Building Peace One Brick at a Time

On the grounds of the little primary school where I teach, there is a friendly and intriguing mud brick building. Known to all as "the Mud House", this little building is the center of operations for Ponsinuane Volunteer Group (PVG). It all started in 2002 when some visionary local youth decided to get involved in their community by organizing clean up days, neighourhood festivals and much more. As time went on, more and more young people got involved. Here was a way in which they could help the community around them while also being part of a strong social network. By 2006 PVG had grown so large that the tiny space from which they functioned in the village chief's office was no longer enough. With the community's blessing, the PVG worked together to build their Earth friendly Mud House one brick at a time.

And with the Mud House as their base, the PVG has only continued to flourish. Volunteers run after school programs at the primary school each day ranging from traditional dance, to gardening, to "inventions" made out of recycled materials. The volunteers themselves continue to do community outreach as well as participating in personal development activities.

Now, two years after the completion of the first mud building, it's time for the PVG to grow again. The Mud House is no longer big enough to house an ever expanding library as well as the PVG's office and meeting space. It's time to start making a new batch of mud bricks! This new building, however, will be more than just a library, it will also be Laos' first ever center for peace education. The PVG never did like to dream small. And it's not just about the end result. Through this building project "the volunteers are learning to be confident leaders," says PVG Program Coordinator Somsack Souvannalath. "They are learning how to live and work as a group and how to adapt to new or uncomfortable situations".

So, if you happen to be in the neighbourhood on a Saturday this spring, stop by Ponsinuane Primary School and lend a hand... or a foot. Who knew that the catch phrase "peacebuilding" could ever be taken so literally?

The Brickmaking Process

After digging a large pit, we fill it with water as well as special soil taken from the Mekong River.

Mixing the mud with our feet is our team's favourite part of the job. It's 40 degrees celcius by midday but volunteers put up with the heat of their jackets in an effort to keep their skin pale. A visitor from Bangladesh (A.K.A Steve) adds interest to the long day's work.

After the mud is properly mixed we scoop it out of the pit with our hands and pour it into a mold.

Next we remove the mold and leave the bricks to sun dry for one week. Rain rain stay away!

By 4 o'clock we're exhausted but we've made close to 200 bricks. We'll need thousands more before we can start building and the goal is to finish by the time rainy season starts in June.

After we've all cleaned up a little, enjoying a traditional Lao meal together is a good way to relax and celebrate our achievement.