A Child's Notebook

A Child’s Notebook’s partners with local communities, investing in the lives of children in Southeast Asia. Our vision is that all children have access to quality education. In collaboration with local villagers, we have provided local materials for them to build schools, dormitories, and latrines. In addition, in response to community input, we have also developed scholarship and after-school programs.  

During a visit to Laos in 2016, our founder, Ducksoon Hwang saw that schools in rural villages were battered buildings without water. She knew the children there could thrive in their education if they had the proper resources. Inspired by their notebook drawings, she founded A Child’s Notebook in April 2018.  

A Child’s Notebook now supports over 100 schools and 10,000 children in Laos.  

This is an exciting time for A Child’s Notebook. In January 2024, we hired an interim executive director to help develop the infrastructure to support hiring paid staff for the first time. With the board no longer responsible for the day-to-day administration of the organization, they now have more time for fundraising activities.  

The annual budget for 2024 is close to $300,000. Currently, most of our revenue comes from a successful annual event held in the fall. We are just beginning to expand our fundraising activities and diversify our donor base and would like the Executive Director to continue to evolve this work. 

In addition to the Executive Director, we have contract administrative workers and a full-time in-country manager in Laos. In January, the board voted in three new members with a wealth of skills to help raise funds and guide our growth. This increased our board to 14 members.