For 125 years, the Phouthai and Khamu hill tribes have lived isolated from the rest of the world along the banks of the Nam Ou River in northern Laos, an impoverished country in Southeast Asia.

The villagers have never received assistance from the outside, let alone ever seen foreigners. For a very long time, they have asked for a school and medical facilities but none has been given so far by the overstretched Laos government.

However early this March, it will be Grade 12 students from the Richmond High School will finally cross the Pacific to lend them a helping hand. Led by teacher Ken Lorenz, the 24 students will build a 400-square foot open-sided bamboo house for 27 children in the remote villages of Ban Sopjam and Ban Phouk using money they raised in bottle drives and coffee parties.

During their 17 days of stay, they will also construct two cement water tanks and three outhouse style bathroom facilities for the school and general use.

With no running water and electricity, the villagers numbering more than 300 draw water from the river for their cooking.

Accompanying the Richmond students are other supervising teachers, four dentists and one hygienist.

"I think I speak for everyone in my class when I say that I am extremely excited about our upcoming adventure," says Erin Pedersen.

"I know that this will be a life-changing experience and I intend to make the most out of every minute!" she says.

"I would like to learn about the Laotian people, and how they live their lives. I believe the diversity in this world is fascinating, and the best way to learn about different cultures is to experience them."

Student Ken Lee says their trip will be a "lifestyle-shifting two weeks we will not forget."

"In class, the collective excitement is palpable," he says. Lorenz said that the students have raised $12,000 for the humanitarian project.

He says that travelling into the area will be a challenge in itself.

Their group will fly into the ancient and once French occupied Laos capital of Luang Prabang where it is said that "time stands still." From there, the group will take a boat up the Mekong River to get to the town of Muang Hgnoy.

Each morning, the group will travel 30 minutes by boat again from Muang Hgnoy on the Nam Ou River to get to the village.

The trip is part of the Global Perspectives course at Richmond High which aims to give students play a hands-on role in helping alleviate poverty.

The course began in 1993 and for over 12 years, Canadian students have represented themselves, their school, community and country very well by doing field work in Ecuador, Guatemala, Dominican Republic, Cuba, Peru, Indonesia, Cambodia and Vietnam.

"This particular trip (to Laos) will present the greatest challenges," Lorenz says.

Laos is a former French colony that became an independent nation on July 19, 1949 and one of the poorest countries in the region. The government is one of the few remaining official communist states. The illiteracy rate is 50%, and for the 70% of Laos’ citizens who enroll in primary school, the dropout rate averages close to 60%. The remoteness of many areas also makes it difficult to attract and retain trained teachers.