Saturday 9 November – Luang Prabang

I visit an orphanage school today.

There was a power blackout this morning and that means no water either.

After a late breakfast (and feeling hungover) I catch a tuk tuk to the orphanage school run by an enthusiastic Australian, Andrew Brown. There are nearly 700 kids here aged from about 5 years to 20 years of age. They come from desperate lives in poor local villages where one or both parents have died. The children board here in mass dormitories and are educated in onsite schools. The facilities are located on a nice block of land on the edge of Luang Prabang. And important part of their rehabilitation is getting them on to a healthy diet. Malnourishment is a huge part of their lives and the children are very small for their age. Andrew has a great repore with the children and some of the newer young ones follow him around. The government helps with the funding of the orphanage but Andrew also relies on donations of money and clothing. Another important aspect of the orphanage is taking the kids right through secondary schooling so university study can be an option for them. There is plenty of work in the cities for them when they graduate. To help fund them through to graduation, Andrew asks for sponsors to sponsor a child.

The dentist is visiting today. Andrew has the youngest children lined up for a checkup. To keep them relaxed he has face painting happening. The dentist has come from Singapore.

They have a website:
http://www.deakkumpaorphanage.com