The Minimalists Are Building a School

The Minimalists Are Building a School We first met Tyson Adams  last year when  he traveled several days  from Paksong, Laos, to  tell his story  at Misfit Con, a private conference  in Fargo, North Dakota. Tyson took the microphone, cleared his throat, and explained how  he had radically simplified his life. A few years ago, he shoved all his possessions into a storage locker on the outskirts of Seattle, reduced  his belongings  to a few bags, and then moved to Laos, where he started Jhai Coffee,  the world’s first completely philanthropic coffee roaster and cafe, located at the source. Jhais  mission: educate coffee farmers about  specialty growing practices, purchase coffee directly from farmers at higher-than-Fair Trade prices, and invest 100% of Jhais  profits into building clean-water and hygiene solutions at schools within the community. Tyson talked about why hed felt drawn to Laos, exposing an uncomfortable history many of us have long forgotten. As a part of its efforts during the Vietnam War, the U.S. dropped an average of one planeload of cluster bombs on Laos every eight minutes, 24 hours a day, for nine straight years. This makes Laos the most heavily bombed country (per capita) in the world.  A third of these bombs did not explode and still remain littered throughout the country waiting for unsuspecting victims, 40% of them children. For the past 40 years, the Lao Government has focused on rebuilding the infrastructure in its cities before improving its  rural areas, which has left  the country in a severe clean-water and sanitation crisis.  Today, under half of the population of Laos has access to clean, safe drinking water. So Tyson decided that perhaps he could focus less on his material possessions and instead find ways to help. Tyson  told  the conference about his organizations initial accomplishments. Since 2013, Jhai has partnered with the Lao Government; Jhai Coffee Farmers Cooperative (JCFC); and a private water-filter company, TerraClear, to serve 23 schoolsâ€"helping  3,277 children along the way. In less than two years, they  have provided 25 water purification filters (filtering up to 99.99% of bacteria, parasites, and suspended solids); completed 21 WASH programs (Jhai’s Hygiene program); installed seven Unicef-manufactured water pumps at schools that previously had no access; built a coffee storage warehouse for the JCFC where farmers house their coffee in a safe, climate-controlled environment, which increases profits for each family; and  given organic-coffee training to fifteen  member villages for increased quality and future earning potential. All of this because one man said no to the status quo and yes to contribution. Tysons  talk  received a standing ovation, not because of his prowess as a  raconteur (and not because he looks like Ryan Nicodemuss younger brotherâ€"photos below), but because  everyone was moved by  his sincerity, his authenticity, his passion to contribute beyond himself. But what we  didnt know was that when Tyson  took the stage he was terribly ill, and after his heartfelt presentation he was rushed to the emergency room  to receive treatment. The doctors suspected dengue fever. Things didnt look good, and when word got back to the conference, a somber malaise overtook its  attendees.  After hours of waiting, we learned Tyson had a severe case of stomach fluâ€"very severeâ€"but thankfully he was going to be okay. Suffice it to say, we quickly broke out our checkbook, as did others, to help Tyson bring more clean water to his community in Laos. And now, as you can see in the photos below, we want to help Jhai  build a new school for the children in their community.  And  we need some help. About the Pumako School Project Pumako  village has a dilapidated school that needs to be replaced. It was constructed in 1981, and now, 34 years later, there are holes in the roof and dirt for a floor, making the wet and muddy conditions inside the schoolhouse impossible for students to attend classes during the rainy seasons (September, October, April, and May). Mornsy Chommany, Pumakos school director since 1997, first started as a teacher in 1987 (Mornsy is pictured with Tyson below). For 28 years, she has raised her students from young children  to married adults. Today, she teaches  former students children and feels a sense of responsibility to see learning conditions improve as each generation grows up under her care. When Tyson first visited Paksong (Jhai’s home village) in 2010, he built a small storybook library at Pumako  school. On that day, Tyson asked Mornsy what the school’s greatest needs were. Mornsy replied, “Look at the holes in my roof. My dirt floor. When it rains it becomes muddy and I have to cancel class. I need toilets for my children. I need a new school.” Every year for the past five years, Mornsy has made the same request to Jhai. Through this collaboration, we will help Pumako  build a new schoolâ€"making Mornsy and the communitys dream come true. We need to raise $16,500 to make this happen, but we arent doing it alone. Pumako village will invest $2,500, and our friends at Misfit Inc. have agreed to contribute  seven grand.  Which means  The Minimalists and our readers need to raise only $7,000. Joshua and Ryan have donated the initial $1,000, and so we need your help to raise the remaining $6,000. Together, our donations will build an entire school, including three classrooms for 66 children, boys  and girls  toilets, one teachers office, one creative space (library, art supplies, chairs), one swing set and playground area, and an organic-vegetable garden (seeds, wood, and materials). Donate If you are willing to give, The Minimalists are  willing to give back. We have agreed to give something to everyone who donates to this worthy cause. There are a couple  donation options: 1.  GIVING IS LIVING: DONATE $27. If you donate at least $27, you will receive monthly photo  updates from Jhai to keep you informed of the schools progress. You will also be able to  watch the schools opening ceremony online. 2. BUILD YOUR GIVING MUSCLE: DONATE  ANYTHING. Whether you can donate $9  or $900, we could  use your helpâ€"simply  give  whatever you can afford. No matter your donation amount, youll receive the monthly photo updates. Deadlines and Updates DEADLINE: February 28, 2015.  We must  raise this money by February  28th so we can begin to build the school before the rainy season. Well post regular updates below. If we exceed our goal, well use any additional money to build a fence for the school. 2/16/2015 UPDATE: $1,000 of $7,000 raised so far. 2/18/2015 UPDATE:  $5,390 of $7,000. Getting close! 2/19/2015 UPDATE: Great newsâ€"we  reached our goal! You can still donate until February 28th;  all  additional funds will be used to  improve  upon this  school or on similar community projects. Stay tuned for this projects  final totals in our update at the end of the month. 03/01/2015 UPDATE:  Wow! Yallre awesome. Together we raised $30,533.56.  Not only did we reach our goal, but we raised enough additional money  to install solar panels for electricity and build a new fence around the perimeter of the school. Yay! Together we are making a difference. Thank you for being a part of this wonderful gift. We appreciate you. Photos from  the Community Below  are some photos from the school. Special thanks to Berni Xiong for coordinating this entire campaign. We couldntve done it without her. And now we cant do it without you.  Are you willing to help? Yes, giving is living, and sharing is caring. Invite others to give with you: