Skip to sections.
Hiroshi Yasue, Manager of the Social Contribution Section
Chiang Khan is a small town located 800 km from Bangkok. It faces the neighboring country of Laos across the Mekong River.
Most Thais living in Bangkok may not be able to say where Chiang Khan is. Nong Khai, a town 180 km east of Chiang Khan, is a prosperous starting place for sightseeing tours of Laos. However, it is different in Chiang Khan, which is just a small town in Isan, northeastern Thailand that has no industry. Since Chiang Khan is along the border with Laos, the town's environment is complex and many minorities live in there.
A dormitory run by the Sikkha Asia Foundation for junior high school and high school students was built in this area.
May 3, 2008. The weather was fine.
The Scholarship Conferment Ceremony was held today. The scholarships were awarded by Nikon and the Sikkha Asia Foundation for junior high school students and high school students.
We had anticipated that Chiang Khan would be in the path of Cyclone Nargis; however, it turned away from Chiang Khan and the day started as usual.
The Scholarship Conferment Ceremony began at nine o'clock in the morning under strong summer sunshine.
As I arrived at the Chiang Khan Dormitory run by the Sikkha Asia Foundation to attend the ceremony, a female student who was to receive a scholarship came up to me. She gently joined her palms together then gave me a small flower garland.
I heard that a garland of white flowers is given to guests.
I took a seat and found that over 100 attendees had already been seated and they were staring at an altar in front of us. The ceremony started with prayers to Buddha by all attendees and participants.
The ceremony progressed with speeches by local guests including Ms. Promma Arunee, the Secretary of the Sikkha Asia Foundation, a folk dance exhibition, and then students with As were honored.
I made a speech as a guest from Japan.
I told the children,
"Maintain dreams for the future."
"Have a clear vision for the future."
"Study hard to attain your dream. Do not abandon your studies even if you are sleepy or get tired of studying."
The children looked nervous during the ceremony. Sometimes their faces changed into exhilarating smiles. Some children were fidgeting on their chairs.
They looked to be normal children that might be seen anywhere.
I had an opportunity to talk with seven children after the ceremony.
At first they talked about what they wanted to be in the future.
"I want to be a doctor."
"I want to be a nurse."
"I want to work in marketing."
After a while, they asked me hesitantly, "What is important for success? How did you gain a lot of experience?"
There were many potential answers for each question.
I spoke with carefully chosen words hoping that my advice might guide them on their way.
Suddenly, a girl sitting at the far right burst into speech.
"It's tough to go to school. I have little time to study because of housework and because I have to take care of my younger brothers. I am tired and sometimes I think I can't go to high school. However, your words encourage me. Everyone can overcome difficulties and I will overcome my difficulties. Seeing you and hearing your talk cheered up me. I will keep studying."
I felt that my problems were far smaller than hers were. I expected that she would grow up to be a fine person.
After the Scholarship Conferment Ceremony, the students joined in community activities by sweeping the grounds of the temple and working on the farm which provided food for the dormitory tables.
I saw yellow blossoms shining under the sun.
Someone told me that they were golden shower tree blossoms and that the golden shower tree was the national flower of Thailand.
In the afternoon, I visited the home of a scholarship student. Our car drove deep into the mountains. Sometimes we were caught in brief showers. The car was parked in front of a house in the village. A lot of firewood was stored under the floor.
A three-person family lived in the house; a girl in the second grade of junior high school, her grandfather, and her mother. The mother earned a living by field labor. The girl did housework including cooking, cleaning and taking care of her grandfather.
She got up at four every morning. After taking care of her grandfather and doing other housework, she commuted about one-and-half hours to school. At school, she spent every spare minute studying.
She did housework and studied after returning home. She slept less than six hours. The firewood stored under the floor was her work and her tasks included heavy labor.
She was at the top of her class for years. She said that she wanted to become a doctor.
She was very young but she already had the power of an adult. I tip my hat in recognition of her effort and will.
I hope young Thai people will realize their dreams.I hope we can help them to realize their dreams.
The visit taught me something precious.
