International Day of Charity: How Parami students put social responsibility into action

Photo from "Lend a Hand to Our People" fundraising campaign

Charity is often associated with giving money or material support, but it can also be in the form of time, skills, and collective action. For this year's International Day of Charity, we reflect on how Parami students have responded to community needs in different ways over the years. These initiatives highlight an important dimension of liberal arts education: understanding social responsibilities and putting them into action. From lending their voices to organizing emergency relief, students have found their ways to make an impact beyond the classroom. 

In 2023, members of Parami’s student-led Voice Acting Club used their voices to contribute to a school for visually impaired people in Yangon. The students recorded an anthology of five short novels for distribution to members of the visually impaired community. For club president Thant Thaw Tun, the project was a chance to do something useful for a community that really needed it. The initiative showed that social responsibility can begin with recognizing what we already have to offer, while allowing them to develop their communication, voice-acting, and collaborative skills. Read more: Giving back to the community: Voice donation by Parami students

When Typhoon Yagi hit and caused devastating floods and landslides in many parts of Myanmar in 2024, students organized the “Lend a Hand to Our People” fundraising campaign. The campaign raised approximately 2,888,200 MMK, which was donated to affected communities through the Yellow Circle Community. In addition to raising funds, members of the Environmental Club also joined local volunteers in a post-flood cleanup in Kalaw, Shan State, by helping clear mud, clean roads, and move furniture from inundated homes. Together, with these efforts, students showed how individual contributions can become more meaningful through collective action. 

Following the 7.7 magnitude earthquake that affected communities across the country in 2025, the student-led action expanded further. The Yellow Circle CDC Earthquake Relief campaign raised more than 32 million MMK and 30,000 THB after opening its fundraising effort beyond the Parami community. Students worked with local communities and supported nearly 200 households in Sagaing and Amarapura, two of the country's most affected areas. 

The spirit of student-led action continues through initiatives such as Project PyitTineHtaung, Project Luminary, and the Book Buddies Team, which received the Fall 2025 Civic Engagement Project Awards. The awards support student initiatives that address community challenges through hands-on engagement and sustainable solutions, reinforcing the connection between learning, leadership, and civic responsibility. 

These initiatives show how Parami students turned their learning into action by using their skills, supporting communities in need, and taking greater responsibility for the people around them. On this International Day of Charity, these stories are a reminder that social responsibility is a part of learning itself at Parami and encourage  students to consider how they can make a meaningful difference in the world around them.