The Story of Sai Aom

A story of giving back

What many of you know is that we recently hired a new teacher. What many of you don't know, is his story.

4 years ago, Sai Aom, a Shan refugee and the son of our head teacher, Lan Mao, was accepted to study computer engineering at the University of Chiang Mai. As a refugee, it was an incredible chance and a dream come true. However, unable to cover the costs, he was ready to turn down the offer. When we heard about Sai Aom and his ambitious goals, we decided to help and find him a private sponsor who would be able to finance his entire university studies. A kind generous soul and 4 years later, Sai Aom graduated!

Despite all the doors that were open to him now, Sai Aom's first reaction was to approach us and apply for a teacher position at Somwang School with a simple wish: to give back what he had received.

When we hired him, his first plan was, to use his newly learned engineering skills to help improve the school. He managed to receive solar panels, as well as computers, as a donation from the Thai military and installed the whole systems by himself. With electricity and a new computer lab, we are now even better able to prepare our students with a new skill set to meet the needs of demanding curricula at public schools and quality job opportunities. Hoping that, like their new teacher, they too will one day attend a university.