I’m back from my travel, and looking forward to sharing stories and photos–from the jungles of Luang Prabang, to the kingdom of Angkor, and beyond–very soon.
But in the meantime, I’d like to announce an exciting project that my friend and coworker Alex and I have been planning for the past few weeks. On August 6th, we’ll be hosting a Trivia Night at Vientiane College to benefit the local organization Big Brother Mouse. Alex and I first became acquainted with the organization on trips to the northern city of Luang Prabang, where it is based. Big Brother Mouse describes itself as a “literacy project.” In rural villages all over the country, people have very little access to books, and, as a result, children often do not develop an interest in reading, nor do they develop the skills to become proficient readers. Big Brother Mouse finds local writers and artists to publish simple, bilingual (Lao-English) books that can then be distributed in villages, as well as some international literature and creative Lao-only children’s books.
Poster design by A. Godfrey, 2011.
Trivia nights are quite popular within the ex-pat community here in Vientiane, and past events have been quite successful in raising money for local charities (as well as lots of fun, to which I can personally attest). Our goal is to raise $2000 to publish a new book and sponsor a book party and mini-library in a rural village.
We promise our event to be a little different, and have some excellent questions and prizes in store for everyone who comes. If you’re in Vientiane, please register! If not, you can still help out as well. Check out the Trivia Night page to read more about our inspiration for the event, or to click to donate. Every dollar will get us closer to our goal.
Stay tuned for news from my travels as well as trivia night updates as the event quickly approaches!