People changing lives in Laos

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During my visit to Laos I came across two great charities, both doing very different but extremely valuable work...so I think they're worth a mention in their own right.

In Luang Prabang I spent an evening with The Big Brother Mouse Charity (www.BigBrotherMouse.com). They are a small local charity, with a shop in Vientiane too, with the aim of improving literacy in Laos and also in helping children with learning English. They publish colourful story books in Laos, as there really aren't many books available, so many children in rural villages have never owned a book and have never read for pleasure. The charity also use books to communicate important information about health and nutrition too and publish some bilingual books, to help those who are learning English.

The project they I helped out with is a drop in service that they run in Luang Prabang, where every day children can call in before or after school for help with their English. Any English speaking visitor can go along and help the children and young adults practice their conversational English, or assist them with their homework. I spent a few hours with two teenage boys and it was clear that they were so eager to learn as much from me as possible, asking me lots of questions and writing down everything I was telling them. It was a really enjoyable evening, it cost me nothing more than a few hours, but I took away such a rewarding experience and hopefully managed to help in a small way.

The second charity that I came across was in Vientiane, when me and Lara visited the Cope centre (www.copelaos.org) which is an exhibition ran by this not for profit organisation about the mass of unexploded ordnance (UXO) left in Laos following the Vietnam war. The exhibition was an absolute eye opener, as I had no idea that Laos had been so heavily bombed during the war....it seems to be a well kept secret in many ways. The attached photo shows a list of shocking facts about the bombings.

And it continues to be a problem, as since the war there have been over 20,000 victims of UXO. There are charities that are working continuously to locate and dismantle the bombs, training teams of locals to do the same. But they are in a race against local villagers who dig up the bombs in desperation for the money from their scrap metal value, and these villagers are often children. Cope is working to educate people about the risks involved and to raise awareness of this problem, but their main focus is providing support to victims; including producing artificial limbs. One of the photos shows some of the home made limbs that they have found people being forced to use, as I looked at them hanging up in the exhibition I couldnt imagine the quality of life they'd provide, or lack of.

I'm so pleased that I came into contact with both these organisations. There is so much that I don't know about the countries I'm travelling in, and whilst I enjoy the amazing aspects and attractions of the places I'm in, I think it's also important to be to learn about the stuggles they face too. Hopefully a few people will read this blog and find out a little more too.

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