Lao PDR

The situation for children

In Lao PDR, a landlocked country classified by the UN as a Least Developed Country, only 52% of the population has access to clean water. In rural areas the situation is especially chronic. Less than 1 in 3 people have access to clean water, and 1 in 5 have access to adequate sanitation. As a result, Lao’s infant mortality rate is one of the highest in the region. Diarrhoea – an easily prevented and treated disease – is one of the top three killers of children, along with malaria and respiratory illness. All three killers are linked to dirty water and poor sanitation.

The incidence of HIV/AIDS in Lao PDR is high. Reproductive health and drug abuse are key problems facing young people in Lao today.

Improving village water supply and sanitation

Our project in Lao PDR is improving water supply in poor rural villages in the Sayaboury and Bolikhamxai Provinces through the installation of wells, gravity fed water systems and tap stands – helping approximately 25,000 children and their families to access clean water. It is also helping families to stay healthy by building proper latrines.

The villagers receive training on how to build and maintain the new water supply systems and latrines from health staff supported by Save the Children. Parents also receive training on better hygiene practices, such as reducing the build up of stagnant waste water, which becomes a breeding ground for malaria-carrying mosquitoes.

Training and supporting volunteer youth workers

We help a group of young volunteers in Lao to reach out to at-risk Vientiane youth. The group, known as FLAMES (Friendship, Leadership, Achievement, Motivation, Education, Success) selects villages they wish to work in, researches the key issues for youth in the area and conducts peer education workshops.

Save the Children has provided this group of young people (aged 16-22) with training in life skills, peer education and facilitation.

The FLAMES also organise community activities such as theatre, games and dances to raise awareness on key issues such as drug abuse, reproductive health and HIV/AIDS. Finally, they recruit other wolunteers, train them in peer education and life skills and mentor them as they, in turn, become peer educators.