University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service student Matt Orr (’14) partnered with Sarus, a non-profit organization based in Phnom Penh, Cambodia that fosters peace and understanding between its participants, to create a feasibility study for an exchange program between Bangladesh and Myanmar. Since 2010, Sarus has been operating in Cambodia, Japan, and Vietnam.
The exchange program would take young women leaders from each country and bring them together for a collaborative service learning experience, while also creating a community between the leaders that fosters cultural appreciation, leadership development, and open communication as a means of conflict transformation.
“This would be the first ever exchange program between Bangladesh and Myanmar,” said Sarus founder and director Wesley Hedden. “Matt’s project has allowed us to more clearly and systematically understand our current and potential impact on participants, partners, and communities.”
Orr began his project in August 2013 with the intention of providing Sarus a comprehensive study of the potential exchange program between Bangladesh and Myanmar from five angles: context, financial, operational, partners, and security.
Through the course of Orr’s study he contacted 166 potential stakeholders from five stakeholder categories: educational institutions, funding partners, government institutions, knowledge partners, and service project partners. These stakeholders will continue to provide a framework of knowledge and resources for Sarus to utilize in constructing and implementing the exchange program.
Last October, Orr and Sarus staff embarked on a three-week trip to Bangladesh and Myanmar in order to meet with potential partners for the exchange. While on their trip, they met with 38 organizations, of which 16 have since become committed stakeholders due to Orr’s outreach and subsequent stakeholder development activities.
“Sarus now has a chance to move to the next level by implementing a new exchange program in two countries where it can have a huge impact,” said Sokchannaroath Heng, Sarus Cambodia program coordinator. “We are now known by many stakeholders in Bangladesh and Myanmar, before this project Sarus had only one partner in each country.”
As a returned Peace Corps (Ukraine ‘09-’11) volunteer, Orr has several years of experience working in the field of international development. Before beginning his capstone project with Sarus, Orr spent the past summer in Thailand developing a project-based learning curriculum for a democratic school. He has a proven commitment to initiatives that involve creating better opportunities for youth in both domestic and international contexts.
“Through my project with Sarus I was able to gain insight into international peace-building efforts and the complexities of conflict,” Orr said. “This experience also gave me an opportunity to help Sarus build organizational capacity so that they can continue to address the urgent need for peace in the places where they work.”
Orr’s project with Sarus is the final of three required field service projects he has completed in the Clinton School’s Master of Public Service program. The program is designed to create leaders with expertise in the non-profit, government, and private sectors.
More information about Sarus is available at http://sarusprogram.org
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