Hospital and Secondary School Updates, Bears and More Water Filters
Luang Prabang District hospital phase 2 has yet to be started due to some unforseen delays. We are hoping to get it started within a week or I will have to postpone until next season. With only 6 weeks to go before my departure it isn’t a lot of time to replace the hospital roof and tile the floors. I did take our directors and guests to see the hospital though. Please note that all photos were provided by Karen Longwell.
Linda inspects the hospital ward to be tiled once the roof is done. It is a bit hard to see but there are many holes in the roof, some of them just pin holes at this point. The wood inside is also rotting.
It is always great to see the filter in use.
Hugh and Linda weren’t exactly impressed but it is still better than the villages where there isn’t even water.
We tiled this floor last year and ran water into the room (into the hospital too for that matter). Linda inspects the baby weight scale
The reception area is also destined for tiling the floor.
Life with our good friends wasn’t always work and inspections though. We did manage to make it to Kuangsi Water Falls park for an afternoon and enjoyed the bear reserve.
Does it look like someone you know?
Taking a snooze in a bear hammock.
Back to Work. On our way back from Hat Kham School opening and the distribution of water filters for the village of Sup Khong, we distributed another 25 water filters (to cover only about 20% of the village). These are the very poorest of the villagers – they get their water from a contaminated pond. I wish we could have done more but we had to try to get to the most desperate. We need over 450 more water filters to finish off this village and two others.
Thanks to our wonderful volunteers it took us about 20 minutes to get ready
Just about ready to go
Class is now in session
I put sparkles in his hand and I was surprised how quickly they spread to others – great demo for training on the spread of bacteria.
Yep, it worked well – before we left I am sure 60% of these villagers had sparkles everywhere!
Was it something I said?
I love this pic. We had just enough toys left too.
Nyim Nyim (Smile for the camera). Villagers show their appreciation.
Next was Nam Khan Village – we were only able to distribute 10 water filters – our last ones. Still, they were so appreciative and we will be back with many more – If I remember correctly, this village has roughly 185 families so 10 didn’t go very far.
Watching the Show
Villagers inspect the sparkles that were just dropped in their hands.
Siphan is the apprentice trainer today
Now it is there turn. I picked out someone in the audience that was trying to avoid eye contact! She answered the skill testing question with flair…and got her sport shirt, thanks to G. Facey in Port Hope.
Coconut Refreshments for us.
Karen – you did it again – what a wonderful shot.
3rd Baci in three days! We felt bad because qw couldn’t make it in time for their Khmu New Year celebrations the day before. They were still appreciative though.
Baci continues with the string ceremony
How enticing don’t you think?
We managed to get Nong Boakham Secondary School Phase 2 going about a month ago and went for an inspection just a couple of weeks ago. I will be heading back in a couple of days for a further inspection.
The kids had been asking for a soccer field and since I had the big equipment there to level the ground for the school addition, I couldn’t say no – the field used to look like the landscape you see in the distance.
This will be a two room addition. Next year we will add a staff room and library…we hope
While the construction was going on the students were just finishing their mid term exams.
This is a temporary classroom (two grades) until we finish construction – located right in front of the construction zone! Noisy or what?
Students are heading to the front of the classroom with their finished exam papers
The village is still struggling to fix their water supply. Meanwhile, after class the students have to go down to the Mekong river to bring back water to fill up the construction trough for the manufacture of cement….yes, the villagers have skin in the game.
Thanks you Karen Longwell for the amazing photos!