About Us

Our Vision: A Chance for Higher Education

Our vision is that each child will have a chance for higher education. Our mentors are local teachers, college students, business professionals, and professors who volunteer to work in their specific areas of expertise to mentor and assist our college prep students. Our volunteers complete annual background checks.

Burmese Americans

Burmese Americans are estimated to number more than 300,000 and found in cities across the United States from Dallas and Tulsa to Indianapolis, Los Angeles, New York, Kansas City, Washington D.C, and more. Representing diverse ethnic, religious, and linguistic groups in Burma, they immigrated to the United States at different times.

1960s and 1990s: Arriving in America

The first group left Burma and moved to the United States in the 1960s, and the second group came here in the 1990s. The last group, mostly the ethnic Karen, Kareni, Chin, and Kachin, moved to the United States mostly after 2000. Burmese Americans from the Chin, Kachin, Karen, and Kareni groups are mostly Christians and make up more than half of the entire Burmese Americans. 

The Burmese Community in Kansas City

Kansas City is home to about 4,500 Burmese Americans from different backgrounds—largely the Chin, Karen, and Kareni. They came here as refugees, and Americans in Kansas City embraced them as new Americans. They left their homes and country behind and permanently moved to the United States, primarily because of political violence, ethnic persecution, and religious restriction from the state under military rule.

As new immigrants, they have worked hard to flourish and succeed like other Americans who welcomed them. In order to strive here in their new country, Burmese Americans in Kansas City also focus on education for their children and kids, which includes after-school program in English as a second language, homework support, college preparation courses, and citizenship classes. 

Burmese Community After School College Prep Program

Public schools work hard to help our children as they integrate into the local school system. Children are good at learning English but need help as they grow and learn. Our after school program meets twice a week with students who struggle to complete homework and need help to learn basic English skills.

We use a combination of certified teachers who work with the larger groups of children and mentors who work one on one in a group setting with students as they continue to improve their English and the ability they need to complete their homework and stay up with the rest of their classmates. This program aims to promote their well-being, academic success, and overall potential. 

Our community includes hundreds of students. Most of them graduated from high schools. However, many high school graduates are unable to pursue higher education. They face significant language barriers and extremely limited access to scholarships. The goal of our education program is to provide tutoring, especially from Burmese American teachers fluent in both English and student native languages, to help them access to colleges and scholarship opportunities.

Citizenship and Skills Training Programs

Burmese American adults, meanwhile, face challenges in securing good jobs, integrating into mainstream American society, and obtaining U.S. citizenship. Through our adult education program, we aim to equip and prepare them to find better employment, work longer hours, secure U.S. citizenship, and acclimate to American values and customs. We currently offer citizenship courses based on need and availability of our mentors.