Laos

The rain forests in Lao are Indochina’s last extensive retreat for numerous endangered animals such as the wild elephant, tiger, leopard, clouded leopard, Asian golden cat, and marbled cat. All these animals figure on the red list of threatened species. The forest is home for the people of Lao too, more precisely home and mystery at the same time. For the Laotian people every trip into the forest is a visit to the realm of the spirits, where every rock, plant, and spring is animated. They collect herbs, building materials, firewood for cooking, medicinal plants for healing, and honey and animal protein for eating. They live off the forest and do not need a supermarket. However, this vast wilderness is threatened, and not only by human intervention such as excessive logging.
 
The partner organisations of the Pestalozzi Children’s Foundation adapt curricula to local needs in order to help preserve local knowledge and traditional skills. They rely on local resources and traditions, and refer to the experience of parents, grandparents, monks, and farmers. They train young adults residing in the area and encourage them to adopt child-friendly and interactive teaching methods favouring group work to teacher-centred teaching. For example, theoretical explanations during biology classes are replaced by fieldtrips to collect plants and herbs. Such teaching methods help motivate children and stimulate their interest in the subject. 

In multilingual countries such as Lao it is important that children are taught in their mother tongue. For this purpose, teaching materials in the official language and in different mother tongues are being made available. In view of the fact that a child’s first contact with the official language often coincides with his first day at primary school, the Pestalozzi Children’s Foundation supports a project in the Luang Prabang region which introduces children to the official language already at preschool level.