May 2024 newsletter

Dear Friends of U-Go:

During the whirlwind start up years at Room to Read, people often asked me where I lived. I’d cheekily reply, “Seat 18A”. I had that feeling again over the last month as Amy, Orion and I hopped across Asia in support of U-Go’s continued growth.

Just back from that jam-packed trip (followed by an epic cold), I am thrilled to sit down and have a moment to share with you all the exciting news from a non-stop four weeks of U-Go activity. First up…

Global Offsite in Bali

Question: what happens when you gather 78 U-Go partners, board members and scholars from 15 countries together for a weekend of learning and sharing?
Answer: Sheer magic.

The energy was insanely high in Bali for the 3rd annual U-Go global Board offsite weekend. We took time to celebrate our progress while brainstorming ways to reach tens of thousands more ambitious and promising young women with long-term university scholarships. Our partners wowed our board members. Board members wowed our partners. And everyone was blown away by the passion, intelligence, and determination of the twenty U-Go Indonesia scholars who joined the convening. I could not be more proud of this rapidly-growing, high energy GSD team!

Special thanks to Aniseh Daljuh and her team from Onward Travel for giving their corporate travel expertise pro bono – no small logistical feat! We could not have done it without them.

78 board members, partners and U-Go scholars from 15 countries gathered in Bali for our 3rd annual U-Go offsite

Sizzling Success in Singapore

From Bali it was on to Singapore for the U-Go Wine Dinner, once again hosted by our friends at 1880 Singapore. The dinner sold out weeks in advance, the donated champagne and wines were the perfect complement to the delicious food, and we were blessed with a stellar line up of donated auction prizes. You know it’s an amazing catalogue when 4 VIP hospitality tickets to Taylor Swift’s concert in London is only the third highest-yielding prize!

Carrie Burke, Singapore board member and event chair, with guests during Taylor Swift tickets live auction

We were joined by Elvie Palma, an impressive U-Go scholar from the Philippines who awed the crowd with her story of resilience and determination. The paddles were soon flying to the sky, with total commitments of US$815,000 – in other words, more than 1,000 years of new U-Go scholarships for talented young women. Our Singapore Board and the 1880 team put the FUN into fundraising, at the post-party with a DJ flown in from Berlin (not, ahem, at our expense) going well past midnight.

Elvie Palma, U-Go Philippines scholar speaking at the U-Go Singapore Wine Dinner

Our Growing Hong Kong Board Delivers

In Hong Kong, 60 board members and supporters gathered in the offices of Clifford Chance for informal after-work cocktails, canapés and an update on U-Go’s continued progress. It was so much fun to be back in our former home city, catching up with old friends, meeting new ones, and of course hitting the city’s famous hiking trails. Sometimes small is still mighty and even with this casual format, we were thrilled to receive US$112,500 in new commitments! The energy from our HK board is high as we look forward to our first big wine dinner at 1880’s newest location on the evening of Saturday November 9th.

Hong Kong board members Noel Merainer and Liz Bradford speak with new supporters

Magic in Manila

From Hong Kong, I popped over to Manila to join in the excitement as our Philippines Board hosted their first big fundraising dinner. When we launched U-Go, many “experts” told us that we would not be able to raise large sums of money in Manila- that it was somehow different from Hong Kong, Singapore and Sydney. We ignored that conventional wisdom and are so grateful to the local business community for really stepping up and proving that sometimes in life we have to take calculated risks. As a result of one magical evening, we will be able to add 300 more ambitious and promising young Filipino women to our program between now and the start of the school year in September. It’s awe-inspiring to be growing from 410 today to over 700 this year. In 2025 we hope to reach the milestone of 1,000 scholars (possibly the first country to get there, though our friends in India, Indonesia and Vietnam may have something to say about that).

John Wood with Global Board member Mariana Ayala, Philippines board member Ari Kader-Cu and Joanna Ongpin Duarte of U-Go Philippines partner the Ayala Foundation

Awesome Events that Don’t Break the Bank

As always with events, we aim to keep our costs at a minimum. In Singapore,1880 offered the venue at no charge, all the wines were donated by a wonderful array of top producers who believe in our cause, and the photographer who captured the energy of the evening did so for no charge. In both Singapore and Manila, J.P.Morgan Private Bank and Mishcon de Reya LLP sponsored the dinner and some of our travel costs. In Hong Kong the venue, food and wine were all sponsored by Clifford Chance. And for the Bali offsite, every board member paid their own way, and many also sponsored travel for our partners and Indonesian scholars.

The Road Ahead

It brings the leadership team so much joy to know that thanks to the generosity we’ve seen in these past few weeks, we will soon be welcoming in our largest cohort of new U-Go scholars. We look forward to announcing this number in the next newsletter. Meantime, as I was reminded in Bali and again with our guest scholar speaker in Singapore, that behind everyone of these scholarships is an inspiring young woman, each with her own story, each ready to change the world – they are just waiting for the opportunity. I hope you enjoy the short video below – even if you could not be with us at our offsite, this inspiring story will whisk you off to rural Indonesia for a healthy dose of hope and joy.

With gratitude,

John Wood

After a month on the road, happily headed to the airport after a final family photo at The Upper House Hong Kong

Scholar Spotlight

Meet Halimahtussakdiyeh. In the rural province of Rembitan, in the West Nusa Tengarra Province of Indonesia, few women continue education past secondary school. Growing up there as the daughter of a farmer and a housewife, Halimah was surrounded with the message that women didn't need higher education; that there were too few work opportunities for families like hers from the bottom of the socioeconomic ladder; that women should just be housewives. Halimah knew she wanted something more from life - an education and a way to give back to her community. Today with the help of a U-Go scholarship, Halimah is attending university to become a pharmacist with the intention to return to her home town as a clinical pharmacist and community health worker. She hopes to one day "carve a proud smile" on the faces of her parents. Take 3 minutes from your day to enjoy, in her own words, Halimah’s story of perseverance.

Thank you to INOTEK who partnered with U-Go to capture the inspiring story of Halimah. For more inspiring stories, visit U-Go’s Youtube page or click the links below.