‘Le Sourire de Chiang Khong’ builds on both traditional practices and the children’s creative power to construct with them their roots and their future.
Everybody’s ancestral customs are respected: the children are taught dance, singing, embroidery and sewing. They also take weekly lessons in their tribal language.
The Centre encourages each child to develop and practice their own beliefs as well as their family’s. The plurality of religions in our Centre enables each child to grow with an open mind and with respect for spiritual differences.
The Centre encourages the children to take pride in their roots and traditions, to enjoy sports and leisure activities, as well as agriculture and gardening. Planting, harvesting and animal breeding are carried out as extracurricular occupations, in full respect of children’s rights.
The children also like working in the fields and do so with great enthusiasm and independence. They plant and harvest corn, rice, pineapples, bananas and all other kinds of fruits and vegetables. They look after the greenhouse and seedlings, the cows, the fishpond, the pigs, chickens and geese.
The parents generally appreciate our focus on the agricultural aspect, as it gives their children the opportunity to share their gained knowledge with their home environment. Le Sourire does not necessarily seek to attract the children to life in the city.