Sponsoring Novice Monks in Luang Prabang
I read many posts on this blog about what to do in Luang Prabang.
I would like to suggest that tourists to LPB go to one of the many Buddhist temples and spend some time talking with the Novice Monks, then do something to improve their lives. These boys come from impoverished villages--many are orphans, and all are poor--and connecting with them will change both your lives. I sponsored a Novice Monk three years ago, and that friendship has exploded into a universe of kindness.
It costs me the equivalent of the cost of a daily cup of coffee to support Onsi at University, and I have received in return not just excellent Buddhist karma but one of the finest friendships of my life. It's soooooooooo easy.
In Luang Prabang I watch rich tourists staying in upscale hotels with their fancy cameras stuck in the faces of Novice Monks gathering alms at 6:00 am, and they leave nothing behind, but take their photographs home. The $100 spent in one night at some fake restaurant could pay for a year at the Mekong English School for a Novice Monk. Backpackers, in my experience, are the most generous of all tourists to Lao people, and the richest of tourists leave the least behind.
Luang Prabang is a magical place. It is filled with Buddhism, with good Lao people, but these are poor people too, so please make a connection when you are there. Change a life or two and watch what happens.
PeterHeron - Sydney Australia / http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g295415-i9321-k5456692-Sponsoring_Novice_Monks_in_Luang_Prabang-Luang_Prabang_Luang_Prabang_Province.html
1. Re: Sponsoring Novice Monks in Luang Prabang
May 29, 2012, 5:42 PM
Why not sponsor a tuk-tuk driver or the son of a rice farmer?
I will warn you to be careful with sponsoring people ANYWHERE unless you have connections or can visit them regularly, so you can follow up on their progress and make sure the money is going into the right hands and being used exactly as it is intended. I'm hearing reports of westerners with good intentions sending thousands of dollars over there to sponsor a college student, only to hear he has another sponsor and is keeping the cash to buy booze and girls. Or in other cases, they have dropped out and are just living off the sponsor's cash!
Do know there are risks, and not all young people are going to be getting good grades or will even want to continue when they discover studying 10 hours a day isn't as fun as they thought. (I'm speaking from experience)
While I am of the opinion that an education is the most rewarding thing you could possibly give a person, there are proper and improper ways to go about doing it.
2. Re: Sponsoring Novice Monks in Luang Prabang
May 29, 2012, 7:35 PM
I agree wholeheartedly, and appreciate your comments. In sponsoring / co-sponsoring two young Lao men (both have left their temples after graduating from high school), I monitor their progress closely, require weekly emails and updates, and talk with them on the telephone. I also visit once a week and spend time with each. My first rule of sponsorship is honesty; my second is communication. I explain that the trust that comes from being always honest is vital to continued sponsorship, and the young Lao men I sponsor understand that. And yes, it is true that one must choose a Novice Monk to sponsor very carefully; for the finest results, this must be seen as a long-term commitment. That said, I would again encourage travellers to consider this form of contribution to the future of Laos.
3. Re: Sponsoring Novice Monks in Luang Prabang
May 29, 2012, 8:01 PM
Good to hear it.
The former novice I sponsor (he left the temple after the new abbot said that those there shouldn't study!) will be graduating in a year and a half. We just spent 2 weeks traveling around Laos & went up to see his parents in their village. They are very proud of him! (He's a straight-A student!)
The monk I was sponsoring for the better part of 3 years, on the other hand, didn't quite perform so well so I made the decision to discontinue his sponsorship. Unfortunately, this happens, and unfortunaltey, he lost out on a very good opportunity to get an education and a job and to be able to support himself...
4. Re: Sponsoring Novice Monks in Luang Prabang
May 29, 2012, 10:09 PM
Excellent work, Maneki-neko. The young man I sponsor, Onsi, has taken me to his village three times now, and at the last visit we had a bacci ceremony in which I became a member of his (very) extended family. He starts university at Lao-American College in January, and I'm treating him to a three-week trip around Thailand before he starts. He'll ride on his first escalator, go to his first movie, go to his first zoo, and see the ocean for the first time. Very happy outcome. And, as you say above, it's of the greatest importance to choose the person to sponsor very wisely. And yes, tuk-tuk drivers or children (including girls) of rice farmers are just as deserving.
5. Re: Sponsoring Novice Monks in Luang Prabang
Jun 25, 2012, 1:29 AM
this is great to hear. Remember that customs are different there. I have a friend there who asked me for $$. I tried to tell him about the customs in N America about giving $$ but I think he assumed we all were rich.
6. Re: Sponsoring Novice Monks in Luang Prabang
Jun 25, 2012, 10:10 PM
When I agreed to sponsor Onsi and Lai, it was a well thought-out and well-planned decision. Both boys have obligations to email me every week and to keep strict and accurate accounting of every kip they spend. I help teach them the value and importance of budgeting, and provide emotional as well as financial support. Sponsorship is a serious business, but the rewards--on both sides--are tremendous.
7. Re: Sponsoring Novice Monks in Luang Prabang
Jul 01, 2012, 11:13 AM
It's really impressive. When I visited Luang Prabang last month, I found there were lots of kids running and playing happily on the streets - seems they don't need to go to school...I feel very sorry for that.... May I ask PeterHeron and Maneki-neko: how you started your sponsoring...?
8. Re: Sponsoring Novice Monks in Luang Prabang
Jul 01, 2012, 5:41 PM
I travel to Lao frequently and met some local people on my travels, and the guy I sponsor now I heard from through an American friend. He met the guy there and told me he wanted to be pen-pals (this was before there was internet access) but didn't have the time to write him. I decided to write the guy letters instead of my friend & I was very impressed with his English. He was only 15 at the time and 2 years later, when I decided to sponsor another monk, I asked this novice if he wanted to go to university with him (the monk). I had a friend in Vientiane take the boys to enroll and get them set up. I sent her the money so there woudln't be any trouble with that. The novice is now an honors student and head of the student body. He will graduate in a year and a half and I will go over to see the big event. :-)
Unfortunately, the monk didn't perform as well, was truant and didn't sit for his final exams on one occasion. This was after 2.5 years of sponsorship. I cut him off as I felt he was wasting my money. So, just so people know, they are not all angels and the reasons they are in the temple to begin with is because their parents cannot afford to take care of them.
9. Re: Sponsoring Novice Monks in Luang Prabang
Jul 02, 2012, 5:20 PM
I started sponsoring Onsi quite by accident. I was invited to guest teach English for two nights at Mrs Pong's English class, and Onsi--then a novice monk--wrote a lovely essay in English about his problems and successes when he first joined his temple. So I asked Mrs Pong if I could assist him in any way, and she suggested I pay for his English classes (7000 baht, or about $270, for two years). Onsi and I then struck up an email correspondence, and I came to know him as a person. The next step was buying him a laptop, then spending time with him on my second visit. We visited his village (2.5 hours north to the Nam Nga bridge, then 3 hours upriver in his parents' boat!), where I was treated to a splendid baci ceremony, many wonderful Lao meals, and a BeerLao-infused New Years celebration (I bought all the BeerLao in the village!) with Lao dancing and singing and much hilarity. I brought Onsi books and sent him software programs, then paid for his studies at the Mekong English School, and agreed to sponsor him for University in Vientiane. I'm very lucky, because Onsi (and now Lai, the second Lao boy I co-sponsor) is very studious, very honest, very friendly, and very open in communicating. We talk on the phone every week, and in December I'm treating him to his first-ever holiday in Thailand for four weeks. We developed an annual budget for him, and he reports back to me on his expenses. He starts University in January, and Lai starts Nursing College in Luang Prabang in October. The MOST important aspect of sponsorship is finding an individual who will work hard, communicate well, follow the rules you set, and succeed. If you want to discuss this further, I'd be delighted to follow up with you--my email address is heron_peter@hotmail.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment