork skills, work ethic, compassion, patience, and positivity—all qualities required to serve in the harsh jungle environment. Finalists are accepted into Earth Mission’s education programs as Year 1 students.
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Sponsorship Packet
Once your donation is paired with a student, we send you an information packet introducing you to your sponsored student.
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Next 12 Months
Students are living and learning inside of an active warzone. As your student progresses through their education, you receive quarterly program or student updates, depending on the level of communication access we have to the field.
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12 Months
You receive a year-overview report of your student’s growth and service, the overall education program’s impact, and Year 5 students’ graduation celebration. You will have the opportunity to renew your student sponsorship for an additional year.
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Bonus
In addition, we send you an annual report and Student Yearbook with additional photos and details of your sponsored student.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
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Earth Mission uses a three-step vetting process to select students who are the most capable of and committed to transforming the lives of their people. This process looks like:
1) Nominations from community leaders: Community leaders throughout the regions of Karen State identify and nominate exemplary young adults who want to serve their communities. We typically receive 35-40 nominees.
2) Screening interviews and exams: We invite community leaders and their nominated candidates to our jungle clinic for interviews and exams. Candidates take placement exams in English, writing, and mathematics. Then, we interview them alongside their community leaders to help them identify: if a 5-year medical training program or 3-year engineering training program is right for them; if they have the right expectations, attitude, and fortitude to make it through; and if they are truly interested in serving as a medical or technical professional in the resource-limited areas of southeast Myanmar as their calling and career. Finally, they undergo initial health screenings for clearance to live and serve in the harsh jungle environment. This step typically narrows down our candidate pool to about 20-25 young adults.
3) Boot camp: In the final phase—one which we affectionately call “boot camp”—we help these young men and women seriously consider: “Do I really want to do this?” For 4 weeks, candidates undergo team-based strength and endurance trainings. They complete tasks required of students and staff at our jungle clinic, such as carrying patients, cutting and carrying firewood, building bamboo shelters, fishing, and cooking meals. Through all of this, we look for traits required to effectively serve in the mountainous jungles: mental resilience, physical strength, teamwork skills, work ethic, positivity, patience, and compassion. These are the students we choose to invest in—because these are the leaders who will transform southeast Myanmar. We typically accept 16-20 students into the new Year 1 cohort.
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Sponsors commit to sponsoring a student in one-year increments. From start to finish, the Physician Associate program typically takes five years to complete, and the Engineering Technology program takes three. Whether you choose to sponsor a student for one year or five, your investment will have a far-reaching impact on the thousands of people your student will serve for years to come.
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A $6,000 sponsorship ensures that your student has everything he or she needs to thrive while working hard to save lives. Direct student costs include housing, food, health and hygiene, education materials, travel, and a personal stipend. Indirect costs include instructor salaries, enrollment and legal costs, and medical and engineering training supplies. Realistically, costs fluctuate based on the ongoing conflict and needs of the students. If the cost of your sponsored student’s education totals to $5,500 in one year, then the extra $500 of your sponsorship will help cover an unsponsored student’s education or be invested in additional ways to strengthen the education program.
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Once your donation is paired with a student, you will first receive an introduction packet. After that, you will receive quarterly progress reports. Your sponsored student is living and learning inside of an active warzone. Quarterly updates will highlight the progress of either your student or the overall program, depending on the quality of communication access we have to the field at the time. These reports will include information such as education progress, skills learned, impact data, and inspiring stories of service. In addition, you will receive an Earth Mission Annual Report and a Student Yearbook with additional photos and details about your sponsored student.
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Our students have grown up in a volatile environment and are determined to help their people. We have an extensive vetting process to ensure we accept the most resilient, capable young adults of character into our education programs.
In the event that your sponsored student exits the program early due to personal or safety circumstances, the education he or she already gained thanks to your sponsorship will still impact lives. Our team will contact you if your sponsored student chooses to leave the program. Then, you can decide whether you want to discontinue your sponsor status, or transfer your sponsorship to another student in need.
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Sponsors have a responsibility to protect their sponsored student. Our students are living and learning in a warzone that is dangerous to their safety. It’s very important for us to closely monitor the communication that leaves our operations. In order to protect our students, at this time we strictly prohibit donors from communicating with our students through social media or other means. Please do not try to contact your sponsored student via social media, even if you see that he or she has an account.
In order to limit the opportunity for them to directly contact you, we do not share your name or contact information with your sponsored student. If you are contacted by your sponsored student outside of our correspondence process (for example: by email, Facebook, Instagram, etc.), please don’t respond, even to say, "I’m sorry but I can’t talk with you in this manner." Please let us know about the contact by calling (479) 524-0776 or sending an email to JIll at earth@earth-mission.org. By letting us know if your sponsored student does contact you, you allow us to work with our students to reinforce our communication policies for their own safety.
We remain hopeful that the conflict in Myanmar will end soon. We are considering future donor communication opportunities for when that time comes. In the meantime, thank you for helping us protect our students. If you have any additional questions, please email earth@earth-mission.org.
CONTACT OUR TEAM
Jill Carver
Associate Executive Director