One Meal, One Book Project at Mae Jo School, Mae La Noi District, Mae Hong Son Province

Let me first explain the origin of this trip. Following our previous trip to visit and donate supplies to Ban Huai Fang School in Hod District (you can read about it here: http://th.readme.me/p/1191), we started looking for ideas for our next trip. However, we didn't just want to go on a simple sightseeing trip. Having had the opportunity to visit various places in different settings, and with our preference for nature and engaging with communities, both remote villages and those on mountains far from civilization, we decided to bring along various items, such as clothes, blankets, books, or unused supplies, to donate to villagers or children in need. We came up with the catchy name "One Meal, One Book Project"... On some trips, we even provide two meals, and we bring as many books as our vehicle can accommodate. ^__^

The initial goal was to visit Mae La Noi district, Mae Hong Son. So, I asked a teacher at Ban Huai Fang School, who had previously donated items there, if they knew any teachers or people in Mae La Noi district. This would allow us to bring donations. I found out that a younger teacher was teaching at Ban Mae Jo School, which is located in Mae La Noi district. Perfect! With a clear goal, I quickly contacted the teacher and asked about the school's conditions, the number of students, and what they needed. The school is considered remote, and the villagers are of the Pga K'nyo or Karen ethnicity. There are approximately 50 students, from kindergarten to sixth grade.

Once we had a target location within the area we were going to visit, we took care of everything, raising funds, finding donations. The trip took place over 3 days and 2 nights, driving ourselves in 3 cars with 14 people. We took turns driving, so it was manageable, right? Right? :)

Let's go. But it will take a long time to get out of Bangkok. There is traffic jam and we have to load things onto the car. It's 10 pm now. I don't want to think about what time we will arrive. I plan to cook lunch for the children. Hehe. Let's go as far as we can. Safety first. ....

From the Asian Highway (Route 1) to Amphoe Thaen, turn left onto Route 106 to Amphoe Li, Amphoe Doi Tao, and Amphoe Hot. Stop to refuel both the car and people at the Amphoe Thaen pump. It's bright enough, hahaha. Don't worry about what time you'll get to school.

From Thae to Li, Doi Tao, Hot, Mae Sariang, to the school, it will take another 6 hours. It's a long way, but keep up the good work!

Another stop at the morning market in Li district for grilled pork and sticky rice to refuel, and again at the gas station in Hot. The teacher called to ask where we were because she had been waiting to pick us up at Mae La Noi district office since 7 am. We're making good progress, don't worry.

We have arrived at Mae La Noi, a district with the Khao Komol Cave. But we didn't stop by to visit. We have a mission to accomplish first.

I was supposed to meet Kru Lek, who had been waiting for me since 7 am as planned. But as of now, 11 am, I haven't even reached the school yet. I still have 50 kilometers to go, but I'm going to stop for a quick coffee break at Jaeng Coffee. The cakes are delicious, hehe.

Let's continue. Kru Lek came with this vehicle. He rode a motorcycle to pick us up and lead the way to school.

You can stop by again and again. On Highway 108, there are some gentle curves. Park and enjoy the view, it's gone. Haha.

The yellow color is the field of soybeans.

From the picture, I had to run right after pressing the shutter. 555+ Please don't follow my example.

Excited enough to get over the hangover, let's continue. The children are waiting to eat, but it's past lunchtime. Let's have an afternoon break. The teacher let the children eat lunch first while waiting for us.

From Mae La Noi district, take Highway 108 for about 30 kilometers. There will be a right turn to the school, following the signs. You can choose which school to go to. There are many of them. Our destination is Mae Jo School, which is another 20 kilometers away.

On the way from Highway 108 to the community road to the school

Finally! Hurry up! Pack your things and do your part. Go to the kitchen to prepare food and pack donations.

Help each other.

Is it getting heavy?

Kitchen team washing

Knife sharpener

The Slicing Team

Wash, peel and remove the stems.

The same stern-faced chef is boiling broth to make Sukhothai noodles. Let me tell you, it's delicious :)

Rich and flavorful broth

Cut to the scene of the children playing games and receiving snacks ... With that look on their faces, I bet they've been waiting for their older siblings for a long time ^^

Taking pictures for fun, Sergeant Chey also came ^^

Sweetheart, the star of the school

Nong Dada, the school's star, is very cute. She can pose for photos all the time.

The smiles and innocence of children

Back to eating mode again. The appearance of Sukhothai noodles, the original recipe, looks good. There are both noodles and rice noodles, red pork, liver, intestines, minced pork, shredded cabbage, sprinkled with coriander, fragrant fried onions, delicious, hehe.

Line up to refill the soup.

The ceremony before the meal is different from the social world where people take pictures of their food and post it before eating. But the children here have to chant and say thank you to appreciate the value of this meal... Every plate of rice, every piece of food, don't waste it, it's valuable... (That's all I remember, hehe)

Delicious enough to give a thumbs up to

Full already, go distribute things to the children.

This is a learning kit for students, including notebooks, pencils, erasers, rulers, pencil cases, piggy banks, and more.

Delighted :)

It makes me so happy to see this.

The ceremony was held to deliver scholarships, computers, books, sports equipment, toys, and various school supplies that were generously donated by all the kind-hearted adults.

Our team received another high-quality gift. The teacher gave us a shoulder bag as a souvenir. We are very happy. It is also a product from the villagers.

After completing her beauty queen duties, it was time for her to walk around Mae Chok Klang village, meet and greet the villagers, observe their way of life, and share food and snacks with them.

The village's bamboo poles and antennas

Jumping rope, a simple toy with just a rubber band, jumping in a circle. This kind of play is rarely seen these days, huh? I used to play it when I was young, hehe.

Please take care of my younger sibling.

Weaving is another occupation that generates income for villagers, in addition to agriculture. Please support them.

A small stream flows through the village and past the school.

Strolling through the fields, admiring the birds and trees, the vast rice paddies, and the cornfields.

There are also rice fields with stairs.

Cornfield

The rice is heading out.

Super Model Penkanya of the village ^___^

Sweet smile ^_^

As darkness fell, we strolled back to the school and gathered around a bonfire, grilling pork and fish. We slept in the dormitory that the teachers had prepared for us. The air was pleasantly cool, and the sound of our laughter echoed through the room.

Good morning, children come to wake up and play with me.

Cooked rice porridge and fed the children another meal. Rice porridge, fried pork

Special menu: The teacher went to pick fresh angel mushrooms and fried them for us to eat. Delicious! Fresh mushrooms, really. Hehe.

It's a shame there's no picture of the bamboo worm that the teacher went to find and fry for us to eat. Let me tell you, it was tender, juicy, and fresh from the bamboo stalk. Imagine it for yourself :)

Please help wash the dishes, put things away, and clean up before leaving to continue your trip.

Farewell to the indifferent sergeants.

Bye, see you again when I have the chance.

Thank you to everyone who donated items, scholarships, lunches, books, sports equipment, stationery, computers, second-hand clothes, and much more. Thank you to everyone who sent their support... The team that worked hard to receive donations, drove them to the school, cooked food, and worked together to make it a success. We had a lot of fun, were happy, and went home with smiles on our faces.

Thank you for everything that has made this possible. The weather was also kind, and thank you on behalf of the children and villagers of Mae Jo village.

Thank you for your cooperation...

P.S. Please stay tuned for the next episode. After doing good deeds, we continued our trip to Ban Huai Hom, Ban Dong, and the Mae La Noi Royal Project. I must say, it was truly beautiful. ^_^ Let's follow along! https://th.readme.me/p/5450

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Story by LingPle Mayuree : [email protected]

Photographed by LingPle Mayuree, Premchai Laolaem, Kadoom Thong

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