Santa Claus is coming to Laos

In the Northern foothills of Laos, Luang Prabang is a quintessential Indochinese town. Sprawling with 19th century French architecture and Buddhist icons, it is the jewel of the Mekong. For 5 days in 2009, Deak Kum Pa on the outskirts of the town was the scene of a community project, of which I had the privilege of participating in.

After a two hour bus journey across the crater-like roads of rural Laos, we were greeted by the orphanage director. The one-eyed man proceeds to explain to us, in Pidgin English, how he acquired his cycloptic appearance. Suddenly, in an act reminiscent of Captain von Trapp, the director whips out a whistle and blows an ear-piercing shriek. The playground is quickly transformed into a scene that looks all too much like a refugee camp.

En masse, children converge on the main square to greet us with a traditional folk song. What follows is the fruition of months of planning. Akin to scenes in UN ads, we hand out a selection of gifts and foodstuffs to the orphans. This has had more of an impact on me than any other act of giving I have performed. It has been the only time when I have seen first-hand the result of fundraising, and seeing a group of underprivileged people smiling and playing with new toys is one of the most heart-warming sights that can be observed.

Our curtain call was to consist of a football match with a select squad from the orphanage. With a crowd that would have made a second division team proud, the game kicked off, and soon saw the home side in the lead. The strain of the equatorial humidity completely sapped our energy levels. Caked in mud, and in dire need of Red Bull, we soldiered on till the final whistle.

I took a valuable lesson away from my experience in South-East Asia. Though it may sound passé, I was able to understand the true meaning of charity. Putting money into a donation box is great, but seeing for real the impact of one’s actions is truly remarkable.