Administration
The overall administration of the Charity is the responsibility of the Trustees and is based in the UK.. There are currently four Trustees. The Homeland Director, who is based in Laos, is responsible for identifying prospective students, promoting LEOT within Laos and dealing with the support and welfare of our students.
Trustees
 Alan Shiel - Chair
Alan Shiel has been involved in Higher Education all his professional life.
He currently works at University College London.
The interest in providing support for Lao young people to go to University
arose through a chance meeting with a group of monks at a temple in Luang
Prabang in 2006. This led to the formation
of LEOT and its approval in July 2006 by the Charity Commission. Alan came to realise the enthusiasm for learning
which existed, and the considerable barriers which young people faced in
achieving their true potential. Like the other Trustees, Alan is a realist
and knows that the extent to which a small charity can help is limited, but
the low living costs associated with poverty in Laos mean that relatively
small sums can go a long way to provide support for a group of students. On his return to the UK, Alan shared his discoveries with friends and
colleagues and found a surprising enthusiasm to assist. |
Alan Shiel
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Chris Hillman - Treasurer
Chris was born in Birmingham . After qualifying as a Chartered Accountant in 1979, he moved to live and work in London . Since 1983, he has worked in the commercial property industry as Director of Finance with a number of City institutions.
As one of the founders of LEOT, Chris believes that delivering support to the underprivileged will ultimately benefit the society and that a country such as Laos deserves the support of the international community.
Chris has the responsibility for handling the financial affairs of the Trust.
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Chris Hillman
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Faye Cook
Faye Getz was born in the United States and has lived in Canada, The Netherlands, and now in London.
She holds a doctorate from the University of Toronto and has taught English literature and the history of medicine. She has been active in work for racial justice, voting rights, and various environmental causes.
Faye became interested in LEOT because one can have confidence that all the funds raised go directly to students who value educational achievement.
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Faye Cook with her husband Hal and dog Gabie
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Veera Vuorinen
Veera was born in Finland and has lived and worked in London since 2000.
She is one of the founding members of Lao Educational Opportunities Trust and is responsible for the design and maintenance of the web site.
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Veera Vuorinen
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Homeland Director
Thalavanh Vongsonephet (“Teng”)
Teng lives in Vientiane and is an English major from The National University. He currently also holds a post with the World Bank but is applying for graduate school with a view to taking a Master’s course in Development Studies. He is 24, born in Luang Prabang where his father is the head of a primary school.
Teng contacted LEOT in March 2007, expressing a wish to work with the Charity, and the Trustees, realising the importance of having a Lao national to look after the affairs of the Charity within Laos , were delighted to appoint him to the position.
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Teng
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