The Sai Nyai Eco-School's first cohort of boarding students arrived on February 14th, 2009. We have sixteen students, aged 17-22 staying with us this year, coming from 7 different villages. They are a diverse group of people, comprised of Jru (Laven), Brou (Ta-oy), Souay, Phou Thai and Lao Loum ethnicities. Our class quickly became a close family so, although they are all eager about their learning, their is no shortage of warmth and laughter to accompany it. See some of our activities in the first two months below:

The opening ceremony, attended by government and family members along with our new students.

Straw-fired clay pots: an appropriate technology for villagers

Above is our study tour to make pots.

Making compost using effective micro-organisms (EM).

Making sun-dried bananas using a solar dryer.

Student-directed Learning

The mushroom house we are constructing (March, 2009) with the students. By May, the house was almost finished and the final stages of the roof were being put up:

Green Business in Laos

Through teaching by doing, we are providing our students with opportunities to fundraise for their education through developing green businesses appropriate for rural Laos. Their first major project, in keeping with value-adding to their major local cash crop, was to make and market an organic peanut snack. Here is a photo of their first exhibition:

This is the label of their product, developed in May 2009:

Starting in April, 2009, we have begun producing a natural soap, using palm oil, lye and water. We have since then been experimenting with adding different therapeutic and aromatic ingredients to the soap such as tamarind, turmeric, lemongrass, mint and castor oil. Here is a picture our trying out our first successful soap: