November 2007 - Jong Jong Jong

Seratel helps sponsor a book of cartoons that teach young children the tone marks of the Lao language.

Jong jong jong ?

The tone of a word changes its meaning in Lao. "Jong jong jong" means "The big spoon is hanging from a parachute."

It may not be the most useful sentence ever uttered, but Lao kids think it's one of the funniest. And while they're laughing, they'll improve their reading skills, as they learn how tone marks distinguish the three words.

Some background to our sponsorship

Each Christmas, Seratel sends electronic greeting cards to all our customers. The money that was previously used to send physical cards is given to charity instead. To date, we have mostly chosen charities helping children.

Lao Books, through their Big Brother Mouse operation, bring books to Lao children. Traditionally, books have been rare in Laos. Many children have never read a book except for school textbooks, some not even that.

When we sent Christmas cards in the post, each card probably cost US$2 plus US$1 postage. For US$3, Lao books can print three copies of a book.

To visit the Lao Books web site – click on the link below.     To learn more about this book – click on the picture of the cover.

Big Brother Mouse – Helping to get children reading in Laos