Improving education levels and literacy are a core part of achieving the Millennium Development Goals. For the development of the private sector, improved education levels will be even more critical to address the existing shortage of skills as the economy grows.
Khamla Panyasouk was born in 1983 in the village of Khone Kham, about 50 km from Luang Prabang. He started school when he was eight, and was the first in his family to learn to read. When he was 12, Khamla's parents decided he should move to Luang Prabang, where he could become a novice monk, and get a better education at the temple school. He made the six-hour journey by boat, since there was no road at the time, and did not see his family again for nine months. He remembers noticing that many of the tourists in Luang Prabang carried books, and read whenever they had spare time. “Why would they do that when they are on vacation?” wondered Khamla, whose only experience with books had been a few textbooks in school.
Having traveled frequently to Lao PDR with his tour company, Sasha Alyson, a retired publisher came to realize that one of the reasons that “Lao people don’t read” was that there were very few books in Lao PDR, especially for children, and even fewer published in the Lao language. Sasha’s idea was to find a way to publish books that would make it easy and fun for kids to read.
Publishing their first books in 2006, Big Brother Mouse is now a Lao-based, Lao-owned project for Lao people. Khamla is the owner, and he and Sasha run the project jointly. Big Brother Mouse books include traditional tales and educational books that, for example, make dental hygiene fun or showcase the wonders and animals of the world. Some are published in Khmu (the largest ethnic minority in Lao PDR) and Hmong languages. Big Brother Mouse also publishes books that provide older readers with access to information, ideas, and subjects that people in many countries take for granted, such as problem solving techniques. Much of Sasha’s and Khamla’s time is spent teaching young people skills like writing, editing, translating, desktop publishing, business, and organizing book distribution events. Since 2005, they have helped tens of thousands of children and adults, often through village schools.
Big Brother Mouse is now well known in Luang Prabang and Vientiane. Through Stay Another Day, Big Brother Mouse is now raising its profile across Lao PDR and within the tourism industry in the Mekong. Their book fairs provide an excellent way for international tour companies to donate time or funds in a way that benefits poorer communities. For tourists with time, the team of 20 Lao students and graduates can always use some help in editing or proofing new titles. Each new book costs around US$ 3,000 to produce and print. A donation of US $10 buys seven books that can be donated to a school at a later date - a much better gift than sweets!
Since joining Stay Another Day in 2007, Big Brother Mouse has seen its visitor numbers more than double, and its revenues and donations have more than tripled. A quick scan of the visitor book shows that around 40% of people hear about Big Brother Mouse through Stay Another Day. As Sasha remarks, “To me, that’s the best measure of how well it’s working.” Khamla and Sasha agree that those coming through the initiative are more likely to help out or buy books or donate. Big Brother Mouse has come a long way in a short space of time in Lao PDR.
