Sai Aom

In 2013, Sai Aom, a Shan refugee from Myanmar, was accepted to study computer engineering at the University of Chiang Mai in Thailand. 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. Fortunately, he happened to be the son of Lan Mao, our head teacher at Somwang School. So when we heard about Sai Aom and his ambitious goals, we decided to help. After some effort we found a private sponsor who was willing to finance Sai Aom’s entire university studies.

Four years later, he graduated.

All doors were open to him and Sai Aom could have picked any path. Yet, Sai Aom's first decision was to approach us. He applied for a teacher position at Somwang School with one simple motivation:

To give back what he had received.

Of course we hired him. As soon as he was officially a teacher, his first plan was to use his newly learned engineering skills to help improve the school. “Through his network, he managed to procure solar panels, bringing electricity to Somwang school for the first time. He installed the whole system by himself. He also managed to receive computers - all as a donation from the Thai military. He 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 set of skills to meet the needs of demanding curricula at public schools and quality job opportunities. Hoping that, just like their new teacher, they too will one day attend university and keep on passing the gift of education.