Big Brother Mouse

4 April, 2012, Hatkham Village, Oudomxay Province, Laos

Book party: At book parties we read from books, play games, and sing songs. At the end of each book party, every student gets to choose a book, usually the first book they've ever owned. Then we give more to the school. Our book parties have two goals. First, we get children excited about books. (Previously, most of them had seen textbooks, but never a book they were eager to read.) Second, we observe closely, to see what books are most avidly read, what's needed, and what techniques help spread a love of reading.

This event was sponsored by Manoj Paul (United States). Thank you!

Can one person make a difference? Here's the answer.

This small school (38 students, 2 teachers), in a rural village in Udom Xai province, was the site of the 200th book party sponsored by Manoj Paul. No, that's not a misprint. By choosing to live frugally and share what he earns, one person has made it possible for more than 20,000 children to get their first book, and 200 schools to get a small library.

Manoj has told us that his greatest reward is seeing the photos of kids with their books, so we've added some extras to this page. Thank you, Manoj. Other people have a fancy new car. We think you have something that merits much greater pride.

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