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BURMESE REFUGEE PROJECT INC

NEW YORK, NY · EIN 260480062 · Form 990EZ · FY2021 · NTEE Q33 · International Affairs · Micro (<$100K) · kwahdao.org
revenue
$32K
expenses
$68K
net assets
$22K
employees
mission · from form 990

SERVING MIGRANT FAMILIES IN THAILAND

profile · synthesized from sources

Burmese Refugee Project Inc, operating as Kwah Dao Foundation, supports stateless, nationality-less, and migrant communities in northern Thailand, particularly those of Shan ethnicity from Myanmar. The organization focuses on education and legal empowerment, providing scholarships, interest-free student loans, mentorship, and legal assistance to help students access higher education and resolve civil registration challenges. Founded in 1999 and based in Chiang Mai, it aims to develop future leaders within vulnerable communities.

named programs · 5 · from sources

What they call their work

Community Minded Youth
Engages scholarship recipients in community service and leadership activities to foster social responsibility and civic engagement
Interest-free Student Loan Program
Offers financial assistance for higher education to students who do not fully qualify for scholarships, with repayment required after graduation
Legal Assistance Program
Offers legal training, workshops, and individual legal advice to help stateless and nationality-less individuals navigate civil registration, citizenship applications, and legal rights
Mentorship Project
Provides one-on-one mentorship to scholarship and loan recipients to support personal development, leadership skills, and academic success
Scholarship Program
Provides full financial support for tuition and living expenses to high-potential stateless students pursuing higher education at top Thai universities, with a focus on developing future leaders in the Shan community
activities · 6 groups

What they do

  • College Access and Success Support 1 activity
    • Deliver mentorship and personal development support to scholarship recipients
      Provides intensive, one-on-one mentoring to scholarship and loan recipients and applicants, covering study habits, college applications, leadership, budgeting, personal finance, and navigating bureaucratic systems. Includes follow-up visits to assess well-being and academic progress.
  • Local High School Scholarship Programs 1 activity
    • Fund educational programs for migrant students through grants
      Funds partner organizations’ scholarship and educational initiatives, including a grant of THB 64,238.86 awarded to Shan Youth Power to support its Scholarship Program and related activities.
  • Direct Clinical Care Delivery 1 activity
    • Provide basic health care and informal education programs
      Delivers basic health care and informal education services to vulnerable migrant and stateless communities in northern Thailand, fulfilling its public health mission.
  • Immigrant Rights Education & Legal Preparedness 1 activity
    • Provide legal assistance and training on civil registration and citizenship
      Delivers legal training workshops and one-on-one legal consultations to stateless and nationality-less individuals and families on civil registration, Thai citizenship, and permanent residency. Includes co-organized workshops on healthcare and children's rights for migrant workers and their children in Chiang Mai Province.
  • Financial Aid and Scholarship Access Programs 1 activity
    • Provide scholarships and interest-free student loans to migrant and stateless students
      Offers partial scholarships and interest-free student loans to cover tuition and living expenses for stateless, nationality-less, and migrant students from Myanmar facing economic barriers to higher education. As of June 2023, provided full financial support to 16 higher education and 3 high school students.
  • Student-Led Community Service Programs 1 activity
    • Support community development projects led by students
      Operates the Community-Minded Youth project, which requires scholarship recipients to lead annual community development initiatives in remote areas of Northern Thailand, with funding and oversight provided by the organization.
financials · form 990EZ · fy2021
revenue
Total revenue$32K
Contributions & grants$32K100%
Program service revenue
Investment income$510%
Other revenue
expenses
Total expenses$68K
Program expenses
Admin / overhead
Fundraising
Salaries & benefits$11K
Grants paid out$7K
balance sheet
Total assets$22K
Cash
Investments
Liabilities
Net assets$22K
2 years on record · 2020–2021 · YoY revenue -22.5%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2021

Who runs it

board members · 3
  • ELIN BJURULF — BOARD MEMBER
  • JARUDECH PECHPOOM — BOARD MEMBER
  • YAO HE — BOARD MEMBER
relationships · 21

Who they work with

  • Burmese Refugee Project Network — US-registered name under which Kwah Dao Foundation operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit
  • Chiang Mai University Partner — Hosts scholarship students supported by the organization.
  • Child’s Dream Foundation Funder — Funded the scholarship provided by Shan Youth Power that supported the student's enrollment in vocational college.
  • Dara Academy Partner — Hosts students supported by the organization through scholarship and preparation programs.
  • Department of Provincial Administration Government — Source of data on nationality-less population in Thailand used to inform program focus.
  • Ek Partner — Graduate and licensed lawyer providing mentorship and leading legal assistance programs
  • Ek Partner — Graduate and licensed lawyer serving as a mentor in the program
  • Kwah Dao Network — CMY is a project under Kwah Dao's Scholarship and Student Loan Program.
  • Mae Fah Luang University Partner — Hosts scholarship students supported by the organization.
  • Mae Hong Son Community College Partner — Hosts scholarship students supported by the organization.
  • Mae Jo University Partner — Hosts scholarship students supported by the organization.
  • Nuan Partner — Graduate and Business Chinese alumna serving as a mentor in the program
  • Nuan Partner — Graduate and Business Chinese graduate providing mentorship
  • Rajabhat University Partner — Hosts scholarship students supported by the organization.
  • Rajamangala University of Technology Lanna Partner — Host institution where supported students pursue higher education
  • Rajamangala University of Technology Lanna Partner — Hosts scholarship students supported by the organization.
  • Ramkhamhaeng University Partner — Hosts scholarship students supported by the organization.
  • Shan Youth Power Partner — Close partner organization that received donated funds for its Scholarship Program.
  • Shan Youth Power Partner — Collaborated with Kwah Dao to organize and deliver legal awareness workshops for migrant workers and their children.
  • Shan Youth Power Partner — Partner organization that provided a scholarship enabling the student to resolve visa issues and enroll in vocational college.
  • Wachirawit School Partner — Hosts students supported by the organization through scholarship and preparation programs.
strategies · 4

How they approach the work

Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.

  • Education for Empowerment and Leadership Development
    methodology: leadership-focused_education_investment
    By investing in high-potential, stateless youth through rigorous selection and tiered educational support, we cultivate future leaders who can drive social change, because education builds human capital, agency, and long-term systemic impact.
  • Legal Empowerment Through Rights Education
    methodology: legal-empowerment
    By providing legal education and consultation, we enable stateless and migrant individuals to understand and claim their rights, because knowledge of legal pathways increases agency and access to formal status and protections.
  • Peer-Led Mentorship for Student Success
    methodology: alumni-peer-mentorship
    By connecting current scholarship students with alumni who have overcome similar challenges, we increase trust, resilience, and personal development, because lived-experience mentorship creates relatable role models and strengthens community accountability.
  • Service-Integrated Learning Model
    methodology: service-integrated_education
    By requiring scholarship recipients to lead community service projects, we build leadership, teamwork, and social responsibility, because experiential service fosters civic engagement and personal growth more effectively than academic support alone.