At the heart of the education we provide is deliberate diversity. In line with this, our fundraising priority is provision for support for a Foundation Year for those from conflict / refugee backgrounds who are unable to complete the IB programme in two years due to either disrupted learning or language difficulties.
Our target is to raise the annual cost of a Foundation Programme place which is 300,000 NOK per student per year.
The closing date for the appeal is 23rd August, 2017.
See how we are doing, here.
Hari Bahadur Tamang
Hari Bahadur Tamang says he was born twice. As soon as he was born, he faced challenges. From a small village in Chitwan in southern Nepal, he had 11 siblings, and his parents were poor, and could not look after all the children properly, so all of them were sent out to work at a very young age. Hari went to work as a dishwasher in a hotel 10 hours from his village. He was 7 years old. One day a bus he was traveling on was caught by a bomb blast, and 53 people lost their lives. Hari was one of the 71 people who survived.
After this traumatic experience Hari’s perspectives changed. He was lucky to be alive, and he knew it. He appreciated life and was fortunate to gain supporters – individuals and organisations who provided him with a small amount of financial relief and work opportunities in homes and on a farm. He went to school again, but when his mother passed away in 2007, he returned home to look after his father. Eventually, thanks to the support of a sponsor, Hari applied for a UWC scholarship, and with the assistance of the Nepalese National Committee he was accepted to the Survivors of Conflict programme at RCN – a programme which the College runs in tandem with the Red Cross and the Rehabilitation Centre on our campus.
Receiving an RCN scholarship filled Hari with hope and excitement. Finally, he thought, he could just focus on his education and take control of his future. However, coming to a new country and the RCN community brought new challenges. English was the most difficult problem of all. In the beginning, everything was hard, but gradually, Hari relaxed, and the friendly, supportive RCN environment brought out his natural friendliness and curiosity. He realized that RCN is not just about academics and started participating in activities such as Norwegian folk dancing and sports.
The Foundation Year Programme is making a huge difference in his life, he explains. He is getting familiar with the IB Programme, the UWC movement, the Red Cross and the RCN community. He is becoming more confident and feels he is receiving a great deal of moral support. He is building his foundation to tackle not only the IB, but also other challenges. With smaller class sizes and a special focus on developing both basic and academic English, he feels well supported and motivated. His language skills are going from strength to strength, and his days have become much easier.
“My life has been challenging, but these challenges have taught me to never give up, to have hope, ask for help, grab opportunities and work harder.”
Please support those who need this opportunity.
The UWC Davis Impact Challenge will match each contribution and thereby double it. Your participation is more important than the size of the donation.
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UWC RCN provides an education that serves peace. Students enter with inspiration and graduate empowered to make positive change in their own contexts. Many return to us to tell how their years in Flekke transformed them. Our supporters can tell you about the satisfaction of knowing they helped develop the kind of compassionate leaders the world needs. These donations help us work with others to shape a better future.
For more information about the Foundation Programme, click here.
To contact us please email: campaign2017@rcnuwc.no
