Service-Learning in Laos?

I have escaped to Laos from Hong Kong.  To be accurate, I am in Laos with two other colleagues and a friend, to explore opportunities for service-learning projects.  Today we are on the Bolaven Plateau to the east of Parkse, visiting a family of coffee farmers.  The elevation here is about 1,200 meters, the weather is warm with plenty of rain - said to be suitable for growing coffee.  A lot of people do make their living growing and selling coffee beans.

The quality of the beans, however, is not very high.  Laos is a land-locked country, with poor roads and no national railroad system - making transportation of the coffee expensive.  There is also no systematic regulation of the market for coffee beans.  Hence the farmers receive little money for their crops.  

The family of farmers that we visit today has 5 children. They live in a simple house with few furnishings.  They cook by burning wood in an open fire.   

They do have a flock of chicken and a big fat pig with a litter of piglets.  

The eldest son has only completed primary school and is helping out on the farm.  The rest of the children seem to be still in school.  A little girl, perhaps 6 years old, and her elder brother showed us the different types of coffee beans being grown on their property.  She is very friendly and playful.  Will she be able to acquire a proper education and fulfil her potential as a normal human being?  Much depends on her family’s coffee business. 

Our friend, S, is building a coffee processing factory and other coffee-themed businesses on the Bolaven Plateau.  He is trying to help the farmers improve the way they grow and process the coffee beans so that they can make more money.  

We are trying to figure out what we can do to help.  One possibility is to help them develop local tourism.  There are some beautiful natural scenery such as waterfalls and unspoiled forests in the area.  The local cuisine, based on natural ingredients, is also very good.  We may start with these elements.   

In a couple of days, we will be back in the cauldron that is Hong Kong.  Being in Laos reminds us that the world is so much bigger than Hong Kong.  And there are a lot more issues beyond the conflicts that we face in Hong Kong. It helps us to put things in proper perspective.  There are a lot of people in the world facing very urgent and severe challenges.  There are also many ways for us to lead meaningful lives.  It is up to us what to do with our lives.  

If God is willing, we will be back in Laos sometime.