Visiting another country can be more meaningful when we also help those facing challenges.
RIGHT. It will soon be that time of the year when classes are over and the kids are home for the end-of-year school holidays. It’s the time when many parents are trying to figure out ways that their children can be kept occupied until the school year starts again. This is also the time that many families will use to travel together.
And now that travel is on the table, how about using that travel time to do some good and help out those who are less fortunate than us? It can be done without breaking the bank, provided we plan things right.
This was what was shared with me by 27-year-old student Y.X. Feng, who successfully organised a visit to a school in Luang Prabang, Laos, to give stationery to the children of an underprivileged school.
I asked Feng why he chose Laos and not a Malaysian destination, and he admitted that it was because of the peaceful nature of Laos.
“This and the low-paced nature of Luang Prabang made our living and travel expenses affordable; as such it was the perfect choice for a short trip as a university student,” said Feng, who travelled to Luang Prabang with several undergraduate students.
He said the idea to help out came from his brother, who reminded him that human beings are kind by nature.
“I proposed the idea to the group and they agreed almost instantaneously. We bought 140 sets of stationery from Malaysia and we packed it into our check-in luggage. We also printed simple motivational words and icons on each bundle,” said Feng.
At this point, I was curious. I wanted to know how his expedition identified a school that needed such support.
“We did a search online to identify schools, figure out their infrastructure and facilities. We also noticed that most of the government-funded schools were also supported by non-governmental organisations from Britain, France and Germany and some have online donation channels open to the public. Ultimately, we decided on a school after arriving at Luang Prabang and speaking to locals like our hotel receptionist,” said Feng.
He explained that this was how they eventually helped the students of Ban Xiengkeo Primary School.
“It has about 100 students, and we could distribute the stationery easily in a single school. We also had to plan the cheapest means of transportation for all nine of us, and we were so lucky that our driver offered us a van at an affordable price after learning about our purpose,” said Feng, who also currently serves as the student adviser for the Compassion Relief Youth (Tzu Chi) Group at Universiti Teknologi Petronas, where he is currently doing his PhD.
Feng also explained how an online search works wonders when choosing a school to help.
“We tried to identify how many schools are near our hotel, and we looked for images of the school to see their infrastructure, facilities and to see who is sponsoring them,” said Feng.
At this point, I asked Feng about the challenges that had to be overcome by him and his team – and he said the main challenge was the language barrier.
“We found that even the teachers and administrators in the school found it difficult to communicate with us in English, but fortunately our driver was able to help us as an interpreter with simple translation, and our distribution went well. A simple, sincere smile can work wonders – and that’s how we were able to reach out to the students,” he said.
He shared some tips with me when I asked him how other Malaysians could replicate what he did or do similar acts of kindness.
“Explain your intention to the teachers and students patiently, and consider going to schools in the outskirts as they receive less attention compared to those in town.
Prepare yourself mentally and physically. The roads are muddy/bumpy and remember to bring sufficient drinking water, as access to clean water might be challenging. Bringing mosquito repellent is also a good idea,” he said.
Feng also relayed a suggestion from a teacher he met at the school.
“Sports equipment can also be considered. The teacher told us that the students would be happy to receive footballs,” he said, adding that those keen to help the community in Laos could check the “Keep Helping Each Other” Facebook page or contact a monk named Obee at kiedlpb@gmail.com for more information.
He shared with me that he and his travel buddies were also able to take in the sights and enjoy exploring Luang Prabang after helping the school – proving that good deeds and charity can go hand-in-hand.
“When the sense of compassion within you is awakened, you might not need to plan for a ‘charity’ event to express your kindness. Good deeds can be done anywhere and at any time. In fact, we can make our trips more fun and meaningful by considering adding something like this to the itinerary,” said Feng.
With that said – why not do some good while travelling these school holidays? It’s certainly worth considering.
