Published 9th March 2020
Extraordinary tales from ordinary folks. These are the stories of hope, community spirit and change in Laos.
Monk Somkiet Siyargionsar Obee, 22
“I became friends with this lady from Finland. She came to Laos to learn Buddhism for three months. When she left, she donated 2.5 million kip to me. I was confused and I asked her why she gave me money because I did not need it.
She told me, ‘Do whatever you want to do with it, but let’s keep helping each other.’
At that time, I did not know what to do with the money. It all changed in 2015 when I went on a trip to a village in Oudamxay Province. On my journey there, I passed through many different villages. There were villages with different cultures, different ethnic groups, different beliefs. But some things stayed the same. Many kids there did not go to school.
‘Why did you not send your kids to school?’ I asked their parents. They simply said that their children would still be able to get by working in the village farm for the rest of their lives.Even if they wanted to send their kids to school, they did not have enough money to pay for school fees and materials. They felt like there was a very low likelihood that education could change their lives.
These kids are my people. Seeing them reminded me of my past. I came from a very poor family, but I received a scholarship when I was in high school and it changed my life.
So, I started ‘Keep Helping Each Other’ with the 2.5 million kip. We sent five kids from the village to school. We let inspiration spread through word of mouth. Kids always talk. At night, they would share their stories with their friends around the fire. They say things like ‘My teacher, she was so beautiful’ or ‘I need to do my homework now.’ Many parents started to contact me because now, their kids wanted to go to school.
Lao people don’t have to wait for smart people from foreign countries to come and inspire them. I think Lao people can also inspire. My dream is to bring Lao people to inspire Lao people.”
At only 22 years old, Monk Obee is the founder of Keep Helping Each Other (KHEO).
KHEO is a small charity volunteer organisation that delivers school supplies, sports equipment, and other materials to schools in the Northern countryside of Laos. As a local organisation with better access to rural villages, KHEO tries to reach out to the very outskirts of Laos many others are unable to.
KHEO now helps more than 1,600 children receive education.
Neng Xai Vue, 19, student and restaurant waiter
“Luang Prabang is not my hometown. I came here to study at the university. Although I passed the entrance exam, my parents didn’t have enough money to support my studies, so now I’m working in a restaurant to earn money for myself.
In the mornings, I come to Big Brother Mouse (BBM) to improve my English. In the evenings, I work at the restaurant to pay for my rent and school.
My parents did not support me studying English at first, because they feel that as Hmong farmers, communicating in Lao is good enough. In my hometown, when I speak English, people stop me and say, ‘You are not a foreigner, so speak Hmong’. But later on, my parents became very happy for me. They realised that if I study English in the big city, I can do more things and earn money for myself and for them.
Coming here was difficult. Luang Prabang is very different from my village. It is very modern with beautiful houses, but it is very crowded and noisy. Sometimes I get lonely. I didn’t have any friends and I didn’t have a motorbike or bicycle to travel around. I lived alone in a small room I rented.
When I started coming to BBM, I made a lot of friends. I live in a dormitory now. It is a small room but I get to live with my friends, and I love them. We help each other.
English is a key to many opportunities. If you can speak English, you can travel around the world easily. When I was younger I didn’t know how to think like that, but now I want to change my life.”
Neng Xai Vue, 19, was the first to come to Luang Prabang from his village in the northeast of Laos, in search of further education in English.
Travelling from his village to Luang Prabang involves an arduous 24 hour bus journey. Although homesick, he plans to only travel back home once a year.
In the future, Xai Vue aspires to be an English teacher in his village, educating everyone on its importance.
Thongdeun, 82, village shaman
“People don’t always respect shamans because sometimes we advise the sick not to go to clinics, and they die. The villagers will not trust us anymore. Since eight years ago, fewer people come to me because they would rather go to hospitals and clinics. But I’m not worried about that because I’ve been a shaman for a long time. When their problems won’t subside, despite going to the clinic, they’ll come back to me.
It’s not easy to stop being a shaman. We have a spirit that stays within our bodies. We don’t quit the right way, we might pass away. If I wanted to quit, I would have to go see someone. So I will be a shaman in the village until my life ends. But I’m happy. I want to be a shaman until the day I die.”
Mr Thongdeun, 82, has been the village shaman of Ban Houehing Village, Oudomxay Province since 1988.
As a shaman, he is believed to have the ability to influence the spiritual realm. As such, he holds great responsibility of banishing harmful spirits and maintaining the wellbeing of the villagers. When people come to him for spiritual healing, he will first pray to certain objects - four cigarettes, the bark of a tree, or even bitter leaves. Afterwards, with a red cloth over his shoulder, he proceeds to the person’s home to pray for them.
Siphanda Netginda, 49, tuktuk driver
“My parents were farmers and we were very poor. When they passed away 30 years ago, I moved from Pong Kam village to Luang Prabang. But since I graduated from school, I couldn’t find a job. So I worked as a farmer, but couldn’t earn enough to support my family. So I just decided to drive tuk tuk for a few years. Since then, things have become better for me.
I am happy because right now, the money I earn from driving a tuk tuk is enough to support my family, and also send my kids to school. Actually, my oldest daughter has graduated from university and is teaching Chinese now. My youngest is studying in secondary school. I am very proud to be a tuk tuk driver and that I have enough money to let them have a good life.
But compared to the past, now there are a lot more tourists but there are also many more tuktuks. So there are fewer people taking my tuktuk. I am not sure about the future. I am getting more worried for myself and my family.”
Mr Siphanda Netginda, 49, has been a tuk tuk driver in Luang Prabang for the past decade, driving locals and tourists alike around the city, rain or shine.
However, the surge of tuktuks in Luang Prabang raises questions about the longevity of his job.
Boon Thong Xaigavong, 36, senior teacher
“We met in 2004 when I was a novice monk. I had just gotten back from the alms giving ceremony when an old man passed by the temple. I greeted him but he just walked past. I thought he was arrogant for ignoring me when I just wanted to practice English with him.
But then, he came back. He said, ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t hear’. His name was Alan and he came from England. He had just arrived in Luang Prabang and had to rush off for an appointment but he promised he would come back tomorrow at 8.30 am.
I thought maybe he was lying. But the next day, at 8.30 am, he was at my temple. I couldn’t believe it. He gave me his email and said that we could keep in contact and he would help me with my English. That was how Alan and I became friends. When we have problems, we just contact each other. Now we speak like family.
Alan is about 84 years old. I asked if I could see him as a step dad. Surprised, he asked, ‘How am I supposed to be your stepfather?’ I told him, ‘We are like father and son, so when you come to Laos, I will take care of you and love you.’ So, he came and stayed in Laos for four years. At that time, I got married and he calls my wife his daughter in law.
Alan said that if I could pass the university test, he would sponsor my education. So I did. After I graduated, Alan asked me to join his organisation, Lao Educational Opportunities Trust (LEOT), and teach there as staff of the school. It was my dream to be an English teacher.
If I didn’t meet him, I would have stayed in the temple as a monk all my life. I wouldn’t know anything else. He opened up my eyes. So whenever people ask me for my inspiration in life, I will say Alan.”
Boon Thong Xaigavong, 36, is a senior teacher at the Lao Educational Opportunities Trust (LEOT) school, of which Alan Shiel is the founder.
Thanks to the friendship he shares with Alan, he has been inspiring teenagers in the school since 2011. Boon Thong has come to view the staff and director as his own family. He hopes to continue working at LEOT for the rest of his life, aiming to help poor students from the countryside by sharing the knowledge he himself gained through his efforts and luck. ∎
Wee Kim Wee School