I have potential, give me a chance

by Global Ministries | published on Oct 10, 2014

I met Sengsong in the summer 2003 while visiting Luang Prabang, LPB, and orphanage school, a school CWS has supported for some years. There were about 35 students ages from around 8 to 12 or 13 years old, among about a total 200 students of the school, remained during that summer time. Others had gone home to visit their relatives. I held an informal workshop on writing and drawing with these children for about 2 hours with the presence ‘in and out ‘ of the Principal of the school.

The Story of SENG SONG

A poor ethnic Mong orphan and an young artist of Laos

by Xuyen Dangers/ Vientiane, October 2008

The feedback right after that workshop from the principal was he did not realize how easy to create such a creative activity in such a short time that could draw the interest and could hold attention of the students that long . I then told him more about the after school activity program of Donkoi Children Development Center, DCDC, in Vientiane, the capital of Laos where I have worked since 1998. The principal showed more interest and wish to see DCDC. I immediate extended the invitation to him to see DCDC, but I also wish for him to bring a few students as I thought they could learn very quick and they could also teach others when they return.

A month later the principal brought with him his vice principal and two students, one boy is a Mong ethnic named Sengsong, 13 years old, whom I met in the workshop, and a 14 year old girl, a Khmu ethnic named Chantha, for a study visit to DCDC. The two teachers seemed very interested in all the activities that DCDC children were doing; i.e., rock animal painting, clay sculpture, news writing, storytelling, drawing, dance and music, etc. I saw the vice principal taking pictures of everything. While the two men were touring the whole school, the two children were asked to join any activity they wanted to. Sengsong stayed in the clay molding group while Chantha was interviewed by a young writer of DCDC. After the visit, the Donkoi’s young writers handed over a story they wrote about Chantha to the two teachers for them to bring home. The two teachers were amazed. They left after two hours and allowed the two students to stay for two months to do internship at DCDC.

I think that summer change Sengsong’s life.

We came to visit the school 6 months later and we saw many new things happening in LPB orphanage school. We learned that when Chantha and Sengsong returned to LPB orphanage school, they formed the art club and the writer club. For writer club, they wrote news about the school, about their vegetable garden, about visitors, about holidays, sport and special events happening in the school. The principal encouraged them by allowing their stories and drawings to be posted on the bulletin board in front of the school office. When we visited, the two students proudly showed us and read their stories to us. They interviewed us and wrote more stories. We did more small workshops to show them how to make poster news and homemade books. For art club, we saw a room full of children’s products for sale; drawing greetings cards, small and big water color paintings, rock animals, and all sorts of clay creativities. In front of the art room there was a garden with the sign ‘ Dream garden’ with bonsai trimmed as tables and chairs that have been there, but are now more colorful plants and flowers. At the four corners of the garden there were big rocks painted to look like huge fish and turtles.

One time we came to do a three day workshop with both teachers and students. The workshop was on outdoor drawing, theatre, clown, dance, storytelling, puppet, games and more.

The school became much livelier. The art side of the school improved and added to its already well known academic excellence with a ‘number one’ vegetable garden model of the whole province that has been in existence in since the beginning of the school in 1987.

After that summer, Sengsong and Chantha were invited to DCDC three more summers to learn more. Chantha learned leadership skills, made more little books, and also taught writing to the younger children, and Khmu languages and Khmu dances while Sengsong taught Mong language and basket weaving.

Sengsong did not speak any English the first two years. In 2006, he spoke a little and this summer he spoke a lot. He is good at every craft he learned at Donkoi DCDC, including rock painting, grass picture, batik painting, and paper mache, but he loves water color drawing and painting best. Also, he can create huge mural paintings.

In 2007, while I was away in the USA he painted the DCDC’s carpenter house and the stage backdrop of DCDC hall which got a lot of good comments from DCDC’s visitors. This summer 2008, Sengsong did many mural paintings like the Secret garden story boards, a dream toilet one at DCDC, a dream kitchen at Tammakhung center, the dream forest of Donkoi school and a huge banner for the 10th Anniversary of DCDC celebration that was hung above the front of the outdoor stage of DCDC hall that says, ‘I have potential, give me a chance.” At the fair day, Sengsong impressed everyone he met at his tables full of children’s products including cross stitch cards he brought from the girl students of LPB school plus his own artistic creations. He speaks English fluently with poise, politely, and always with big smile.

He also can use email, has a mobile phone and has traveled all by himself from Luang prabang to Vientiane both last summer and this summer.

Sengsong received a few awards for his drawings of the past few years and is well known as a young artist of the school and in LPB. He was also a co-illustrator of a book “Fruit of Laos” published by Big Brother Mouse. The other co-illustrator is Konglee, Sengsong’s student. The school is proud of his work. He maintains a steady grade A average each year.

Yet, Sengsong came from a very poor family in a rural area in LPB. His brother married when he was only 13 years old. While in Vientiane, Sengsong collected used clothes to bring home to his brothers, his nieces and nephews. Both of Sengsong’s parents died at a young age. His father died of opium abuse and his mother died due to lack of health care. He did not begin school until he was 12 years old.

But Sengsong has a lot of potential and he was given a chance to develop his potential. His dream is to learn as much as he can and get a job and help others as he said,” I was given a chance” Sengsong is a hard working person, very responsible for what he was doing, and became an independent and resourceful person. He has perseverance and is an honest young man. ‘I believe Sengsong will make it. (Please read his own story of his life since he came to LPB orphanage school: ‘My Story And My Dream’).

Xuyen Dangers

Xuyen Dangers is a social worker in Laos/Vietnam. She serves as a Social work supervisor of Donkoi child center and 5 other centers, Social work advisor, Faculty of Social Sciences, and the National University of Laos.