This is a scheme established by the Trustees of the Sandakan memorial Windows, to enable promising students from remote Kadazandusun villages in Sabah’s interior to receive secondary education at St Michael‘s School, under an arrangement pioneered in 2002. Without this help, even the most gifted village students cannot hope to pass a nation-wide exam to enter advanced colleges and universities - the passport to a better life. Girls, in particular, will benefit from the Scheme. Without a scholarship, their only option is to remain in their villages, their potential unfulfilled. All of the current intake of students sang and danced at the Dedication and Official Opening of the Memorial Windows.

This Scheme does not require vast amounts of money. Our Australian dollar goes a long way in Sabah and, by our standards, the cost of board, lodging, schooling and extra tuition, especially in English, is extremely low. Full board and tuition in Sydney costs between $20,000 and $30,000. In Sandakan, all this, plus travel to and from the village twice a year, can be bought with just $1,000.

A high percentage of Sabahans are Christian. This includes the Kadazandusun people. It is especially fitting that this Scheme is helping students from this minority ethnic group, as these were the people who helped our POWs on the death marches and at Ranau. All donations, however small, will help - a bucket is soon filled by many small drops. For the price of a good cup of coffee, or a beer, a glass of wine or simply your loose change, you can help make a difference. If you wish to participate, please contact \n Lynette Silver This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . There are no overheads at all for this Scheme. Every cent goes directly into the education fund. Pamphlets explaining the aims of the Scheme are available from Lynette or from St Michael's Church.

Scholarship Hostel, in church grounds

Scholarship students with donors, POW Chapel

The scholarship students, who attended the Service of Dedication for the Friendship Windows on Anzac Eve 2008, performed traditional dances of celebration and also carried the national flags from the church at the conclusion of the service. Afterwards, they had the opportunity to meet many of the people supporting the Scheme, including Cadets from Barker College, Sydney.

Students carry the national flags

Students with Archdeacon Moses Chin and Rev Clarence Fu

Barker College Cadets with some of the Scholarship students

While some funding comes from generous donations from individuals and organisations, such as RSL, Rotary and Probus groups, the bulk of the money is raised via a ' wishing bag', to which Lynette asks her audience to contribute at speaking engagements, in lieu of any fee. The ultimate aim is to build a trust fund of sufficent size to support the Scheme, in perpetuity. Since the Scholarship Scheme was established, special donations have also enabled the purchase of five computers, which are a great help to all the students.

Message from Rev Clarence Fu:

Thank you very much for all your untiring efforts. It is a great blessing for the girls and for us. I took the whole day last Tuesday starting before dawn to reach the village of one of the new girls which required a river crossing by rope-pull ferry and even a plunge through small streams - the girl's family are subsistence farmers. It took us the whole day visiting a few places to get all the necessary documents so that she could study here, but seeing the family situation and the opportunity provided by the scheme, it is worth it. The scheme is reaching people who really need it. Praise the Lord for your effort and thank you.

Above is a feature article on our scholarship scheme - it appeared in the Daily Express in Sabah. (Click on each 1/4 of table above to enlarge).

Let's hope it will inspire others to help.