I have been reading about Big Brother Mouse on another thread. and also via their web site I am interested in the idea of taking books to the villages....They call it a "book party". I wonder if anyone would be able to offer an opinion this sort of activity.

All I know is that censorship, or the need to have books approved by the government before printing, is quite strict. So if you bring books from abroad for distribution then I would thoroughly research about it before hand.

Here's a link to a site which contain some information on book publishing and other stuff. I don't know how accurate the information is but you'll get an idea of the situation there:http://www.culturalprofiles.net/laos...file/-975.html

Well you already have my view. I consider that the kids would get a lot more out of books specifically written to promote literacy. These you can pick up at the market.
I have no idea what Hanuman's post has to do with anything as you would not be bringing books from abroad.

Westerners with large personal libraries or access to books in western countries often hear appeals to the effect that people in developing nations need books, any books, that they hunger for books in English, etc. Live42day's thread shows the sad results of well-meaning efforts to respond to such an appeal. Her own classroom experience in Luang Prabang may also say something about how useless are some of those books that may have been "specifically written to promote literacy."
Hanuman's contribution here gives some background, especially the useful link to the state of publishing in Laos.
This thread is your chance, Vientianeboy, to set out your own views, and to give some positive direction around the issue of how best to get books to children in Laos.

Thanks for your replies everyone..It is all interesting to me. I had started thinking of the absurdity of the overabundance of everything where I live and the possibility of re distributing some of the basic books..it looks like that won't work...It's also interesting VB that you talk about books specifically related to literacy. I was remembering that when I learnt to read we all had one picture storybook about a family, their dog and cat. We read it over and over.

You have a number of problems in Lao. There are different types of schools - fee paying, usually owned by a Lao, but often staffed by Filipinos or expats. (Vientiane International School is an exception - run by expats primarily for expats.) Then you have Lao schools in bigger towns and then you have rural schools. In the latter two categories, hardly any teachers are fluent in English, even though English is taught in some schools.
What does this mean in terms of providing books? Books such as provided by BBM look great but are of little value in the schools in which they are needed most because they will not be used. They will be looked at while the donor is there and then put away.
Books which have both English and Lao translations are more likely to be used, as are books which teach literacy eg pictures of animals with the English words. They don't need to be glossy.
What do these schools need? Colouring pencils, textas, staplers, stationery - basically the things you take for granted in the west, but are expensive for students here. You really want to help? Bring those.

Thanks so much Vientianeboy. This is very helpful to me. You say that english is taught in some schools. Is english in fact the second language in Laos? Is there one common language used in rural schools? What about Chinese? Is there a literacy program in Chinese? Also are slates and chalk used to any extent?

I am also trying to understand the situation here. Are the school supplies more expensive in Laos than in the USA? Should I bring from here USA(which is very difficult if i don't fly to Laos directly) or should I buy from Laos and bring to the schools (which schools?)or should I just give the money to the schools and hope for the best? In another word, what is the best way to give so the students can get the most milage out of my money and my effort?

Lao has over 30 ethnic languages. The Govt has standardised the Lao language, Pasaa Lao, and that is the official language. French or Russian used to be taught is some of the bigger High Schools in Vientiane and LP but now there is a push to English as the Govt realises that English is the business Lingua Franca. The problem is that even most English teachers do not speak the language well, though their knowledge of grammar is excellent.
Chinese and Vietnamese are foreign languages here, but some savvy students at universities are learning these as there is trade and commerce with those countries. Also a lot of Lao students go to Vietnam to study.

Mohan, educational supplies are probably cheaper here than in the US, (they are certainly cheaper than in Australia). The problem is the schools do not have money to buy these. Never give money to the school! There is corruption here. Best would be to buy materials I mentioned above at the markets here and give them to the schools. If you have a guide, get him/her to organise a visit to a local school.
Yes, b_b, chalkboards are still used, slates are not.
Hope this helps.

To fill you in on a bit more. There are about 60 odd ethnic groups here, officially 32. Some do not speak Lao, but speak Hmong or Akha. Hmong has no written language. Folklore has it that the language was written n a parchment and give to the elders to preserve, but unfortunately buffalo ate the parchment so the written language was lost. If you drive 30km or so from Vientiane or 15km from LP you will find people who have never been to either of those two towns.
Rural teachers are very poorly paid; maybe $25.00 per month. Sometimes their pay is subsidised in rice or lodgings. Hence rural schools are poor and do not have many materials.

The avge income is abut $600 per annum. Having said that, there are some VERY rich Lao. The country is changing rapidly.

From the picture I am getting english is the unifying written language at this stage...and there is not much progress towards literacy in the villages so more resources are needed...but any written english material, as you see it, really needs to be supported by english speaking tutors...and although you suggest bi lingual lao/english materials they wouldn't be useful if the villagers don't speak lao... I guess to reach the ideal situation is a gradual process VB... moving on... I looked at the site...the language project.org...(this one might interest you, MOHAN)..and was impressed with the care they display with the selection of materials. I would be interested in your opinion of the project VB.

b-b,to clarify a few points of confusion:

those that don't speak Lao are the very remote hill tribes. The vast majority do speak Lao. Reading and writing is another matter.

Lao of course does have a written language - it is the Hmong language that only has spoken language, not written.

I don't know much about the project; I will look at their website but also try to find out something about it.

I wasn't going to comment on this because I don't want to belittle the contribution made by people and there is one current long thread about volunteering anyway, but in view of the way this thread has gone, I feel that I should.
A lot of volunteer work can actually be a waste of time, and in some cases does more damage than good. Why? Let me give you an example: not everyone is a qualified teacher or can teach, particularly when you are talking about ESL or EFL. Having someone come in and teach for a short time can cause expectations amongst local people that may be severely disappointed.
Further, some organisations are even charging volunteers to come. I know of some that make a tidy profit by doing this. I find this conduct reprehensible. Also some groups use the guise of volunteering or tuition to push their own religious views down the throats of local people. Again, this is disturbing - there are a number of such organisations that I know of in Lao.
For a full discussion on this read this thread on ThornTree if you are interested:

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntre...readID=1984601

I warn you, there are some controversial views expressed there.

Interesting, but back to the topic of books and literacy.
All I have learned to this point is that one should go to the market in Laos and buy books there specifically written to promote literacy. They need not be glossy, but it's better if they are in Lao and English with pictures. These books should be given to schools.
Is this all we need to know?

Well as far as learning english goes VB listening to a native speaker's pronunciation is valuable..I think any esl teacher would agree there is value in being exposed to fluent or native english speakers.so..I can't agree untrained volunteers are not useful for language learning......but I can believe local people find some of the volunteer activities disturb the local vibe..That's why I asked about the bbm "book parties" .I guess you have to way this up against the benefits ...I did think the language project was a good one because it is largely staffed by local people and seems to be flexible in its approach and invite new ideas ....have a look..

sorry that should be weigh...

p.s. I feel what you are really getting at is that it would be nice to see more emphasis on literacy in the Lao language...and that too much emphasis on english could undermine the local language...???...If this is how you feel you could express that view to the language project..I think it is really worth discussing...

Is this all we need to know?

What else do you want to know?

b_b
I have seen a lot of damage done by unqualified but well meaning people people. You need to be aware of teaching strategies, warmers, how to encourage slow learners, planning a lesson, etc etc. This stuff is not ad hoc, but is learned with years of experience.
What spelling policies does your syllabus have? Are you going to teach US or universal spelling, because you can't teach both for fear of confusing the students. What about pronunciation? You say 'aluminum', I use the universally used 'aluminium'.
Untrained volunteers are not useful. Did you read the thread I posted?

I should have qualified that last comment: Untrained volunteers are not useful as EFL teachers; (just as they would not be useful in a medical volunteering situation).

moving out of that circle...I did read the thread...and found it expressed many of my concerns about volunteering..After enquiring about a position recently I was told the "orphanage" closed for a few months each year and the children went home to their parents. I imagine in this case the term is innocently misused...but I'm sure that's not always the case..I feel this sort of corruption is inevitable until capable and well to do local people start to insist on better treatment for their vulnerable and poor..and guide well meaning volunteers in the right direction..away if necessary.

live42day has some great suggestions on her thread on what to bring for any travellers to Luang Prabang and how to distribute them...