The biggest week of the GVI Laos year

The date is set!  20 – 24^th August.  The biggest event of the year, at least for our Charitable Trust (CT) Challenge beneficiaries it will be.  GVI Laos raises money for disadvantaged students, especially novice monks, to receive sponsored English tuition.  But the CT Challenge provides a prolific and hopefully successful injection of funds to the UK registered charity in support of their needs. 

8 of our current CT sponsored novices

So, the date!  GVI Volunteers undertaking a project during the week starting 20^th August will take part in our CT Challenge.  Their friends, family and colleagues, past volunteers and their friends, family and colleagues and any other sympathetic patrons will sponsor GVI volunteers and staff in their endeavours by donating to the CT. 

Volunteers give alms alongside locals, observing proper traditions

So...what’s it all about?  This year GVI Laos staff have settled on an interesting and unique challenge for our volunteers which gets to the heart and soul of Buddhist Lao culture and Luang Prabang ritual practice.  For 5 days (teaching days Monday – Friday), in-country volunteers and staff will give alms to monks and novices.  Although this is something many volunteers elect to observe or take part in at least once during their project, our commitment to a 5 day alms-giving stint is inline with local habits; most locals, especially women, give food to the procession of passing Buddhist temple inhabitants every single day, with starts at early as 5am! 

So we ask our blog readers to tell everyone about it!   Shout about it on Facebook, Twitter, MySpace.  Email your peeps.  SMS your contacts list.  Or you know, do something old style like call or visit your neighbours and friends to drum up support for our Challenge Volunteers.  Those 5am starts are tough with a full day of teaching and lesson planning ahead of them!  They need as much support for their earnest efforts as they can get.    

 

For more info on the GVI Charitable Trust see www.gvi.org

The biggest week of the GVI Laos year