Oyster mushrooms bring hope and education

Naowarat bends down and slowly ducks into her little mushroom nursery at the back of the house. Light enters the small opening. Rows and rows of oyster mushroom bags sit on wooden planks as high as 11 shelves. Sprays of water flow out from a water hose in the girl’s hand. She laughs every time she comes to the mushroom nursery to play.

Naowarat, 12, lives with her parents in a little house made of bamboo in a rural village north of Thailand.

Naowarat’s learning disability has been noticed by her teacher. Therefore, she has received help from World Vision for children who have a need for special learning. Her father is jobless. Life is very difficult at home. Everyone is familiar with being hungry. Often they go to sleep feeling hungry and anxious about tomorrow.

World Vision extends its hand in helping Naowarat’s family. Important changes are beginning to take place. Naowarat has been accepted into the children with learning disabilities project.

“I was very stressed and lost hope. I was anxious concerning my daughter repeating class every year. I thought that she was not attentive in her studies. But I just found out that she learns more slowly than some children the same age,” says Naorwarat’s mother. “I was very tired in taking care of her. Ever since my daughter has been enrolled in a special class, she wants to go to school every day and is much happier.”

The special class is furnished with development equipment, balls, board games, story-telling time, learning materials taken from computer. Teachers with special skills and knowledge are the ones who teach these children by using individual curriculum.

A year has passed and Naowarat’s school grades have improved. She is able to pass her tests and has potential to go up to another grade.

“I would like my daughter to study continuously according to her ability. Her mother and I did not have much education. We want her to have much knowledge and a better future than her parents,” says Chakue, Naowarat’s father.

“Naowarat has improved in her learning and her grades have improved. This year she has moved up to grade 3. I’m glad that she need not repeat grade 2. When she was in grade 1, she had to repeat for three years. Her mother and I were very sad,” he says. “The teacher enrolled her in a special education programme. Her school grades are better and she has passed her exams and gone up to grade 3. We are happy and are not worried.”

“I’m pleased to see changes in the children. They have improved in their learning ability and that makes me happy,” says Chaweewan, Naowarat’s teacher. “They are interested to learn and have the courage to ask questions, talk and express themselves. Formerly they would hide their faces and did not say anything much. I’m proud of their improvements.

“Being a teacher, of course I’m happy. In the future they will be able to depend on themselves and we need not worry too much. Formerly we worried about their living conditions at home. What we can do is to provide them with special learning that will improve their lives. We believe that education will help these children develop their own skills and upgrade the poor conditions of the families,” Chaweewan speaks about the changes that make her, teachers and parents proud and happy.

Naowarat’s family is also provided with oyster mushrooms to ensure that the girl has enough food to eat and her parents can use the training that they received to grow mushrooms as an income-generating livelihood.

“Our family’s mushroom nursery has just been done. The 500 mushroom spores that World Vision gave us are starting to germinate. Soon we will harvest the mushrooms and cook as food for our daughter to eat and sell some to our neighbors,” the mother says with a smile. “We will have money to send our daughter to school. Now I’m a lot happier and I no longer worry about her education.”

By Somluck Khamsaen, World Vision Thailand