Si Saket school project!

Patrick, WaLee and I visit Non-Wa Kao-Kam school, some 50 km outside of central Si Saket. all you see from the schoolyard is vast rice fields with Buffalos munching on dry grass. Nang (Patrick made friends with her on his last trip to SE Asia last year) is the head teacher to 100+ elementary school children and 5 teachers.

Children wake up 6 AM, walk 1-2 km to school, study til 4 PM, go home and help family work (doing dishes, harvesting crops, take care of pigs and cows, or take care of younger family members etc.) most of their parents are living far away in Bangkok or other major cities to support their lives, so mostly their grandparents look after them.

Children want to be policemen, singers, and movie stars. They like going to Wat (Buddhism temple) to "pray for good things in our lives". They show us their dancing and singing.

Toddlers of 3yrs old are hanging out in the school since there's no-one to look after them while grandparents are busy. They are given milk.
Nang: "We want computers for the children."