May2019

Muirkirk News May 2019
Muirkirk Teacher’s Vietnam Appeal
An inspiring Muirkirk teacher is looking for help to get the children in her
class some badly needed supplies.
Lauren Bone has been teaching in Vietnam for seven months and loves the
Country and the people but has seen first hand how a lot of families struggle
with poverty. Families of up to eight living in one room where they all have
to eat and sleep.
She has a vision of putting on free English classes to help the locals with
their careers, businesses and help to develop tourism.To get the classes up
and running Lauren is asking for help to buy learning books, pens, and other
vital supplies with a view to teaching children and adults to enable them to
get out of poverty. Lauren commented that she wants to fundraise as The
Country has given her so much and she wants to give something in return.
Conditions in Da Nang which is close to where Lauren lives vary widely
depending on where you stay with the inner city being more affluent and the
outer areas suffering extreme poverty.
Having a dad in the army Lauren is no stranger to travel but has always
dreamed of going there since she was young and after making the trip she is
enjoying the culture and being a teacher. My whole family is from Muirkirk
but my dad was in the army until I was fifteen so travelling and meeting new
people and seeing different cultures is second nature to me.
One of the most striking feature of the people is even though they have
nothing they don’t complain and are always smiling and happy.
The children and adults have a huge hunger for learning and are really keen to
learn English as they see it as a means of getting out of the poverty trap.
The children don’t have much in the way of material things but they do not
let this stop them from enjoying themselves. They spend most of their time
outdoors on bikes with no seats, kicking deflated balls and are happy to play
with their friends and family.
To help Lauren with her vision you can donate on her GoFundMe page.
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