Lao Voices

It’s good to see the Book Box Fund posted again at Saolao.net. I love books and it’s always a joy to see that we can make a difference in someway. I’ve never visited the National Library of Laos at its glory but I’m glad that Darly has photos to show us, otherwise some of us might never know what it looks like, or even hear about the program.

If I were still in Laos, I’m not sure what the future would hold for me; that’s always been in the back of my mind, a constant reminder of who I am and where I’m from. When I was living in Thailand, 4^th grades would have been the highest education for me, as the end of the 4^th grades were approaching, I was worried because I wanted a higher education, but it seemed beyond my reach at the time.

I was one of the lucky ones, I’ve opportunity that most of these children in Laos wouldn’t have. I obviously didn’t have to worry about not being able to get a higher education growing up in the US, it’s pretty much handed to me, to all of us that’s living here, it’s a matter of wanting it or not. Sadly, it’s not like that for these children in Laos, there’re very little reading materials and apparently the government don’t make education as one of their priorities, this is based on seeing the condition of the schools and the reading materials that were provided.

I read in the past that the Japanese government had generously donated money to help build school in Laos, but that’s mostly in big cities, where it’d represent well, and often times, schools in small villages are left in the dark, not even enough funding from the local government.

I like the Book Box Program because it’s something that I can give back to the children in Laos, to those schools that were left out in the dark. If I were in their shoes, it’d be a joy to know that there are strangers out there that care enough to donate these books to our school. It might not be a lot of money to me, but if it’d buy hope, it’s worth every penny. I hope to visit the children and the Library one day.