Palmerston North refugee charity helps aspiring doctor

Palmerston North refugee charity helps aspiring doctor

The For Better Initiative is delighted to announce that aspiring doctor Noorullah Habibi is the first recipient of their English and Foundation Pathways Bursary Award.

Noorullah is headed to the University of Otago to complete a foundations course in preparation for medical school. He attended Freyberg High School in Palmerston North where he took an active role in school life. Noorullah was on the student council and was an international student leader.

He desires to “give something back to New Zealand society as a [sign of] appreciation.” He says that coming to New Zealand has given him many opportunities and changed his life.

The bursary award was established to help break down barriers to education faced by people from refugee backgrounds. The For Better Initiative is a newly established registered charity based in Palmerston North working in the educational space.

The charity operates on a crowdfunding model where individuals donate a dollar a week. The charity's treasurer David Stevanus says “the crowdfunding model that we have has been a great tool in assisting us to deliver what we promised and to start making a difference in the lives of refugees in New Zealand.”

Trustee Jessica Lowry says, “it has been great to see people getting on board our initiative as every dollar helps us to break down financial and language barriers. Our goal is to have 1,000 donors by 2019. Imagine what we could achieve with that!”

If you would like more information about the For Better Initiative or would like to donate, visit www.forbetter.org.nz.

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