Book Haven - A Literacy Initiative: School

Three of us set-up a one-week trip to Laos PDR from 28 Oct to 3 Nov 2010 with very little expectations but full of hope & excitement beacuse it was our first time exploring Laos.

We decided to cover 3 places instead of 2 viz. Vientiane, the capital, where Air Asia lands, Vang Vieng to have a break in the long bus journey, and Luang Prabang, a not-to-be-missed Heritage Site. We'd take a Bus from Vientiane to Vang Vieng after 2 Nites in chill-outed Vientiane. The VIP Bus took 3 1/2 hours with one stop for a journey of only 17okm. We'll suppose to spend 2 nites on Vang Vieng and then onwards to Luang Prabang. And from Luang Prabang, we'd fly back to Vientiane via Lao Airlines.

It was the best decision we have made. On our first day of arrival in Vang Vieng, backpackers town, we stumbled upon a retired Canadian school teacher - Daniel Bedard - asking him which is the best restaurant in town. And, as they said, the rest is history.

Daniel was helping our a Primary School teaching English to approx 60+ children everyday from Mon to Fri in a rural Primary School called Phone Ngeun Primary School, about 3 km from Vang Vieng town. He was there since Sep 2010 & would be there till Mar 2011.

We offered to help the school build a mini-Library and viola, I just got an e-mail from Daniel to say that the mini-Library - 1 large bookshelf, 1 large table with benches for the kids and 2 teachers' desks and chairs would be completed by 18 Feb 2011. The local furniture maker managed to do it for US$300. Felicia & Kenny, my travelling companions to Laos, have agreed to sponsor the book shelf, tables and chairs.

Daniel will be in Vientiane from 20 Feb to 25 Feb 2011 to get some books for the Library from Big Brother Mouse (http://www.bigbrothermouse.com/) a not-for-profit Laos Organization which publish and supply books to rural villages.

We also realized that the Phone Ngeun Primary School lack school supplies (they ran out of pen in mid 2010!?) and I made another trip in Nov 2010 with 8 boxes of school supplies but that will be another story.