IMPACT OF
GIVING REPORT
UWC South East Asia
2018/2019
02
MESSAGE FROM
KIRITIDA MEKANI,
CHAIR, FOUNDATION
LEADERSHIP
COUNCIL
04
FOUNDATION
LEADERSHIP
COUNCIL
05
SCHOLARSHIPS
07 The importance of
scholars
08 Moving mountains for
a UWCSEA education
09 Welcoming Internally
Displaced Persons
10 Our Scholarship
Programme in
2018/2019
11 Staff Scholarship Fund
12 Scholar spotlight
13
TEACHING AND
LEARNING
15 Chinese Culture and
History Programme
17 SheHacks 1.0
18 Books and Burritos
19 AIDA: bringing music
to life
Contents
01
MESSAGE FROM
CARMA ELLIOT
CMG OBE, COLLEGE
PRESIDENT
STORIES
UWCSEA
Stories with this icon
share in more detail how
gifts to the College make
a significant difference.
21
SUSTAINABILITY
EDUCATION
23 Dover Green Heart
25 Adopt a Tree
27 Solar for UWCSEA
29
COMMUNITY
ENGAGEMENT
31 Class Giving
Campaign
33 Parent Ambassadors
35 Alumni Giving
36 Class of ’86 Giving
37
GIVING BEYOND THE
COLLEGE
39 Serving others
41 Our Global Concerns
programme
43 East students in
harmony with local
care
45 PACE: Guests from
HCA Hospice get
the full UWCSEA
experience
47
GIVING AT A GLANCE
49 Financial overview
50 Named Endowed
Funds
51 1971 Society
members
52 Kurt Hahn Society
members
52 Annual Giving
1 | Impact of Giving Report 2018/2019
The individual choices we all make, day by day, are powerful: they have an immediate impact on the world around us. On our
communities, our environment, and they are shaped by our aspirations for the future. The 2018/2019 Impact of Giving Report is
a collection of stories of positive choices – how members of our community choose day after day, month after month, and year
after year, to make a positive difference in the world.
For over 40 years, UWCSEA’s unique mission has acted as a steady compass, always ensuring that the programmes and activities
we deliver have a real impact on uniting people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future. Scholarships for
deserving young people of great potential, sustainability education programmes and innovative teaching and learning initiatives
are at the heart of our being. Thank you to our donors for their generous contributions of both time and treasure: your donations
create a ripple effect, with benefits for years to come for communities across the globe.
So much of what we have achieved would not have been possible anywhere else in the world. Singapore has made us who we
are today: we are grateful to be part of this island nation and to be part of the conversations which matter on this little red dot.
UWCSEA was welcomed with open arms so many years ago, and our strong relationship on the issues which matter continues to
this day.
As we look ahead to the next decade, I thank each of you for choosing impact, for choosing to make a difference and for standing
up to create a lasting legacy of peace and sustainability for generations to come.
Carma Elliot CMG OBE
COLLEGE PRESIDENT
MESSAGE FROM
2 | Impact of Giving Report 2018/2019
2018/2019 was an exciting year for the Foundation Leadership Council (FLC) trustees—our first year as a fully operational group,
each member with a passionate commitment to opening eyes, minds and hearts to the transformative power of a UWCSEA
education.
I am honoured to lead this group of committed trustees, each of whom are action-oriented champions for the College.
Throughout the year the trustees have leveraged their professional expertise and networks to build connections, capacity and
support for the work of the UWC mission all over the world.
As the College approaches its 50th anniversary, the FLC is essential to building support for the strategic goals of the College.
New initiatives and activities extend beyond traditional academic programmes, and often the associated costs extend above and
beyond what is covered within the existing fee structure. The FLC’s role is to raise philanthropic contributions to help provide
capacity for the College to deliver on these opportunities.
I am delighted to be looking ahead to another year of dreaming big, building bridges and taking real action to expand the
College’s resources in support of the UWC mission: to make education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and
a sustainable future.
Kirtida Mekani
CHAIR, FOUNDATION
LEADERSHIP COUNCIL
MESSAGE FROM
4 | Impact of Giving Report 2018/2019
EXTENDING OUR DEEP GRATITUDE TO FORMER TRUSTEES
Former Foundation Chair of Trustees
Kishore Mahbubani
Charles Ormiston
Declan MacFadden
Former Foundation Trustees
David Chong
Kirtida Mekani
Ravi Raju
Michelle Sassoon ’82
Andy Budden
Heinrich Jessen ’86
Kim Teo ’76
Derek Lau
Shareen Khattar Harrison
Priti Devi
Lei Zhang
Sat Pal Khattar
Satish Shankar
Dale Fisher ’78
Gay Chee Cheong
Mary Ann Tsao Robinson
Kirtida Mekani
Chair
Christine
Amour-Levar
Shiv Khemka
Karan Adani ’05
Asema A. Ahmed
Datuk Lim Sue Beng
Michelle Sassoon ’82
Hans Vriens
Tord Stallvik ’86
Leon Toh
Ravi Raheja
Mikael MÖrn ’92
FOUNDATION LEADERSHIP COUNCIL
SCHOLARSHIPS
Uniting People, Nations and Cultures
5 | Impact of Giving Report 2018/2019
Kurt Hahn, the founder of the UWC movement, passionately believed that
bringing together young people from different nations and cultures would create
greater understanding, respect and ultimately solutions for a better and brighter
future. Today, almost 50 years later, UWCSEA is a vibrant and diverse community
of over 100 nationalities, working, living and thriving in a common purpose.
7 | Impact of Giving Report 2018/2019
USING EDUCATION AS A TOOL
The Scholars Programme is designed to identify young people of great potential and promise from around the world and
to provide them with a life-changing UWCSEA education through a two-year IB scholarship, an opportunity that might not
otherwise be available to them given the often difficult life circumstances they face.
For all UWCSEA students, life alongside our scholars changes the dynamic of classrooms and campus life. The scholars provide
depth to our diversity—we already have an impressively wide representation of nationalities on campus, but the scholars come
from often strikingly different socio-economic backgrounds and circumstances. Their different perspectives enrich classroom
discussions, increase intercultural understanding, and invite lifelong friendships. In 2018/2019, thanks to support from the
UWCSEA community, 98 scholars received a UWC education—89 at UWCSEA, and nine at other UWCs around the world.
Each scholar has been through a rigorous selection process by their National Committee—globally the National Committees are
comprised of more than 3,000 volunteers (UWC alumni, parents of alumni, educational and community leaders) working across
158 countries.
Once awarded a UWCSEA scholarship, typically a two-year IB Diploma Programme scholarship (often followed by fully-funded
university study, thanks to the generosity of benefactor Shelby Davis), doors open to an entirely different future for these young
people—empowered and imbued by the UWC values of positive change.
At a time when others may be closing doors or building walls, UWCSEA affirms its commitment to bringing children of the world
together to learn, reflect and grow through the Scholarship Programme.
A heartfelt thanks to every parent and donor for their gifts to the UWCSEA Scholarship programme.
THE IMPORTANCE OF SCHOLARS
Gifts to the Scholarship programme add to the diversity of UWCSEA and bring global issues to life,
including an appreciation of differences and a deeper understanding of specific cultures and nations.
Watch a two minute video about the Impact of Scholars.
“UWCSEA has challenged me, taught me, changed me, transformed me, and will continue
to stay with me as I graduate from this incredible school which took me out of my comfort
zone and awakened me to become a globetrotting changemaker.”
CASPER ØEHLERS ’19, Scholar from Denmark
“UWCSEA has been life changing. Now, I work hard not only for me, but because I want to
be able to help someone in the same way that I’ve been helped.”
TEDDY FATIM DIALLO ’19, Scholar from Burkina Faso
“One of the advantages of a UWCSEA education is an improved ability
to understand and move among people and cultures different from
one’s own. Through this fundraising initiative, I hope a scholar can
benefit in similar ways.”
LUUK ’20, Scholar from the Netherlands
In August, Mikael Mörn ’92, and Luuk ’20, UWCSEA scholar from the Netherlands, made an epic
climb, clawing their way up to the 23,400ft summit of the towering Pik Lenin on the border of
Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Repeating their goal like a mantra into the bitterly icy wind, “The world
needs more UWC scholars,” they battled the elements and their own physical and mental limits,
determined to raise enough money for a scholarship to welcome a student from Kyrgyzstan or
Tajikistan in August 2020.
For Mikael, this was not his first advanced expedition. In 2018 he completed his Three Peak Challenge
where he climbed three of the world’s most remote peaks in just two weeks to raise funds for a
scholar to attend UWCSEA. As a result of his successful campaign and the generosity of the UWCSEA
community, in August 2019, Internally Displaced Person, Yelyzaveta “Liza” from Ukraine walked
through the doors of Dover Campus, her new home and school for the next two years.
Mikael and Luuk are incredibly passionate changemakers who have taken fundraising to new
heights. They are deeply committed to the transformative power of a UWC education, as Luuk
says, “Bringing another scholar to UWCSEA will not only change the scholar’s life but the lives of
their family members and their communities, how could I not do it?”
The funds raised by their climb represent a third of the total
needed for the scholarship. So we will continue to fundraise
through our UWCSEA Fund Scholarship Programme appeals
to ensure we can indeed welcome this scholar when the
school gates open in August 2020.
Read about
Mikael’s 2018 Three
Peak Challenge
Moving mountains
for a UWCSEA education
STORIES
UWCSEA
9 | Impact of Giving Report 2018/2019
Thanks to our community’s support of the UWC Refugee Initiative in 2018/2019, three Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs)-
Yelyzaveta, Manaw and Wera, joined UWCSEA in August 2019. They have already lived more challenging lives than most can
imagine, marked by war, fear and change.
WELCOMING
INTERNALLY DISPLACED PERSONS
Yelyzaveta joins from Ukraine. It’s been a long journey since her family fled home when fighting came to her city. Manaw and
Wera come from Myanmar, where unrest and fear of persecution forced them to flee with their families to refugee camps on
the Thai border. Whilst they have faced these extreme challenges in their childhoods, their faith in the indomitable human spirit
and their sense of resilience and determination, will be combined with a UWC education focusing on peace and reconciliation,
ensuring them bright futures.
ABOUT THE UWC REFUGEE INITIATIVE
In light of the dramatic escalation in the number of young displaced people fleeing conflict, persecution or environmental
disaster, combined with the need for future post-conflict leadership, UWC International recognised an acute need to further
increase the number of refugee students being granted access to a world-class education at a UWC school or college. UWC
International thus launched the UWC Refugee Initiative in 2016, with the aim to raise funds for an additional 100 scholarships
per year for refugee students. Thanks to UWCSEA community support, four refugee scholars attended other UWCs in 2018/2019.
Yelyzaveta, Ukraine
Manaw, Myanmar
Wera, Myanmar
Read more about the UWC Refugee Initiative
10 | Impact of Giving Report 2018/2019
Thanks to support from the UWCSEA community, 98 scholars received a UWC education in 2018/2019.
OUR SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMME
IN 2018/2019
98 Scholars receiving a UWC education
89 scholars at UWCSEA
UWCSEA Refugee Scholarship at UWC Dilijan
(South Sudanese)
UWCSEA Refugee Scholarship at UWC Atlantic
(Sri Lankan)
2 UWCSEA Staff Funded Scholarships at UWC Mahindra
1 Singaporean Scholar at UWC Costa Rica
UWCSEA Refugee Scholarships at UWC Mostar
(Palestinian and South Sudanese)
UWCSEA Staff Funded Scholarships at Waterford
Kamhlaba United World College of Southern Africa
40 New scholars welcomed to UWCSEA
2 joined Grade 8 on a five-year scholarship
1 joined Grade 10FIB on a three-year scholarship
37 joined Grade 11 on two-year scholarships
Countries per region
15 Asia | 12 Europe | 7 Africa | 6 South America | 4 North and Central America | 1 Oceania
41%
Asia
6%
Oceania
16%
Africa
9%
South America
4%
North and Central
America
24%
Europe
45 Countries across the world are represented by scholars
• Argentina • Belarus • Belgium • Bhutan • Brazil • Burkina Faso • Cambodia • China • Colombia • Denmark • Estonia • Ethiopia • Fiji • Germany • Ghana • Guatemala
• Guyana • Honduras • Hong Kong • Hungary • India • Indonesia • Israel • Italy • Kazakhstan • Kenya • Laos • Malaysia • Mexico • Mongolia • Myanmar • Netherlands
• Peru • Philippines • Portugal • Russia • Senegal • Serbia • Spain • Taiwan • Tanzania • Uganda • Uruguay • USA • Vietnam
EMPOWERING YOUNG PEOPLE
UWCSEA staff know firsthand the transformative power of education, and their generosity demonstrates the strong culture of
philanthropy that emanates from every corner of our community.
Since 1996, College staff have joined forces to help transform the lives of 24 promising young people from challenging
backgrounds by funding scholarships through the UWCSEA Staff Scholarship Fund.
Scholars receive funding to attend either Waterford Kamhlaba UWC of Southern Africa (Swaziland) or UWC Mahindra College
(India).
• Over 200 staff members contributed to the Fund in 2018/2019 through monthly salary deductions.
• UWCSEA staff are part of the selection process for Mahindra, travelling to the Lamdon School in Ladakh to meet potential
scholars. Waterford Kamhlaba UWC of Southern Africa sends profiles of admitted scholars and the UWCSEA Staff Scholarship
Committee make the selection.
• On a discretionary basis, the fund also assists with a small number of high-need UWCSEA scholars with costs involved in
transitioning to university: for example, visa fees, arrival costs and airfares, if their university scholarship does not cover
these expenses.
STAFF SCHOLARSHIP FUND
“I donate because it is such an easy thing to do and has such a big
impact on the lives of potential scholars. It is literally the least I can
do and that seems like something worth doing.”
JABIZ RAISDANA, Head of Grade 6, East
“I truly believe in the power of a UWC education to open minds,
hearts and eyes to make the world a better place. I donate to the
Staff Scholarship Fund because it is such a powerful way to give life-
changing opportunities to children of tremendous potential.”
NORA DONOHUE, Grade 5 teacher, East
Her scholarship was funded by a Changemaker Scholarship: funds from three families were pooled together
to create a two-year IBDP scholarship for this young student with enormous potential.
“Hello! I am Aaliya, I come from Mumbai, where my father is a bus driver and my mom is a housewife. My
parents are deeply committed to the importance of education, and they sent me to a very good school run
by Akanksha, an NGO that provides education for children from low income families.
What gets me up every morning is not my alarm, but the will to be
educated, to make a difference, to learn something new every day, and to
give back to society.
My favourite subject at UWCSEA is Global Politics, which is not about learning about issues and discussing
them—it is about what can we do to find solutions to the challenge and raising our voices to make change.
Over the school holidays between Grade 11 and 12, I returned to India to study development and human
rights issues. With the Encounter India programme, I experienced life in rural India and learned about the
development complexities and new approaches. I travelled to different urban and rural villages to learn
about the historical and cultural context of issues related to income inequality, education, caste, gender
and religious fundamentalism. I was deeply challenged to think about my identity and where I stand
and how I can play a role in shaping the future of my country. I also volunteered at the Aarju Foundation
in Mumbai, learning about experiences of the transgender community, and how many are deprived of
education, employment and housing.
Outside of the classroom, I love playing football, singing and dancing. I also really enjoy my weekly Service
work with the Special Olympics Service badminton players in Singapore—I’ve learned so much about
patience and creativity. After UWCSEA, I hope to attend a liberal arts college in the United States.
I feel so lucky to be at UWCSEA. By being part of this diverse community, I am inspired every day to be a
better global citizen, and in the future I will put it to the best possible use to create positive community
change. Dhanyawad.”
Thank you to Dev Kumar and Yasodha Rajadurai, Julianne and Jeremy Martin, and Ravi and Sumati Raheja for
creating this transformational opportunity.
Scholar
Spotlight
Aaliya ’20 from India
STORIES
UWCSEA
TEACHING AND LEARNING
Educating for Excellence
13 | Impact of Giving Report 2018/2019
Gifts to Teaching and Learning allow the College to implement innovative student learning
programmes and professional development opportunities for staff, thus allowing our community
members to grow and thrive together in line with their greatest needs and grandest dreams.
Chinese
Culture and History
Programme
Twice a week for one hour, 29 students in Grades 5–12 at Dover Campus gathered with teacher,
Mr Jack Li, for a special after school activity, the Chinese Culture and History programme. This
programme started in 2017, thanks to the generosity of a UWCSEA family who were keen to
encourage students to deepen and widen their appreciation for the unique Chinese traditions
and values, and at the same time, enhance their spoken Mandarin.
For native Mandarin speakers, the programme allows them to connect to their Chinese cultural
identity. And for non-native Mandarin speakers, the programme introduces them to the rich
traditions of Chinese culture, which are fundamental to understanding and mastering Mandarin.
STORIES
UWCSEA
16 | Impact of Giving Report 2018/2019
Subjects
• Philosophy
• Literature
• History
• Customs
• Festivals
• Language
• National treasures
• Ways to treat parents
• Music
• Fans
• Paper cutting
• Food
• East and West comparison
• Entertainment
• City introduction
• Ancient Chinese
Astronomy
• Calligraphy
Stopping by the classroom this year, a visitor may have seen students learning mahjong, re-
enacting a scene from a Chinese opera, practising their Chinese calligraphy brush strokes, or
discussing Chinese philosophy. Mr Li’s lessons were dynamic and interesting—full of discussions
and hands-on learning opportunities.
Students shared:
“The idioms we learned were very useful and now I understand these
phrases in greater detail which also helped me with my everyday Chinese.”
“The most impressive things I learned in the activity were the rich history
and legends behind Chinese customs, and the different cultures within
China even though it is one country.”
“Thank you so much, I enjoyed everything! I wish I could enrol again
next year.”
Learning about different cultures is more important than ever in today’s busy world as it creates
connections to traditional values and understanding between diverse groups—how very UWC!
29
students taking part
in activities
Chinese Culture and
History Programme is for
students in
G5-12
activity sessions
per week
Looking around their Computer Science classes, a group of five High School girls couldn’t help but notice
that the number of female students was incredibly low. But instead of sitting back and accepting the
status quo, they worked together to create change.
During their after-school activity, Girls in Tech, at the IDEAS Hub, they designed SheHacks—an all female
hackathon for beginners, designed to inspire, empower and unite girls to pursue Computer Science.
SheHacks co-founder Jaanvi says, “At first I was really skeptical, and I thought ‘We’re just High School
kids, what can we do about it?’”. But with the support of the IDEAS Hub Technical Manager and
boundless enthusiasm, the project was launched.
Sponsors and mentors from Google, JP Morgan, ThoughtWorks and Visa quickly came aboard. After
months of planning and despite several last-minute obstacles, the hackathon was held at Google’s
Singapore offices 23–24 February 2019 with over 90 participants from schools across Singapore.
The theme of SheHacks was ‘Empowerment’ and it was open to female students even if they had never
coded before. With the help of an impressive slate of female mentors from across the tech industry,
attendees learned how to put together a pitch and had the chance to present their idea to the crowd.
By all accounts, the event was a roaring success and the team looks forward to SheHacks 2.0. For Jaanvi,
one of the most exciting outcomes of the project was the creation of a strong female coding community
at UWCSEA; empowering, motivating and supporting each other.
Jaanvi says, “It’s my passion to show other girls that anything is possible. Even in our well off society,
there is still a stigma about STEM, and I want to tell other girls to do what you love. Ignore the comments
that limit you, such as ‘She’s such a nerd.’ I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity to do this.”
SheHacks was co-founded by Jaanvi Chopra, Jamie Lin, Disha Mohta, Gaurika Sawheny and Tanisha Sethi.
The donor-funded IDEAS Hub at Dover Campus aims to provide a place that inspires
and supports our community to explore, innovate, collaborate and create sustainable
solutions to shape a better world. Find out more:
SheHacks 1.0
We’re just High School kids,
what can we do about it?
STORIES
UWCSEA
Books and Burritos is a professional learning book club for staff on Dover Campus. Initiated by Kurt
Wittig, Teacher Librarian, staff had the option to sign up to read one or three books throughout
the academic year. Books were selected for their compatibility with the UWC mission, our College
strategy and overall quality. The short list is created from books that have been reviewed and
recommended by UWCSEA staff.
On a professional learning day, participants had a chance to meet up for a burrito lunch and to
discuss their thoughts and findings about their reading. Throughout the year, staff could test out
ideas and strategies from the book and then share their feedback with the group. Funds were used
to support the purchasing of books (not burritos!) that would have been beyond the means of the
College’s professional learning and development budget.
185 staff members participated in the programme and feedback was extremely positive, with
many reporting it was the best professional development opportunity of the year. Many teachers
went on to run workshops for other staff members, based on what they learned in the book(s) they
had read. Inspired by the overwhelming success of Books and Burritos, other departments followed
suit and set up their own professional development book clubs, including the first book club for
administration staff!
“I loved it. It was personalised. It was individualised. It allowed me
a chance to talk with colleagues from different departments. It was
meaningful and it will have an impact on my teaching practice.”
TIM PRUZINSKY, High School teacher, Dover
Books and Burritos
STORIES
UWCSEA