We couldn't have done it without you. We aimed to raise $32,000 for Room To Read to construct The Kengthan Incomplete Primary School in Laos (don't be troubled about the 'incomplete' part, that's just a tricky translation from Lao to describe the education level - it's going to be 100% complete when it's built). It wouldn't be very helpful if we built a school that, for instance, were missing two walls.
Our fundraising events in New York and Silicon Valley alone brought in over $30,000 in generous donations from attendees, but we were pushed [well] over the top through book sales (all of our publisher profits are being donated to Room To Read). So even if you couldn't attend, you helped by buying a book, and even if you didn't buy a book, you helped by spreading the word, and if you didn't do any of those things, that's OK, too.
You can live vicariously through some of our event photos here.
We'll be looking for help to write the dedication plaque to be placed in the completed school next week, but in the meantime, we thought we'd share some photos from Laos. If you're ever in the neighborhood, the xkcd school is in Salavan Province on Road No. 13 South. (Breadpig will be doing a site inspection next year once construction is complete).
Here is their current school.
Those aren't skylights. The holes in the roof make rainy season rather challenging.
So far so good.
So awesome. I shall hug my autographed book even tighter now knowing it helped!
yay education!
Thanks for getting a copy (or at least planning on it – heh). We're going to look into possibly another Room To Read school — or at least some of their smaller projects (with the year quickly coming to an end, most of their school constructions have been already funded). Either way, all the profits are still going to RtR; we'll be outlining it all here on the blog.
Randall has chosen a dedication from all the suggestions on his blag and we'll publish photos of the plaque as soon as we have them. More photos from the site to come, too, along with a possible site visit in early 2010. I think breadpig will even deliver them a few xkcd books.
Banana-fanna-fo-fossum? Yes!