Facemask Big Bike Tours™ – Charity for school in Laos

CHARITY
Profit from these sales will be given to Charity for Houyhit School in Laos (Pakmong)
Shipping costs included (worldwide)

Give the lifelong gift of education to rural children in Laos

Lack of learning materials and libraries in rural schools of Laos are roadblocks to deliver quality primary education. Our recent road trip to visit some schools on the outskirts of the world heritage city of Luang Prabang found that many remote schools do not have library facilities for their children.

Children at Houyhit school enjoy dance performances.

Houyhit, one of many schools in northern Laos, has not had a library since the school was set up in 2002. Like other thousands of rural children, the children at the school have limited opportunities to read in their daily lives. Houyhit primary school is located in Houyhit village, Nam Bak district, Luang Prabang province. Name Bak, one of the districts in Luang Prabang province that was heavily bombed by US aircraft in the year 1967-1968.

Houyhit school features five rooms (1-5 classes) with only 3 teachers, according to Mr. Buavan, the principal of the Houyhit primary school. He said that there are 83 pupils at his school but they have never had a chance to access reading books due to insufficient textbooks and reading materials.

At Houyhit school, we observed most of the pupils enjoy their regular activities at the school ground during their breaks such as rubber band jump, hopscotch, hide and seek while boys enjoy playing football with an old ball. When the children are in classrooms they have to follow a strict textbook curriculum. After school, they rush to go home to help their family. There are no school hours and after-school programs for reading books offers.

“As you see it is normal daily activities at the school. Reading is not common practice amongst the children in the countryside because they don’t have a reading room,” says Mr. Buavan.

Today literacy in Laos is on the rise while many rural schools lack funds to building better learning environments for their kids “Literacy doesn’t help if there’s nothing to read,” he said. Providing library room to rural needy primary school will play a crucial role in promoting basic education in rural remote areas. “The children are eager to read and it will create a love of reading among our children. If children don’t like to read, they won’t develop a habit of reading,” he said.

Without a library you would not have many books to read, Mr. Buavan said, adding that the school library is a fun place to look for many different kinds of books.

View of Houyhit School

“If there is a library at our school our kids will have many kinds of opportunities to read and learn about many things,” he said. Unfortunately, the school still lacked funding to build a reading room. To make this a reality, the further fund is being sought. “I hope one day there will be a kind man coming to help our school,” he said.

According to Mr. Buavan, it has been estimated that the school needs US$4,000 – US$5,000 to build a 5m x 7m reading room. “If the fund is not a lot, however, people of our village can volunteer their time to do the construction to cut down the cost,” he said. Mr. Buavan believed that improvement for the educational environment, especially the children’s reading environment, is to enhance their ability to express thoughts and ideas and enable them to choose their own path in life.

Laos is one of the poorest and least developed in the world. More than three-quarters of the total population lives in rural areas and depends on agriculture and natural resources for survival. In many remote villages in Laos, there are no books. Even in the school, if there is a school there are usually no textbooks or reading books, according to an education expert from the department of Nam Bak district education.

Facemask Big Bike Tours™ – Charity for school in Laos

The Big Bike Tours facemask is a reusable air mask that protects against air pollution, smog, pollen, allergens, and bacteria. Made with a lightweight airy 3D air mesh material and elastic earloops, this facemask provides a great balance between solid protection and lightweight comfort and a timeless design by Big Bike Tours for everyday use.

Shipping
The expected time of delivery will be 14-21 business days depending on your location.

Returns & exchanges
We offer free returns and exchanges within 30 days after delivery for unopened packages

Package content
Reusable and washable Big Bike Tours facemask