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Published: March 23rd 2009
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Volunteering in Vientiane
I'm not much of a city girl, but I travelled to the capital of Laos for one reason... to experience volunteer work with children. It's something I've been looking forward to since I started planning my trip around the world, and it was a fantastic experience! I was pleasantly surprised that the city of Vientiane, Laos was more calm and quiet than the other capital cities in SE Asia. I could actually cross the street and get to the other side intact, since the traffic wasn't too heavy. The day after I arrived, I met with Xuyen, the director of the Donkoi Children's Development Center. She helped me find a guesthouse and introduced me to the children's center, located in a nearby village called Donkoi.
Donkoi Children's Development Center (DCDC) is an after-school program for kids ranging in age from 5-13. The goal is to prevent at-risk children from drug abuse, child trafficking, dropping out of school and deliquency. How? By offering them an opportunity to develop their potential - through creative activities offered after school - totally free to the children and their families. Over 200 children at the Donkoi Primary School get to choose
from a wide range of activities, including theater, art, writing, reading, story-telling, carpentry, games, gardening, traditional dancing, and even weaving.
Xuyen Dangers, the founder and director, is an American citizen who grew up in Vietnam and has lived in Laos for the last 10 years. She is a professional social worker who has also developed five more Children's Centers in Laos. I was so fortunate to be connected with such an amazing woman who is making a difference.
It all started back in 1998 when she got the idea to start a carpentry club for young boys after school with the aid of a talented village carpenter, named Mr. Khamvahn. For the first couple of years, it all took place at Mr. Khamvahn's house in Donkoi Village. In 2000, they built DCDC at the village school compound. Everything from the walls to the bookshelves to the miniature weaving looms were constructed by Mr. Khamvahn, who is now the manager of the Center, as well as the Vice-Chief of Donkoi Village.
Xuyen created fun and educational programs for the children to choose from each day after school. Check out the photos to see a sampling... (scroll down below
my "black eye" photos). These are very lucky children who have the potential to grow up and have a positive impact on their community. The funds and materials are all donated. They economize and use inexpensive supplies, such as scratch paper donated by the International School and wood scraps for the carpenter's club. It's amazing how much they've created from so little. (If you want to donate to the Children's Development Center, see the contact address below.*)
This made my visit to Laos an unforgettable experience and one of the main highlights of my travels so far...
*Contact address for DCDC:
CWS
PO Box 820
Vientiane, Laos PDR
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Julie
non-member comment
You are amazing!
Wow, Laura! What an amazing way to interact with the community and help children. Everytime I look at your blog, I am so amazed by you. What a great opportunity. I look forward to following your travels in more blog entries. Take care!