Playground equipment like this is rarely seen in Laos. Children love it, but our modest tuition fees cover only the bare essentials. So Emily donated this.
This is a Lao 'lanaat,' similar but not identical to a western xylophone. Emily has donated hand-crafted sets of traditional Lao instruments to many of our schools.
We make many of our own toys, including simple wooden blocks. Rideable blue elephants were beyond our construction capabilities but with Emily's help, we've been able to buy them.
After the Covid pandemic, Laos faced a severe teacher shortage. Providing teacher housing has helped us attract new teachers and it makes their lives better. Emily has been the #1 supporter of this effort.
Emily has made a dramatic difference for us.
Literally thousands of people have contributed money, equipment, games, and time, to help us improve education for children in Laos. We've done our best to show our appreciation each time. One person has helped so much, that we'd like to use this space to thank her.
Outdoor play is healthy and fun, but the Lao sun can be brutal. Little Elephant preschool put up an overhead netting to reduce the sun, but a storm shredded it....
...so Emily provided funding for a permanent structure. Here, it creates an open-air auditorium for a puppet show. The artificial turf below, on what would otherwise be dirt, was also Emily's gift.
We do not need, nor use, computers to teach reading or math. But computers have an important role in life, and in our schools. Children learn basic skills, from using a mouse to creating simple programs.
During her varied career, Emily Benz has been a schoolteacher in the Philippines, a bookseller, and an author. Clearly this is someone who loves books, someone who understands the power of literacy.
There are few things less exciting than a copier – unless you're a teacher who needs one, or who previously had to run into town for copies. This is a much-appreciated time-saver.
At our first schools, we simply kept a variety of easy books in each classroom. Now, many children enjoy reading bigger books, and they can choose from a wide selection at the new Little Elephant library – made possible by Emily.
Like most Lao schools, ours began with tile or metal roofs, which also served as the ceiling. But on hot days, these roofs radiate heat into the classroom. New ceilings in two schools, funded by Emily, have noticeably lowered the heat.
When she visited Laos in 2014 Emily loved what she saw us doing. At the time, she was only able to make a modest donation. Now she is able to give much more and she has generously done so.
Few girls can ride a bike when they first enter a Big Brother Mouse school. Now they can. They are acquiring a useful, healthy, enjoyable habit. And it's good for the environment.
We've been able to publish several new books with Emily's sponsorships. 'Go Frog Go' is told in English with Lao-based phonetics. Next to it is 'Our Bodies Are Changing,' giving Lao adolescents information they need.
Last year, children who finished Little Rabbit preschool had to enroll in a public school. Their parents pleaded, "Please build a primary school, so our kids can continue with you." Thanks to help from Emily and others, that is underway.
Emily has contributed to construction of two schools and teacher housing at three locations, while also taking a strong interest in improvements at existing schools, particularly for teachers. This page shows a partial list of what she has supported. Her gifts have enriched the lives of children and teachers at all of our schools, and we join one another to say 'Thank You, Emily.'
Why teach sign language?
People often ask why we are eager to introduce sign language to children. We have many reasons.
• If a student meets someone who uses sign language, they can communicate.
• In Laos, many children who are deaf never have an opportunity to learn sign language. Often they're dismissed as not-too-bright. A wider awareness will help change this.
• Children are eager to use their fingers and hands. And they have an instinct for learning languages. It's a natural fit at this age.
• There is evidence that learning sign language helps small children learn to read, as they begin to think about individual words.
• And children love it.
The question should be, why isn't sign language taught to young children everywhere?
Children are full of curiosity. Visiting new places, with a teacher who can nurture that curiosity, is an important part of education. But it takes wheels.
New teachers have no experience with our methods. Emily sponsored our first full-time teacher training program. Here, a trainee learns to monitor student attention levels while reading aloud.
Ton Kit school filled up fast and has to turn away families that wish to enroll their children. Emily helped us buy land for another school nearby, and to construct it.
'Let children use their imaginations.' That's a key tenet of childhood education. Letting them play in the mud is good for their imagination. So is a playhouse. And this way, we don't have to mop the floor later.
