Trivia Night for Lao Literacy Project

Remember these?

On August 6th, a total 0f 16 teams, composed of 80 foreigners living and working in Vientiane, descended on Vientiane College to take part in our trivia night fundraiser for Big Brother Mouse.  The eight rounds of trivia questions (designed by myself and Alex) tested their knowledge across a diverse range of subjects, ranging from “Wonders of the World,” to “Children’s Literature,” to “Religion,” among others.  Perhaps the most popular and unusual round was the “Five Senses,” in which participants guessed herbs by smelling them, identified musical instruments based on short audio clips, and attempted to distinguish Asian beers by taste.

Leading up to the event, we were incredibly busy with preparations: we made posters and plastered the city with them, wrote questions, solicited raffle prizes, and registered guests.  But in the end, all of the work we did was completely worth it–and honestly a lot of fun.  It was an opportunity to revisit favorite shops from the past year for donations, and to reach out to all of the contacts we have here in Vientiane in hopes of filling the house with guests.  But we certainly didn’t do it all alone–Vientiane College staff and administrators made it all possible by donating the space and manning the bar.  Our friend and coworker Sam played the part of the no-nonsense grading mistress, who helped us tabulate the results and select the winners.  Sasha, a co-founder and advisor of Big Brother Mouse, came down from Luang Prabang and was able to give a brief presentation to the attendees about all of the work they do.

And last, but certainly, certainly not least, the generosity of our friends and families who donated online, and our friends, coworkers, and fellow expats here in Vientiane who attended the event enabled it to be so incredibly successful.  So many businesses in Vientiane, many of them among our favorite shops generously donated prizes for the raffle, which generated a lot of money and excitement.

Full house at trivia night.

The event was a great success–between online donations from friends and family, entry ticket sales, raffle ticket sales, and drinks, we raised a total of $3255 for Big Brother Mouse, which far exceeded our goal of $2000.  Though this may not sound like a lot in the States, three thousand dollars goes far in Laos, especially for an organization like Big Brother Mouse.  We chose to sponsor the publication of two books: Dinosaurs! (those who know me well will appreciate my particular excitement in getting to sponsor a dino-related kids book) and Polar Bear Goes to Laos (Mi Khao Tiao Lao), which is a Lao-language nonsense rhyme book (think Dr. Seuss in Lao).  In addition, we are sponsoring two book parties in rural villages, where mini-libraries will be set up, and children will learn how to read books, play educational games, and receive their own book (for some, the first they’ve ever owned).
               
Since childhood, I’ve been an avid reader and creator of stories.  I can’t imagine growing up without a love of books, and without the creativity that reading instilled in me.  This experience is much less common for children here, something I’ve noticed even among my students, most of whom are very privileged in comparison to the children in the villages where the book parties will be held.  There is not a lot of exciting and interesting reading material available in Laos, and as a result many children don’t grow up seeing reading as something that can be entertaining.

There are so many organizations trying to help Laos, as a developing country.  Many of them are doing great work for the environment and sustainability, for healthcare, and so many other sectors, and without an extensive knowledge of the NGO world, I can’t really be the judge of who is doing the best job.  From a teacher’s perspective, and simply as a lover of reading, art, and all things creative, Big Brother Mouse, and other similar organizations, are particularly critical to development here because they are bringing literacy–and all of the subsequent doors reading can open, from language and thinking skills, to artistic inclinations, to greater knowledge about the world, to sheer pleasure–to the next generation.