Kaisone

"I feel really empowered and honored to be a part of Girls’ Education Program, which inspired me to strive to finish high school regardless of my circumstances.”

-Kaisone, Girls' Education Program Graduate, Laos

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130 Kilometers to School and a Language Unknown

19-year-old Kaisone was born in a small, rural village in the Southern region of Laos. Her family is Katang, one of Laos’ 49 ethnic minority groups. When Kaisone was in first grade, her mother lost a great deal of blood during childbirth and died as her youngest sister came into the world.

In Laos majority of people live in rural regions and Kaisone was no exception. To attend high school, she moved 130 kilometers away to her aunt’s village – a community that spoke Lao, an entirely different language she barely understood. Here she shouldered the bulk of household duties, working in the rice paddy fields, caring for farm animals and looking after her sick grandfather who became mute and paralyzed after taking mistakenly-prescribed medicine.

Like 45% of the population, Kaisone did not grow up speaking Lao, yet this is the only language spoken in schools. Enwrapped in communication barriers, she struggled to adapt in her new village and understand her teacher in class. Yet, in 2007 Kaisone enrolled in Room to Read’s Girls’ Education Program, where she thrived as an eager, top student who never missed a single life skills class. She not only passed her high school completion exam, but also earned the second highest score out of 1,275 students.

Overcoming the Unimaginable

Kaison as a Role Model

Kaisone received a scholarship to study English at the National University of Laos in Vientiane. Here she learned Korean and worked part-time as a children’s book translator. Kaisone graduated from university in 2015, went on to work as a social mobilizer for Room to Read’s Girls’ Education Program in Oudomxay and now continued expanding her career by working as a Literacy Coach for Room to read's Literacy Program in Vientiene.

Now the language barriers that once stood in her way make her a bridge between the Katang and Laos people. As a beaming role model for her community, Kaisone plans to spend her career building new schools for her hometown and helping orphans and ethnic children rise up out of difficult circumstances to overcome poverty, language barriers and achieve their educational dreams.