The Dragon Trip’s tours are certainly in the “tour” category rather than the “volunteer” one but we are always on the look out for projects that can benefit the local community. We have one such experience on our Laos group tour/Southeast Asian backpacker tour that seeks to confront the issues with literacy and spoken English in Laos.

Laos may be a cultural gem, ideal for backpackers on a budget and one of the most visually appealing countries on the planet. While it has been blessed with this natural beauty- it has been less fortunate with other matters and is one of the continent’s poorest countries. It is also the bombed nation on the planet as it has been victim to wave after wave of carpet bombing from the Americans. Laos currently ranks as one the UN’s 36 Least Developed countries in the world. In terms of education, under 50% enrol in secondary school, the adult literacy rate is 72%, and the illiteracy rate amongst females aged between 15 and 24 is over 20%.

It will take a significant systemic change to alter these statistics, and we would never suggest that helping out for a morning would be anything other than a tiny droplet in an ocean. However, the work done at Big Brother Mouse is a part of a growing wave of programmes that aims to tackle the problem of education in Laos. One issue has been the lack of native English spoken and practised by young people. English is a great passport to opportunity in Laos with much of the country’s economic development stemming from tourism as well as being such a key tool for global business. Big Brother Mouse aims to give young people the chance to practice their speaking skills, test their listening and discover other cultures. On our budget tour of Southeast Asia; we aim to give our travellers the chance to be a part of this.

The centre plays host to around 20 teenagers every morning and afternoon, and our volunteers spend a couple of hours working in small groups. Sessions consist of conversational English or assisting with grammar exercises. It offers the students a chance to practice their English with native English speakers and an opportunity to improve their pronunciation.

The charity itself aims to improve literacy in Laos through a variety of ways. They offer village reading days, give books out to schools where resources are low, arrange fun and games at local schools related to reading and provide training for how teachers can use books in the classroom. The success of the programme has been recognised by Clinton Global Initiative. We hope that this experience on a Laos group tour can be both rewarding and useful to the wider community.

Find out more about our Southeast Asia Adventure tours, by checking out our itineraries or contacting us directly at info@thedragontrip.com.

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