Thinkeo Village is located about 40 minutes south of Luang Prabang along the Mekong River. They have a secondary school in addition to a primary school.
We had an unusual request from the Thinkeo village leaders. They were very familiar with Give Children A Choice’s preschools and their mission to build and fill preschools with children. They knew our preschools were “best in classâ€. They knew that primary school support was not part of our mission.
They were creative. They did not ask for a school. They asked Give Children A Choice for funds for materials to expand their primary school. “Provide us the materials and we will build the school.” We turned them down. We then visited their overcrowded classrooms and changed our minds. We provided funds for materials and funds to hire a builder. The villagers did the work. The builder did oversee the villagers work to ensure the construction met the minimal constructions codes and standards. They built a three-room extension to their primary school.
Funds for building materials were provided to build three classrooms with the support from Barbara and Dori Shimoda and friends of Give Children A Choice.