Report from BHW Laos Partnership Facilitator

The partnership facilitator visited Lao Vida for four days in mid-September 2019. 

Recent Events

Flood

Typically at this time of the year the Lao Vida team would be three weeks into the start of a new school year. Unfortunately after just two days of term there was a massive flood that caused widespread damage over much of Pakse – the result of some dams upriver being emptied. It was 1978 the last time that the river was that high. Thankfully the team were able to move much of the equipment in the bakery, school and offices upstairs or onto tables, so despite the water being over a metre deep in the café and through the school, there were no major equipment losses.  The team spent several days bailing water and cleaning up. The flood line shows clearly on the newly painted wall downstairs. Thankfully with the help of staff and students the school was quickly back to normal, but it has meant a rather disrupted beginning of the school year, with the ‘usual’ rhythm taking a bit longer to achieve this time around.   

Language School

The Language School continues to thrive with almost 200 students coming in during week nights. Most of the staff and all the vocational students attend one of these classes as well. 

At the end of 2018, BHW provided funds for three Lao staff to attend TESOL training in Bangkok. This was to increase their skill and confidence in teaching English, and reduce dependency on short term volunteer English teachers coming to Lao Vida from outside Laos. Although there are always a number of wonderful volunteer teachers, most stay between 6 months to a year, and this means that sometimes they are short staffed. The training was fairly intense for the three Lao staff as most others in their class spoke English as their first language, but Miss T, Miss S and Mr D all coped really well and felt they learnt a lot. At the beginning of the year with some support for the preparation of lessons, they all began teaching English at Lao Vida four nights a week. They also continue to study English. As this term is the start of a new school year Miss T is busy with financial and office matters and not teaching this term, but she taught English in the previous two terms and will continue to teach in the future.  

I was able to sit in on a number of lessons taught by Miss S and Mr D and was impressed by the standard of their teaching. The lessons are interactive, fun and engaging. As schooling here typically operates by rote learning, it was great to see the Lao staff teaching so confidently and utilising the techniques they have been taught (and also seen modelled here at Lao Vida by expat teachers).  

Vocational Training

There are six bakery apprentices who will complete their training next year and finish after summer school in August. The teaching of the bakery program is now shared between three graduate bakers who each work to their strengths. Mr J who is the Bakery Manager teaches some of the practical aspects of the course and was teaching pastry making at the time of my visit. Mr K teaches ingredient theory and production theory and Mr T teaches cake making and cake decoration. 

Two of the housekeeping girls will be finished in December and the three new girls who have only just started have a year and a half to go. The girls are taught cooking and purchasing at the market by Miss J and cleaning by Miss N. All the vocational students also study English, computer skills and money management, as well as personal development. 

Summer School

Over July and August Lao Vida ran its biggest ever summer school with over 100 student attending. As they were expecting about 70 this certainly added to the excitement! All attendees are accommodated and fed by Lao Vida over this summer period so it is a huge amount of work. A number of teams came from outside to assist with the programme. It was very successful.

Café and Bakery

The café continues to supply great coffee and a variety of cabinet and menu food, from cooked breakfasts to soups, sandwiches, pastries and pies. Tea, frappes and fresh juice are also available. The café is open from 6.30 am until after English classes in the evening, closing around 7 pm. Miss BG manages the café and is assisted by Mr N, Mr A, Miss P and others as required. A number of expats who work locally visit the café on a regular basis and also a number of tourists. It is always busy in the high season which begins mid-October and goes through until April. 

New Development

Lao Vida recently acquired the lease for a large property on the river that is just a few minutes walk from the main Lao Vida site. One section has already been renovated for use as accommodation for a long-term foreign volunteer and further work is underway. The long-term plan is to develop the site as a guest house and restaurant. The government is currently in the beginning stages of developing a walkway that will pass directly in front of the property, so the location is not only picturesque but has good potential to attract customers for the restaurant and accommodation.

The main purpose of this development is to further employment and training opportunities for Lao Vida staff and graduates. It is hoped also that profits will also help to fund aspects of training and skill development that Lao Vida is not currently able to offer students. 

Personal Stories

Miss S is a delight to spend time with. Soft spoken, kind and capable, it is wonderful to see how much she has grown since I first met her a number of years ago. She is now 25 and has spent the last five years at Lao Vida. She came from Kilometer 23 village (not far from Pakse) and initially did the housekeeping course before coming on staff at Lao Vida. At the end of 2018, Miss S was one of three LV staff who were sent for TESOL training in Bangkok. She shared that although it was difficult and a little scary to begin with she is now confident preparing lessons and enjoys teaching the students. It was a joy to watch Miss S teaching.

Mr I is a 25 year old bakery apprentice from Attapeu province. He heard about Lao Vida from the local pastor and decided to come and study here. He was interested in learning more about the bakery process and also in having the opportunity to learn English. However his main motivation was to grow and he knew that Lao Vida was a good place to do this. He hopes to stay on at Lao Vida as a staff member after he finishes his course but is content to trust that his feet will be guided onto the right path when the time comes.  

Comments

Lao Vida continues to grow and develop in exciting ways. It is a joy to spend time with the staff and students and see how far they have come since my last visit two years ago. It is particularly impressive to see the way a number of the significant vocational training teaching roles and some managerial and mentoring roles are being taken on by the longer term Lao staff. Many of the students coming into the vocational training programs need literacy training when they first arrive and so typically would not be able to access apprenticeship level programs. To have the opportunity to then progress beyond this into teaching and training others is a real gift. That so many of them are capable of doing this is testament to the time and mentoring that is provided by the dedicated Lao Vida team.