Where There Was Once No School

Porlai is six years old and is now able to start elementary school.

Her father's name is Kha and her mother is Xong. They are ethnic Hmong and their village in Laos never had an elementary school until now.

Thanks to supporters of World Renew and Tear Australia, and with the support of the government of Laos, it is possible for hundreds of young boys and girls like Porlai to experience the gift of education.

Working with Porlai’s mom and dad and other villagers, World Renew got their school built.

“On the day I was privileged to visit, Zambee Phonlavong, part of World Renew’s education support team, was working with the government-paid teacher to assess the children’s language ability in the Lao-lum language,” said Tom Post, currently the team leader for World Renew in Asia, focusing on Bangladesh, India, Laos, Cambodia, Philippines and Indonesia.

“Lao-lum is the majority culture language, but the children don’t know it when they start school,” said Post.  “Zambee supports the teachers to manage multiple grades and mother-tongue classes.”

For him, Post said, “seeing the children at their rustic desks, and watching Zambee work with the teacher was a gift.”

The way Porlai and two young boys bent their heads together over the paper on their desk brought back the memory of his own son, Joseph, in Mary Hill Primary school back in Belize, sharing a desk with a mestizo Belizean and an African Belizean.

“Joseph was always on the left side of the three-kid bench so his writing hand could work freely,” said Post.

The sight of Porlai and those young boys also resonated. reminding him of his grandmother’s history of being a monolingual Dutch immigrant child in a one-room schoolhouse in Fife Lake, Mich.

“And, I think the scene moved me because of the odds Porlai and her people face. Yet there they are: valuing the gift of education, persisting in the rustic conditions, and working through their language barriers. That scene helped renew in me the meaning of our work.”