I have a dream that I would like to see all Lao are united and help each other and support and donate $ 1 per year to be member Lao helping Lao. To help the poor kids and building the school in Laos. I know we build many Lao temples in the United States.
I have a dream that I would like to see all Lao are united and help each other and support and donate $ 1 per year to be member Lao helping Lao. To help the poor kids and building the school in Laos. I know we build many Lao temples in the United States.
We could make it happen if we care. I count it on you.
We have seen china , Vietnam, Japan , Thailand, Australia, France and other foreign countries help laos so could Lao halp Lao . we could do it with your help.
I have a dream that I would like to see all Lao are united and help each other and support and donate $ 1 per year to be member Lao helping Lao. To help the poor kids and building the school in Laos. I know we build many Lao temples in the United States.
you are very pessimistic my friend. Nothing will happen if everybody will have that kind of attitude as yours. Im glad not everybody does.
To Mr. Anonymous who has a good dream, keep going! Its time to wake up and get things started. Dont get discouraged.. go for it. Though the 1$ would probably too little .. I hope many will be generous enough to give bigger.
Calling on the ones whose lives are better now, share your blessings and good luck and it will come back to you ten folds. Nothing is impossible if you believe.
Im sure 10 - 20 years ago, you only dreamed of what Laos is now. At least now Laos has gotten in touch to the rest of the world and has shown improvement, maybe slowly but improving. The most important is there's change. Someone mentioned in another topic that Laos is like a baby... its still at its infancy and when nurtured well, it could grow to be a strong, independent and capable nation. If compared into a human being, childhood is the most important stage in the growth and development so while Laos is still young and developing, its better to do good things, set good examples and make positive influences so it will indeed flourish.
very good idea. count me on ! a lil, but we can make your dream comes true, if we believe it. BTW why don't you take this project as your master major project. don't limit only in lao communities, let it get out on the whole world project. i will involve as a volunteer in your project.
It's more realistic if you register your charity organization in the US with clear objectives.
e.g. your plan is to build a school for x, y and z village.
Material will cost xyz USD Manpower will cost xyz USD
Once the funding's sufficient it will start at xyz date
send progress reports to all donors at every milestone.
Go back there and do a video of the progress, upload it to youtube and send it to all donors and get more donors by the words of mouth.
Once your project is done. Do a brochure and invite all donors to come and visit the fruit of your project.
If people can have trust in your organization - ie. transparency! - then they will donate for your future project and they will do the advertising for you.
The biggest problem with charity is transparency. I've seen a documentary somewhere once that even redcross has too much bureaucracy. For every $ you donate, only 15 cents get to the intended targets.
Especially with all the ethnics charity organization, they have almost 0 transparency and I for one certainly don't want to put my money there.
I have a dream that I would like to see all Lao are united and help each other and support and donate $ 1 per year to be member Lao helping Lao. To help the poor kids and building the school in Laos. I know we build many Lao temples in the United States.
We could make it happen if we care. I count it on you.
REALITY CHECK
Some thoughts to ponder:
If you plan to build school for your project you should also make a sustainability plan.
* You can build a very nice, cozy school building but students will not come and learn if there are no teachers. WHo will provide for their salary? YOu can mobilize volunteers but knowing Lao, you may not find enough teachers who will give fulltime. children work best if there is consistency, so if teachers are only volunteers and keep on changing every study session, it might have negative effect in their learning process.
* I believe that many children in the rural communities are out of school and, instead of going to school they go with their parents to farm, etc. Their parents, most likely uneducated themselves, may not value education over alleviating hunger. You may need a good social advocacy to encourage parents to send their children to work instead of making them help in the field.
* You should also consider overhead expenses, school requires electricity, water and maintenance (especially since putting up computers to assist in educating the children is being considered). What is the mechanism to ensure that operational bills will be paid on time?
* Then there are administrative matters like personnel management, capability building for teachers so their teaching will be effective and keeping up with this fast changing world. There is also the need to renew permit and licenses to operate.
* Then you need to secure supplies of books and other materials for the children to use. Many children in the rural communities are poor... you should consider inability to buy books and other school supplies. Are these going to be free or should it be offered to them at a discounted rate.
* There are still other things to consider but Im leaving them up to you hoping that the above would trigger you to do some more analytical thinking.
The purpose of posting this is not to discourge you but to make sure that when you plan your project and make your proposal, which many here are willing to support, you have consider the pros and cons, and address them well.
It's more realistic if you register your charity organization in the US with clear objectives.
e.g. your plan is to build a school for x, y and z village.
Material will cost xyz USD Manpower will cost xyz USD
Once the funding's sufficient it will start at xyz date
send progress reports to all donors at every milestone.
Go back there and do a video of the progress, upload it to youtube and send it to all donors and get more donors by the words of mouth.
Once your project is done. Do a brochure and invite all donors to come and visit the fruit of your project.
If people can have trust in your organization - ie. transparency! - then they will donate for your future project and they will do the advertising for you.
The biggest problem with charity is transparency. I've seen a documentary somewhere once that even redcross has too much bureaucracy. For every $ you donate, only 15 cents get to the intended targets.
Especially with all the ethnics charity organization, they have almost 0 transparency and I for one certainly don't want to put my money there.
Yes, I understand. I am not a professional fund raiser . That is only the first step and a baby step that I care and love to do. If there are more people are really care and willing to help that should be the way to be done. Thank for caring..
You can build a very nice, cozy school building but students will not come and learn if there are no teachers. WHo will provide for their salary?..............................
you are right if the author of this topic plans to run the school, but i think, that he plans to do fund raising helping rebuild or renovate the old schools. to make them more school like than a huts, that most of the remote rural have. helping with supplies to poor family, that the kids can go to school. recruit volunteers to help as a teachers ( like exchange students). when it comes to management and the teachers' salary, that will be the government's work. the project will be like a give a hand and to the chosen location by the donors.
the project will be like a give a hand and to the chosen location by the donors.
my2cent
I see. In that case there is a chance it will work.... Its feasible!
You may also consider organizing a book drive to solicit books to donate to existing schools as well. It could be text books or even storybooks for the young minds.
when it comes to management and the teachers' salary, that will be the government's work
Dell has raised very good points. Many foreigners & NGOs have built schools in Laos. The problem is lack of Lao government funding for maintaining & equipping what has been built, so all the good work eventually falls apart, unless fresh funding comes in from foreign sources again.
As far as a I know, the Lao Ministry of Education provides funds only for teachers' salaries, nothing else. Zero funding for books, stationery, furniture, repairs, electricity, housing for teachers in rural villages, etc (why do so many schools collect extra fees from parents?). At many of the rural schools you'll see kids running off into the bushes or to the river to do their business, cos the school has no toilets, or there are only 2-3 toilets shared by a few hundred students & teachers.
when it comes to management and the teachers' salary, that will be the government's work
Dell has raised very good points. Many foreigners & NGOs have built schools in Laos. The problem is lack of Lao government funding for maintaining & equipping what has been built, so all the good work eventually falls apart, unless fresh funding comes in from foreign sources again.
As far as a I know, the Lao Ministry of Education provides funds only for teachers' salaries, nothing else. Zero funding for books, stationery, furniture, repairs, electricity, housing for teachers in rural villages, etc (why do so many schools collect extra fees from parents?). At many of the rural schools you'll see kids running off into the bushes or to the river to do their business, cos the school has no toilets, or there are only 2-3 toilets shared by a few hundred students & teachers.
Well, we all know now how much those kids need ....something good must start....regardless of how big the problems and troubles ....
