Project costs
CAD is Canadian currency, kip is Lao currency. The CAD $ was worth 0.80 USD $ on 2021-02-24 when conversions were made.
Generators 120W solar panel, battery, charge controller, inverter
May 2018 One generator 2,320,000 kip (includes 320,000 transport.)
June 2018 Two generators 4,380,000 kip (includes 380,000 kip transport.)
Oct. 2018 11 generators 21,200,000 kip (includes 300,000 kip transport.)
Dec. 2018 11 generators 21,200,000 kip (includes 300,000 kip transport.)
Jan. 2019 11 generators 21,200,000 kip (includes 300,000 kip transport.
Total for 36 generators:
70.3M kip; $9,482 CAD; $7,519 USD
The first 3 generators cost 2M kip each, the remaining 37 cost 1.9M kip each.
Cathy Fischer had a fundraiser to sponsor 4 generators.
Blankets Feb 2019 4,000,000 kip;
$540 CAD; $428 USD
Cookstoves Mar 2020 4,160,000 kip;
$561 CAD; $445 USD
Computer repair course
3,000,000 kip; $405 CAD; $322.21 USD
Mobile Learning Lab - MLL ($ CAD)
RACHEL micro-server $ 958.47
duties into Canada $ 237.70
Amazon Fire 8 tablets (10) $1,043.58
Amazon Fire 8 tablets (3) $ 261.42
Amazon Fire 8 tablets (4) $ 394.56
(2 for Sri Lanka, 2 for Bounchan)
Screen protectors $ 19.44
Screen protectors $ 65.73
Headphones 13 (880,000 kip) $118.70
RACHEL & tablets (10) shipping $567.98
Laos duties & transportation $705.32
(5,229,000 kip)
Tablets (3) shipped to Boise $82.32
(Cathy took the tablets with her to Laos.)
Total MLL $4,455.22 CAD,
$3,544.53 USD at 0.80 CAD $
Total spending to 2021-02-23:
$15,803.22 CAD
GoFundMe 2021-02-23 $14,960 CAD
2.3 km Water Pipeline
Total: 21.415 M Kip plus a few extras
$3,062.90 CAD at March 26th rates
Total spending to 2021-07-07:
$18,866.12 CAD
GoFundMe to 2021-07-07
$17,035 CAD
(less fees of approx. $511)
Advice to other projects.
1. The cost to transfer $15,595.85 CAD via Western Union was $493.08, or 3.16% when done through a WU store. Since then I've found that it can be done through my bank, via WU, for a flat fee of $4.75 each transfer. What a waste!!
2. Shipping, fees, and duties ($1,593.32 CAD) for the MLL were a heartbreaker, and added 55.7% to the cost of the MLL. Even though Laos is an ASEAN member that has an agreement not to add duty to educational material & equipment, we were clobbered by Lao duties. (We had included a copy of the ASEAN agreement with the shipment.)