Laos teens become novice monks to get an education

Working hard: A young Buddhist monk writing during class at a temple school in Luang Prabang. — AFP

Luang Prabang (Laos): Each dawn, lines of teenage monks in orange robes criss-cross the temple-studded streets of Luang Prabang, the religious heart of Laos and the storied seat of kings and colonisers.

They gather in the gloom to receive alms from the faithful, a ritual that weaves spiritual and practical bonds between the novice monks and the community they serve.