Child sponsorship launched in Laos

These girls are drawing a map to demonstrate what change they would like to see in their community

Children in Laos, a small country in South East Asia where most families are subsistence farmers, now have the opportunity to build relationships with Australians through child sponsorship.

Following a series of community consultation and planning meetings held in their villages, children from Pha Oudom district of Bokeo Province in mountainous northern Laos can now be sponsored. These children will become the representatives for their entire communities with the regular funding from their sponsorship empowering all members. Regular funding means long term projects such as improving education, health care and sustainable livelihoods can be planned and implemented according to child centred community development approaches.

These communities are in some of the poorest areas of Bokeo where there are few roads and many villages are only accessible on foot or by canoe. Until recently they had no knowledge of Plan and its work or child sponsorship. However through music, games and drama, the Plan Laos team has introduced Plan to communities and held consultations with children, young people and adults in the first villages.

We would like to thank the Asia Regional Office for their great support; and our colleagues in Plan Bangladesh and Plan Philippines for their help in exposing our new Plan Laos team to child centered community development approaches.

Terence McCaughan, Laos Country Director

With 15 different ethnic groups in the villages which are widely scattered across the mountainous region, there is a wonderful opportunity for Australians to also learn about their ethnic diversity and the day-to-day lives of Laotian children and their families.

Sponsor a child in Laos.

Learn more about Plan's work in Laos.