Happiness is contagious - no one can stop its expansion :)
Don Khon, a small island where it all started, is situated in the extreme south of Laos. During the rainy season this section of the Mekong fills out to a breadth of 14 km, the river’s widest reach along its 4350 km journey from the Tibetan Plateau to the South China Sea. During the dry months, the river recedes and breaks down into a myriad of arms and channels, which surround countless islands and islets. The region is called "Si Phan Don", which in Lao means "4000 islands". The largest of the permanent islands are inhabited and on each of them there is a school…
Good news spread quickly. When chiefs of other islands got to know that the project expanded beyond Don Khon, that the school in Don Som also was equipped with a bathroom, I got a call. This time it was a director from the school on Don Een, just next to Don Khon and Don Som. I have never been there. I remember the boat passing next to numerous small islands, but it is not always easy to know whether they are inhabited. Sang sent me a hand made map and couple of pictures of the school and the kids asking for help.
There situation is the same as in the previous cases: there is no electricity, no fans, no bathroom. So now drawing on the experience, I would love to allow them as well to build a bathroom with a toilet, a sink and running water. And if funds permit, to bring also electricity and install a ventilation system in the school. As before, the estimated cost of the project is 2200€. Every singly euro will add up. There is still some money left and I hope that the summer charity sale in the end of June will allow me to send the initial batch of funds so that the works can start soon. Let's help the school in Don Een, let's make the kids happy splashing the running water and washing their hands. On top, it saves lives!
Good news spread quickly. When chiefs of other islands got to know that the project expanded beyond Don Khon, that the school in Don Som also was equipped with a bathroom, I got a call. This time it was a director from the school on Don Een, just next to Don Khon and Don Som. I have never been there. I remember the boat passing next to numerous small islands, but it is not always easy to know whether they are inhabited. Sang sent me a hand made map and couple of pictures of the school and the kids asking for help.
There situation is the same as in the previous cases: there is no electricity, no fans, no bathroom. So now drawing on the experience, I would love to allow them as well to build a bathroom with a toilet, a sink and running water. And if funds permit, to bring also electricity and install a ventilation system in the school. As before, the estimated cost of the project is 2200€. Every singly euro will add up. There is still some money left and I hope that the summer charity sale in the end of June will allow me to send the initial batch of funds so that the works can start soon. Let's help the school in Don Een, let's make the kids happy splashing the running water and washing their hands. On top, it saves lives!
Happiness is contagious and unstoppable, in particular where the needs are endless and hearts open to receive help.
The Summer Charity Sale event organised on 26 June 2015 was again a huge success. All thanks to the wonderful EU colleagues and friends, who participated in so many ways: the most amazing director – Belinda – for the continuous, irreplaceable leadership and support, the drinks and the glasses; the colleagues who donated tones of books, DVDs and CDs for sale, the ladies who prepared excellent food for lunch; the "staff" at the bar, food and book sales; my sister who created the movies and prepared an explanatory map of the region to show what has already been done and what I am planning to do next; the nail bar girls and last but not least to all who came and participated in different activities! We managed to collect a lot of money with the aim to bring electricity, water as well as to construct bathrooms in tiny Lao schools scattered across the islands on the Mekong River – the first one on Don Een.
It is the prime example of connecting different realities into one united World! Nobody chooses the place to be born… and that determines so much. Life in super developed West cannot be compared to the one in the Least Developed Countries but once connected they are the same… problems may seem different but they bring similar concerns, worries and tears and happiness is just the same state of euphoric freedom. Bringing those who find happiness in helping and those who are so happy to be helped is a “win-win” situation, which unfortunately is extremely rare in the competitive modern reality, but which can be so simply defined as guaranteeing a favourable outcome for everyone involved - an outcome where everyone comes away happy…
And so after the Summer Charity Sale , I didn’t wait to head to Laos, but decided to send immediately the funds raised. In Lao currency the amount looked even more impressive: few signatures on the Western Union form and 19 000 000 kip reached Mr Vong in Pakse. Sang travelled again 140 km up north to pick it up, buy materials and start the construction. My dream was to organize the works over the summer so that when the kids come back to school in September, they can discover the newly build bathroom… and as often throughout this project – the dreams come true…. the construction is advancing well and if all goes as planned, the new bathroom should be finished before the new school year starts!
It is the prime example of connecting different realities into one united World! Nobody chooses the place to be born… and that determines so much. Life in super developed West cannot be compared to the one in the Least Developed Countries but once connected they are the same… problems may seem different but they bring similar concerns, worries and tears and happiness is just the same state of euphoric freedom. Bringing those who find happiness in helping and those who are so happy to be helped is a “win-win” situation, which unfortunately is extremely rare in the competitive modern reality, but which can be so simply defined as guaranteeing a favourable outcome for everyone involved - an outcome where everyone comes away happy…
And so after the Summer Charity Sale , I didn’t wait to head to Laos, but decided to send immediately the funds raised. In Lao currency the amount looked even more impressive: few signatures on the Western Union form and 19 000 000 kip reached Mr Vong in Pakse. Sang travelled again 140 km up north to pick it up, buy materials and start the construction. My dream was to organize the works over the summer so that when the kids come back to school in September, they can discover the newly build bathroom… and as often throughout this project – the dreams come true…. the construction is advancing well and if all goes as planned, the new bathroom should be finished before the new school year starts!
The first day of school in Don Een, 1 September 2015
For many around the world the first day of school is exciting but also terrifying. In Laos access to education is a real privilege. In particular in the poorest South many children do not go to school, simply because there is no school nearby, there are not enough classrooms, not enough teachers or their parents cannot afford to let the kids study while they are needed to help in the fields or catching fish. Moreover, lack of basic infrastructure such as clean bathroom is often reason for village children to be absent from school and / or eventually drop out from school. Meanwhile education is a key to their future and therefore so incredibly important.
Having toilets and water is a basic necessity in schools, however until now it has not been available on a tiny island Don Een! This year however the first day of school for the kids in Don Een was special. Not only they could meet again the teacher and their friends, they also discovered a new bathroom built on the school courtyard! They were all happy and proudly posed for the pictures , which Sang took and sent me to Europe :)
I am extremely happy that only two months after the fund raising event we managed to build the bathroom before the new school year started. The feeling of having that immediate, direct impact on lives of the kids on the other side of the World is simply amazing! I hope that the new bathroom will create a better environment for learning, that children's regular attendance to school will improve, drop out rates - especially among girls - will fall and awareness of hygiene and sanitation will reduce illnesses due to water borne infections.
So I cannot stop the project, because until there are people supporting my efforts, we can continue saving these kids' lives and improving their future.
Having toilets and water is a basic necessity in schools, however until now it has not been available on a tiny island Don Een! This year however the first day of school for the kids in Don Een was special. Not only they could meet again the teacher and their friends, they also discovered a new bathroom built on the school courtyard! They were all happy and proudly posed for the pictures , which Sang took and sent me to Europe :)
I am extremely happy that only two months after the fund raising event we managed to build the bathroom before the new school year started. The feeling of having that immediate, direct impact on lives of the kids on the other side of the World is simply amazing! I hope that the new bathroom will create a better environment for learning, that children's regular attendance to school will improve, drop out rates - especially among girls - will fall and awareness of hygiene and sanitation will reduce illnesses due to water borne infections.
So I cannot stop the project, because until there are people supporting my efforts, we can continue saving these kids' lives and improving their future.
Bringing happiness to Don Sang :)
The inauguration of the bathroom in Don Een on the first day of a school year moved hearts in Brussels. Generous donations kept on flowing and made it possible to pass to the second phase of the plan, namely constructing a bathroom for a school in Don Sang. It is one of the most remote islands in that area. The trip from Don Khon to Don Sang takes more than an hour by boat.
I went to Don Sang during my last visit in Laos. There are no tourists, no shops, no roads; only small houses, a temple, dirt paths, vast rice fields and of course a school. Kids there were extremely shy and a bit scared of me as they have never seen a European person, but quickly fear turned into enthusiasm. They sang a song, I thaught them one as well and they simply conquered my heart so quickly that I knew I need to help this school as well.
At the time of my visit however there was no electricity on Don Sang. That makes works very difficult as well as precludes installing a pump to push up running water. Luckily the chief of the island made bringing electricity to Don Sang a priority and as far as I know light has now arrived, so the works can start as well.
Day after I notified Sang that I had sent money to Mr Vong, he went to Don Sang to bring good news and take pictures of the school; the kids and a spot chosen for a new bathroom. Then he travelled north to Pakse to pick up the money, which will allow bringing happiness to Don Sang :)
The works have already started bringing happiness not only to the inhabitants of Don Sang but also to me. This amazing feeling that reality can be improved even if it is far away in a place with one of the lowest income is like an antidote to a the feeling of being powerless and exhausted in a financial and wordlwide diplomacy center with allegedly one of highest quality of life of any city in the world.
I went to Don Sang during my last visit in Laos. There are no tourists, no shops, no roads; only small houses, a temple, dirt paths, vast rice fields and of course a school. Kids there were extremely shy and a bit scared of me as they have never seen a European person, but quickly fear turned into enthusiasm. They sang a song, I thaught them one as well and they simply conquered my heart so quickly that I knew I need to help this school as well.
At the time of my visit however there was no electricity on Don Sang. That makes works very difficult as well as precludes installing a pump to push up running water. Luckily the chief of the island made bringing electricity to Don Sang a priority and as far as I know light has now arrived, so the works can start as well.
Day after I notified Sang that I had sent money to Mr Vong, he went to Don Sang to bring good news and take pictures of the school; the kids and a spot chosen for a new bathroom. Then he travelled north to Pakse to pick up the money, which will allow bringing happiness to Don Sang :)
The works have already started bringing happiness not only to the inhabitants of Don Sang but also to me. This amazing feeling that reality can be improved even if it is far away in a place with one of the lowest income is like an antidote to a the feeling of being powerless and exhausted in a financial and wordlwide diplomacy center with allegedly one of highest quality of life of any city in the world.
Once again, a heart-warming event in Brussels brought so much happiness to the kids in Laos as well as it will save lives! Just because people around the World are alike, they work hard and sometimes some of them pray…