He isn't at the top of his class. And he has no desire to be a doctor or a lawyer. Even so, Worratas Lao-woo is a shining example of achievement. 

A member of the Hmong (pronounced mung) tribe, one of several ethnic Hill Tribe groups in Thailand historically bound by illiteracy and grinding poverty, Worratas is a star student in Compassion's Leadership Development Program. Tribal children in Thailand face huge barriers to achieving a quality education - a key to overcoming poverty - due to the remoteness of their villages, few economic resources, and a scarcity of good schools.

Worratas knows these barriers well. In his small, remote mountainous community in northern Thailand, the average income is just more than a dollar a day and there are no secondary schools. One of 10 children in a family of subsistence farmers - the traditional Hmong livelihood - Worratas' parents couldn't afford to pay for his education. Yet the bright boy's chance to shine arrived the day he was registered at the Compassion Musikee Student Hostel (TH-274) near his village.

Death in the Family

Tragically, several years after entering the Compassion program, Worratas' father died. Grieved by the loss, the young teenager was also saddened by the prospect of not being able to complete his high school education. But God had a plan.

Soon after his father's death, the adolescent met a social worker from the Compassion-assisted Vieng Thong Christian Student Center (TH-910) in Chiang Rai. Through this contact, Worratas was given the chance to attend the center and live in the dormitory of the church administering it. There he grew into a disciplined young Christian leader with a heart to serve others, claims Compassion Thailand staff. 

Obligations, Barriers to Success

Yet when he completed Compassion's program, Worratas faced another difficult crossroad. He longed to further his studies but was burdened by the responsibility of having to work and support his family, as well as pay for his higher education.  

Again, God compassionately intervened. Because of his strong Christian character, Worratas was selected to join Compassion Thailand's Leadership Development Program and receive the financial and academic support he needed to continue his studies. He is now majoring in English at Mae Fah Luang University in Chiang Rai province, fulfilling his dream of becoming an English teacher and translator.

An active leader who speaks six languages, Warratas teaches guitar, English and Sunday school classes to children attending a Compassion-assisted center near the university. This year, he and three other LDP students had the opportunity to help victims of the tsunami disaster through Campus Crusade for Christ. "It was challenging, yet the experience created an indescribable peace within me," he recalls. "I want to do this type of work again!"

Worratas is indeed a shining star, a stellar example of success!  

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