In April next year 19 HHS students will be heading to Laos to take part in an inspiring educational experience.  As well as learning about the culture of the country and visiting key sites, the group will also be spending three days in more remote Laos where they will be helping to renovate a primary school.  A three-day visit to the Elephant Conservation Centre in Sayaboury is also going to be a highlight of the trip for many of the group. The ECC has recently been voted in the top five best places in the world to view elephants in the wild so it is sure to be a once in a lifetime experience for the students.

The school project will be taking place in a small town based on the Nam Ou River called Nong Khiaw. The primary school there offers education to over 160 of the local children and, although the buildings themselves are sound, they do need some TLC!  In addition to the work of repairing and painting, the team has been asked if they can paint a mural on the outside of the main building. The mural will focus on the environment and help to raise awareness of the harm that plastics can cause to native fauna and river ecology. 

During their time in Laos our students will also be supporting English conversation practice for students both in Nong Khiaw and also through the Big Brother Mouse (BBM) program in Luang Prabang.  BBM does a fantastic job promoting reading, publishing dual language fiction and non-fiction picture texts and also connecting native English speakers with young locals who wish to learn the language. Luang Prabang is a tourist hub in Laos and the ability to speak English is highly prized to secure employment in the hospitality and tourism industries.

Fundraising is currently in full swing for the participating students.  Last week Homelands Property, one of our major sponsors, ran Steve’s Car Show with all profits being donated to the Laos Project.  The students were involved in helping to promote the event as well as running the Show on the day. A huge thanks also to all the parents who came along to help, as well as the Hospitality students who gave up their time to support the team with their barista skills.

Speaking of sponsors – the response to the project has been fantastic and so far, along with Homelands Property, we have Bendigo Bank, Bulk Nutrients and Mitchell Plastic Welding on board as major sponsors. A huge thanks to all those businesses for their help in making this project happen!