What is sticky rice – really?
Firstly, Lao people are the biggest sticky rice eaters in the world. It is eaten at most meals if not all! Secondly I have left NZ and am on my way to Luang Prabang where I will son be indulging in sticky rice most days. Not many people what makes it sticky. It is the actual type […]
America’s shame: The unspoken danger of Lao’s hidden bombs
It was learning about UXO, originally in Cambodia (2010) and then Laos (2011), that is one of the motivators if me becoming involved with my volunteer work. If you don’t know what happened, here is a brief article about the problem. Article by Dung Phan 21 Aug 2016 It was a cold day in Laos, and huddled around […]
House of Dreams
I love this video. It shows a glimpse into people’s lives and how a simple opportunity can mean so much to those wanting to help themselves and help others. I hope to meet Ken when in September who I think is so inspirational for others and doing similar work helping others get a better education. […]
Skill gap hurdle as Laos attracts Southeast Asia’s spotlight
This article posted this week highlights the importance of Lao people getting the right education and opportunities for advancement – the very goal of my work in Laos. Article taken from the Financial Express, 6 August 2016 The chance to tap into the promise of increasing prosperity and spending power among the 600 plus million […]
Laos implementing UN Education goals
Efforts to escape being a Least Developed Country The Lao government takes graduation from the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) as its key long-term objective, a high-ranking Lao official said, according to local daily Vientiane Times on Wednesday. Graduation from LDC status has been a key long-term objective of the Lao government since the early 2000s. The […]
Thanks for donating
I wouldn’t be able to do this volunteer work without support from others. The support of my IT clients allowing me e to work remotely and that of family and friends. I spend a lot of time gathering things that maybe old to us but of use to those struggling in Laos. This year, in addition to some […]
Gearing up for another Laos assignment
It is amazing to have been given so many clothes to take to Laos. They will go to a village and hopefully all the kids will get something. I have already paid for two suitcases from Wellington, Auckland, Ho Chi Minh, Bangkok Luang Prabang. It is never easy getting to Laos. I wish to acknowledge […]
Project update Sept 2016
In late 2015 I setup a computer teaching facility at the charity school in Luang Prabang. 280 students now get one computer lesson and 4 English lessons each week. With some assistance, I developed an ‘Introduction to Computing’ programme. GOALS for 2016 up-skill local Lao teachers in Information Technology, train a new Lao teacher as the […]
A request from Laos for a computer
This week I received this email from a teacher who I work with in Laos. [EMAIL] Subject: Big problem Sabaidee Ajarn David How have you been doing? What’s the weather like there? So I really need your to help me. Because my brother who is studying engineer in Vientiane has problem as he really needs computer to finish his […]
Laos town known for drunkenness and tourist deaths cleans up its act
This great article by Claire Boobbyer gives a great overview of the town and beauty of Vang Vieng. “I want us to preserve the mountains of Vang Vieng, the river and the culture for the future,” Thanongsi Solangkoun told me as I sipped mulberry wine at his organic restaurant on the Nam Song river in Laos. […]
Elephants in Luang Prabang for new year
It is Lao New Year now (Pimai), one of the most important dates in the Lao calendar. Although officially a three-day festival in Luang Prabang, the party always goes on for at least a week. Officially the last day of the year, 13th April is traditionally a day of renewal, the main symbol of which is […]
Unlocking Laos for the traveller
This article recently published By Harry Bedford shows what a wonderful place Laos is for tourists. It is the only country in South East Asia with no beaches but they make up for it with beautiful people, mountains and waterfalls. Did I mention the food? This short articles will give you a good taste of […]
Laos’ garment industry declines due to labour shortage
It seems a common theme in recent reports about Laos loosing out on work opportunists due to a poorly skilled workforce despite in past years being able to secure such investment. The World Bank Climate Assessment report made similar conclusions about the low productivity rate of Lao workers and shortage of skilled workers, including English. […]
Archaeologists just found human remains in the mysterious ‘jar plains’ of Laos
JOSH HRALA – 5 APR 2016 At first glance, the Plain of Jars in Laos looks like something out of an Indiana Jones film. The landscape is covered in clusters of stone jars, ranging in size from 1 to 3 metres tall, with some weighing in at over 10 tonnes. But what was their original purpose? […]
Without mindfulness film
“Without Mindfulness” a short film made at the summer filmmaking workshop @ My Library won first prize at the Vientianale film festival last night! Congratulations to the filmmakers novice Mai Latanavong Novice Bouasy, former Novice Somjai Soulivongvang and Novice Touly, and the others who helped: Vanhxai Thor Zua Lee Leeoneyang Yang and Youa Lao. Congratulations […]
Magical Laotian Town Preserved by UNESCO Loses Its Soul
This article by DENIS D. GRAY: AP has been posted on so many sites including NZ news media. There is a lot of truth to this. it is sad that locals are gone and their places taken by outsiders and foreigners. I feel that foreigners living in Luang Prabang seem to respect the local customs and […]
Death of a school student
Today has been a very sad day with the news of the death of one of the school students. We all realise that life can be snatched away very quickly in the developing world yet we still reel against its unfairness. Novice Luk celebrated his 21st Birthday just a few days ago. He was a […]
How Roche enabled me to setup computer teaching in Laos
In early July Peter a trustee of the charity school in Laos, spoke with me and asked if I was able to spend a few months in Laos to establish permanent computer teaching programme. I agreed to try and work something out and only days later I woke to a swollen arm and was admitted to […]
A computer centre is born in Laos
A project is made of many parts. We send our thanks to the many people that have made it possible. We would like to record our very special thanks to David Allan for his endless work and spirit in giving the project life. Reposted from article written by Peter. The School Centre is a story of […]
Luang Prabang temples
Luang Prabang has 33 Buddhist temples. This short video is of some smaller less glamorous temples than Vat Xieng Thong for example. Sit back, relax and take in the peacefulness of Luang Prabang, Laos.
Trip to Pak Ou cave
Teachers and volunteers from school went to Pak Ou by tuk tuk for lunch together. After lunch we crossed the river to the cave full of Buddhas. Neither the number of Buddhas or steps were counted. This is out day trip where you can see more of the beauty that is Luang Prabang.
Delivering aid to three villages decimated by flash flooding
On Saturday, teachers and volunteers from school in Luang Prabang joined friends from a Laos organisation Education and Sharing to deliver aid to three villages decimated by flash flooding at the end of the monsoon season. The villagers had no warning of the impending disaster as it had not rained for many days. Four people […]
Videos: Interviews | Awards Day | River Crossing – Luang Prabang
Last week I was busy interviewing with 4 other teams. Over 350 people applied for the 200 places available. Mornings were very busy with many interviews and during the afternoon I took this footage showing some of the school and people who work and volunteer here. Awards day
Free English Resource Centres in Luang Prabang
MyLibrary and Big Brother Mouse are two projects in Luang Prabang where students can go for free to learn and practice English. Big Brother Mouse has many foreigners who drop in and speak with the students. MyLibrary runs other training such as photography and has computers and books available to students. Unfortunately so many people […]
September in Luang Prabang
I have been busy everyday helping at school, setting up computers for the new computer teaching programme and other IT administration tasks. Laos is deeply rooted in Buddhist traditions and it does feel like time has stopped here especially in the centre where there is still a very strong colonial french feel. Last weekend I met […]
Arriving Lao PDR
After much prep and planning the last month, I woke at 3.40am in Wellington, showered, dressed and walked my 30KG bag to the street to meet the taxi. It is a nice feeling not having to worry about too many things in the morning especially when it’s early. I had lived off lists this past […]
Establishing permanent computer classes in Laos
I received a phone call in July from Peter Banwell a Trustee at LEOT School. Recently the school received 20 computers from the World Bank to set up a computer classroom. With no local resources to set up computers, networking, software on such a scale and establishing systems to allow the ongoing maintenance and availability of the systems, […]
Educating eager youth in Laos
I have been volunteering at a charity school in Luang Prabang, Laos since 2013 providing IT equipment and training to teachers and students. This supplements their main courses of English. The students come from poor families and are hungry for knowledge! Laos remains one of the poorest world economies. The majority of families are subsistence farmers […]
Students eagerly stay behind at computer classes
Earlier this year I taught 4 classes a day from 10am to 8pm, using the 10 laptops in the library. They were initially full of viruses and spyware which took some time to clean up before classes could begin. This year I taught the beginner stream – students who understood basic English. Luckily their usual Lao teacher was […]
Donate your old smart phone
Do you have an unused smartphone you can donate for a student in Laos? Laos is a communist country with a population of 6.477.211 people. The GDP per capita is $2700 USD, with 67% of the population living outside of urban centers. Laos has a very young population, with a median age of 21 years. […]
Clean Drinking Water in Laos
I fund projects using Kiva. With Kiva I make a small loan with many other people. People get the money they need and the loans are repaid over time. I then lend the same monies again. Recently I made a loan to Kari Derenzi who has reported back, “I am excited to share with you […]
Meeting the Laotians Clearing Their Country of America’s Unexploded Bombs
I have posted similar information before, but people I speak with are often very surprised about this unknown history and current situation in Laos (perhaps a somewhat unknown and mysterious country) in relation to unexploded bombs (UXO). This article below is a great overview of both and every little share helps raise awareness of this tragic history […]
Laos regulates Social Media
The Lao communist government regulate social media and check on people posting incorrect or inappropriate information. The move came last year following growing circulation of incorrect and misleading information on social media among the country’s increasing online community, notably on the Facebook website in the wake of Lao Airlines plane crash. The number of Facebook users in Laos has […]
Making change in Laos through video
It is great to ready about Any who after growing up in California has moved to Laos and bit by bit effective change through sharing her stories. She began by making films, and soon realised that storytelling in all its forms would be the key to change. Amy focuses on on how non-profit organisations and the […]
Laos Statistics
Thailand promotes itself as amazing, Vietnam can well be described as bustling, Cambodia’s Khmer temples are awe-inspiring… but the adjective that was most often applied to Laos is forgotten. I know stats are not usually exciting, however I am often reminder how little people know about Laos and some stats may put the country and the […]
People dying in Laos from US bombs
Unexploded ordnance (UXO) are explosive weapons (bombs, grenades and land mines) that did not explode when they were dropped and still pose a risk of detonation, decades later. About one third of Laos remains contaminated with UXO left behind from the Vietnam War – the most heavily bombed country in the world. Cluster munitions are the […]
About Lao PDR
Thailand promotes itself as amazing, Vietnam can well be described as bustling, Cambodia’s Khmer temples are awe-inspiring… but the adjective that was most often applied to Laos is forgotten. Visitors who are drawn by the laid-back lifestyle and the opportunity to watch the sunsets on the Mekong will simply explain the attraction by revealing that the […]
Walking to school in Laos
I volunteer at an English teaching school that is free for the poverty-stricken 15-25 year old’s that are lucky enough to secure a place. It is a peaceful 30 minute walk from my guesthouse. Typically I have breakfast in the main street in Luang Prabang. Luang Prabang sausage is famous and an easy on the run […]
Vang Vieng and Herbal Saunas
You usually end up in Vientiane when arriving Laos, So to get to Luang Prabang I decided to go by bus and stop over in Vang Vieng. Vang Vieng was known as the party capital of SE Asia – ironic that it is in in the middle of a [quiet] landlocked country. It was a back-packer […]
First day’s food in Vientiane
I do like the food in Laos. It tends to be super spicy but not always. I caught up with some friends in their village in Vientiane, not far from Patuxai (the Gate of Triumph). We walked 3 minutes across the road to the street vendor to buy some lunch. I love these eggs which have been emptied and […]
A local Lao classroom
Alan, a fellow volunteer visited a local home in 2014 where Mr Say has set up a classroom for local children. Alan was their first foreign visitor and it was the first time many of the students had used a computer. Alan got them to type their name and age. Most are between 8 and 22 […]
A Powerful Lesson About Privilege
This Teacher Taught His Class A Powerful Lesson About Privilege With a recycling bin and some scrap paper by Nathan W. Pyle at BuzzFeed I once saw a high school teacher lead a simple, powerful exercise to teach his class about privilege and social mobility. He started by giving each student a scrap piece of paper and asked […]
Live below the line
Thanks to everyone who helped me raise $330 for the Global Poverty project. Eating off $2.25 a day was interesting and quite enjoyable. A little weight loss didn’t hurt either.
Support Lao children video
Support Lao Children aims to eradicate poverty for all children in Northern Lao. They support 3 orphanages and implement medical and educational programs.
Laos through my eyes – Peter
A piece by Peter – LEOT trustee It was almost by chance that I first visited Laos in 2008. My plan to visit Myanmar with my wife Catriona had been cancelled at the last moment due to changed advice from the Foreign Office. With time off booked and nowhere to go I took out a […]
Business, China, Development, Laos, Luang Prabang, Monks, School, Vang Vieng, Vientiane