mai 2001
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Mazenod Project
Ecole Mazenod

THE SOCIETY " LES AMIS DE PAKSANE "

(PAKXAN FELLOWS)


The society History

The target of the society "Les Amis de Paksane", instituted in 1998, is to create fellowship links between lao people emigrated in France, french people born in France and Lao people living in Laos. 
Some of the emigrated Lao people are refugees who ran away between 1976 and 1980 because of danger they felt in in their country. Other were students in France in 1976 and never went back into their country, due to the questionnable situation that existed between 1976 and 1985. Some of the French who created the society were young "coopérants" (Peace Corps like) at the beginning of the seventies. 

All the founders of the society were convinced that education is the big challenge for the Lao people . Education being the key that will help their country to occupy a seat in the future world.
According to the society statutes, voted during the first convention held in Savoie (in the French Alpes) in 1998, The target is to develop partnership and exchanges with the Paksane area, in Laos, by all possible means, and in particular:
     
  • In the cultural field, discovering culture and tradition of the Pakxan region
  • In the education field, sponsoring educational projects
  • More generally, sponsoring projects in the health, social and economics fields 
The society's second convention was held in Avignon in 1999 and again in Savoie in 2000. More than 90 members have joined the society.

Sponsoring of a students'hostel at Paksane

Sy Sayarak, a former inspector of education minister ( photo ), created the school "Pakxan Maï" in 1992, in agreement with the Khoueng Borikhamsaï administration (Khoueng Borikhamsaï is the province in which Pakxan is the main city). This school consists of 8 levels, corresponding to elementary school and high school first degrees.

Sy Sayarack, who is wellknown by a lot of the society members asked the society to assist him in developing new projects, students' hostel being the first project entirely sponsored by "Les Amis de Paksane" . It allows village children coming from the Khoueng Borikhamsaï to have the benefit of high-school education, that is generally not possible for children that do not have families living in cities or without enough ressources to pay for tuition. Restoration of an old building which was to house the sudents, began in 1999. During academical year 1999-2000, 15 students were housed in the students' hostel "Les Amis de Paksane" and attended courses of the government high school, formerly Ecole Mazenod .

Other projects

Simultaneously with the students'hostel works, Les Amis de Paksane got in touch with the Pakxan government high school. Les Amis de Paksane have sponsored the restoration of the school toilets which were out of order for years.

The society provided also some funds for purchasing typewriters and roneos

May 2001: The school buildings are in an advanced state of decay and the teachers have appealed us to help fund roof repairs and other priority work. The sum we are asked to find is approximatively 200 Million kips (about US§30,000).
A number of former students with happy memories of Mazenod have launched a collection for the repairs, or, as much as possible, depending on the donations received . See Mazenod Project