In 2012 Stockton Presbyterian Church (SPC) elder, Ken Hayes’ company, was contracted to go over to Laos (Southeast Asia) to help locate Viet Nam era unexploded bombs (UXO) in the jungles and villages.
Two numbers stood out to Ken:
- During The Secret War the United States left 80 million UXO in the Lao topsoil.
- A United States dollar had about 6 times the purchasing power in Laos as it did in New Jersey.
Every week there are 1-3 accidental detonations of UXO…mostly kids and farmers. Lao being an extremely poor country moves on motor bikes. Sometimes whole families on one bike. Due to mostly UXO and motor bike accidents, the country needs about 1.000 new prosthetic legs each year. Due to low incomes ($30-50 income per family per month) education is limited as is the access to prosthetic legs (about $300 each).
Three needs stood out:
- Raising funds to help Lao amputees walk again.
- Building an elementary school in the village of Vien Xai and funding the school’s operations.
- Helping Pong (Phongsavath Manithon) have a better life.
I was amazed when I found out church missions are not performed only with the goal to reeducate non-Christians to be Christians. But they are an expression of the simplest form of love. You need something. We have it. We give it to you.
Legs for the Lao: Over the past several years SPC members/friends working with Ken’s company, Aqua Survey, Inc., have funded over 300 legs through the COPE Centre located in Vientiane Capital, Lao PDR.
The Jason School: On January 27 2018 the Jason School (name in memory of SPC’s Jason Fuhr) opened its doors in the jungle village of Vien Xai to 263 students (pre-K through 5th grade). It’s a block school with electric lighting, fans and outlets. Each student must contribute about $30 each year to cover their school supplies. For the school year that started in September 2018, SPC provided about half of this amount. Our goal for 2019 is to cover the full amount so all families can afford school.
A Future for Pong: When Pong was 16 his hands were blown off and he was blinded by a Bombie (cluster bomb). Pong’s impoverished parents could not care for him and their other kids and “trusted” him to the kindness of strangers in Vientiane. As it turns out, many of the SPC members and friends turned out to be that kindness. Pong 7 years later is fluent in English, is thin as a rail and lives on his own. Pong is a likable, brilliant young man. Several of us worked out a deal with the Australian Embassy, they will pay for him to go to university if we pick up $100 per month to cover his food. Pong now has one year down and several to go. SPC’s mission is to simply keep Pong fed.
If you, your family, your buddies or organization would like to help with any or all of these missions, SPC welcomes you to join us. If you would like to know more or have me come talk with your team, give me a call (908-347-4144) or email me (hayes@aquasurvey.com).
Cheers,
Ken Hayes
SPC Elder
President Aqua Survey, Inc.