— Community Center

During 2004, the farm worked with local villagers and foreign volunteers to build a community center for the village. The center is located on a hill overlooking the Song River valley. The view from the center is rather inspiring. The building was built from local materials as much as possible, using unfired bricks, mud plaster, and local lumber (see the photo at left). We decorated it with discarded bottles and with the basic construction materials, applied as a relief sculpture on the walls.

The center was built by our local villagers, with help from foreign volunteers. Much of the work was done during school holidays so that the children could help out. After the walls and roof were built, doors and window frames were installed and "mud" applied to seal and secure the windows. Local plant fibers are used to reinforce the "mud". Some of the young girls made up ropes of mud and fiber for use around the doors and windows. Others helped by carrying the mud to the workers. The final step of the construction is to apply a special mud plaster to the wall surfaces. When all of the construction is complete, the walls will be painted to protect them from the elements.

The community center is available for use by all of the residents of Phoudindaeng Village. It is also the location for our English language classes.

— English classes

There are two English language classes taught at the Community Center. The youngest children (ages 3-10) learn English by playing games and other fun activities that use English. For example, they sing songs in English, or run relays that help them learn words like "left" or "right". The older children and adults learn in a more sedentary manner (see the photo at left). There is a third, more advanced, class that meets in one of the local school classrooms.

English classes are taught 6 days a week after school and during school holidays. The effects can already be seen throughout the village. Small children make casual comments in English without effort and without a noticeable accent. This is partly because the teaching is mosly done by foreign volunteer teachers, drawn from all over the world. The children have heard many accents, not just one.

English-speaking visitors are always invited to attend, and assist, at the English classes. After the formal class, the students break into smaller groups to practice the day's leasons. Foreign volunteers who speak English are invaluable as role models and coaches. They very quickly form emotional bonds with the students, and there are many tearful goodbyes when the visitors finally leave. Many visitors extend their stay here for as long as possible.

— School bus

For years, the children have had to walk to school. It is quite far and many children, particularly the youngest, did not go to school every day. Providing them with bicycles has been only a partial success. The bicycles were inevitably damaged in use, and the families could not afford to repair them. And, as highway 13 has been paved and improved, the traffic has become heavier and faster. It is no longer safe for the children to ride their bicycles on this major highway. So, we needed a school bus (photo at left).

With help from Korean members of the Asia Volunteer Action Network (AVAN-Korea) we were able to purchase a small bus to take the children to school and bring them home again in the evening. With the bus, school attendance has increased dramatically, and the children are no longer at risk riding their bicycles on the highway. Now we must provide fuel, repairs, and a driver for the bus. This ongoing expense is being met by money-making projects in the village and by donations. It costs about $110 per month to operate the bus.