Celebrations for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee are in full swing all over the UK, infusing a note of joy into a country grappling with difficult times. But we know that there are many for whom the challenges are far greater. The teenage girls supported by PAWA face numerous hardships and it is only through education that they have the opportunity to better their futures. The stories featured below of the two girls from One Sky Foundation are a testament to that reality.
This year, in lieu of our Annual Walk, PAWA’s Development Committee has launched a series of guided Discovery Walks to reconnect our supporters and raise funds for our projects. Read Mandy’s message for details, and do join us on a ramble!
And finally, we are delighted to welcome a new member of the PAWA family — Olivia Dixon-Pozas, born on May 13th to parents Blanca and Mark. Blanca has been PAWA’s Mailchimp Administrator for several years. Congratulations!!
Wishing you all a wonderful summer,
Kamalakshi Mehta
Chair of Communications
It’s the start of summer in London, flowers are blooming and the sun is shining. The usual hustle and bustle is back after more than two years of disruption due to Covid. This is the perfect time to restart the PAWA Walks and to reconnect with our supporters in person.
The first of our PAWA Discovery Walks was held on 27th May and it was a great success! One of our supporters absolutely loved it – ‘I just wanted to say again how much I enjoyed the PAWA walk on Friday. It was such fun, so interesting and a lovely opportunity to chat to people on the way. The delicious tea back at your hotel was the highlight.’ We hope you will join us for one — or all — of the other walks.
Our next walk is on 12th June in St. James with Karen where we will explore the shops with royal warrants, gentlemen’s clubs, palaces and their links to espionage. We only have 5 places left so book now to make sure you don’t miss out!
The United Kingdom is celebrating the longest serving monarch in the country’s history and we are also joining in the fun by organizing the Platinum Jubilee Through the Decades Virtual Tour On 23rd June at 12 noon. It promises to be a journey through London from post war 1950s to the current day, Queen Elizabeth II has seen it all. There is a Q&A section after the Virtual Walk. Please do join us on this celebratory virtual walk and here is the preview of the Virtual Tour: https://youtu.be/lgRjCzh55SQ
Our last walk for this series is on the 2nd July, which delves into the secret nooks within the City of London and reveals hidden gardens. I can’t wait to join this walk myself!
In this turbulent world, the role of women is vital and educating them has never been more important. We need your support in our work of funding the education of disadvantaged teenage girls in Asia, so please donate generously. We are looking forward to seeing you at our walks and thank you in advance.
You can sign up for the walks at
https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/pawa-discovery-walks-2022-charity-fundraiser-308999
Mandy Chiu
Chair, PAWA Development Committee
The first of the PAWA Discovery Walks was a huge success. Glorious weather and a wonderful guide made this romp through Kensington thoroughly enjoyable! The walk was followed by Prosecco and cakes at the London Lodge Hotel — a great way to kick off the Platinum Jubilee week!
PAWA marked a return to in-person events with a panel discussion on March 23 at the Nehru Centre which brought together three amazing entrepreneurs in the food and drinks space.
From left to right: Nisha Katona, founder of Mowgli Street Food; Judy Joo, celebrity chef and TV host; Tina Chen, founder of HumaniTea; Kamalakshi Mehta of PAWA.
One Sky Foundation, Thailand
Tharee Khantinitikul
Tharee received a scholarship from PAWA for 2 years as her parents. Earlier, she had made money by selling paintings for school lunches but this kept her from studying. On days when she couldn’t sell paintings, she had to skip lunch and drink milk instead. Her scholarship helped her move forward, and after she graduated Grade 12, her artistic talent earned her a quota for studying at the Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts at Silpakorn University, Thailand’s most prestigious art University. She dreams of becoming an art teacher at a poor school in the mountains where there is no art taught.
I am glad that PAWA has helped lighten the burden because this scholarship given to me has taken away all my financial worries. It gives me more time to study because I don’t have to draw a lot to sell to earn money and do not have to skip lunch on days when there is not money to go to school. I would like to thank you PAWA for giving me this scholarship. I have never received any scholarships from anywhere before most scholarships are for students with good grades but this project was not based on grades so I was given the opportunity.”
Ms. Nguwaso (Wa)
Wa has received a scholarship from PAWA since grade 7 for 6 years. Her family had no home of their own and all their income went toward buying some land to build a house, leaving no money for school, until she received the scholarship. After graduating from high school, she intends to study nursing assistant at Sima Borirak School.
“The PAWA scholarship eased the burden on my family and made my dream come true that I graduated from high school. I am very happy because I have never received a scholarship from anywhere. I would like to thank you PAWA for supporting my studies for the past 6 years. If I didn’t receive this scholarship, I would not have finished grade 12 for sure.”
