As a child-centred organisation, ChildFund Laos works especially with children and focuses on the issue of child protection in our work.
While we cannot stop disasters and other risks to children, we can reduce their impact by working in partnership with children and their families in Nonghet, Laos.
ChildFund uses a tool called the Participatory Capacity and Vulnerability Analysis method that enables communities to express their perceptions and understanding of hazards affecting them. This in turn informs our development work.
In Nonghet in northern Laos, two of the main risks that children identify in their lives are road safety and dog bites.
With much of the land still littered with unexploded bombs leftover from the Vietnam War, children are often forced to play near the main road, which is the route used by large trucks and buses moving between Laos and Vietnam.
As there are no footpaths, children are also forced to walk on the road to get to school. Mostly by themselves while their parents are busy working in the fields to support their families. The road is narrow and windy, leaving drivers with poor visibility. This combined with excessive speed causes many accidents.
To help reduce this hazard ChildFund working with the local community to devise solutions and is providing children in Nonghet with road safety training.
We believe that children have the right to participate in decisions that affect them so it is vital we always include input from them when designing development programs, but having children sit together to gather information about the risks that they face also has several other benefits.
We find children often have different perceptions of hazards compared to adults, so it is essential that young people are given the opportunity to be actively involved in the creation of their own community disaster risk plans.
Involving children in developing these plans also ensures young people have a greater retention of the knowledge they need to protect themselves against risks and are able to take action in the face of danger.
Using a participatory method also helps to empower young people and build their confidence by teaching them to think critically and actively about their surroundings.
ChildFund Laos believes the right tools are invaluable for helping kids to take steps to reduce the risks they face in their communities every day.
Chucho started life with many challenges, growing up in an impoverished community in Michoacan, Mexico. His father died when he was only two, and his mother passed away from cancer when he was 11. Fortunately, his aunt took him in and he also became more engaged with ChildFund programs.
Today, Chucho, whose given name is Jesa, is 21 years old. He is a dance instructor, gives workshops on environmental education, studies marketing at college and volunteers for environmental causes.
Chucho began his affiliation with ChildFund Mexico at the age of 6. He started by being involved in skills development programs, and as he grew older, he participated in sporting events, celebrations, reading programs and after-school tutoring.
As time passed, Chucho realised that he was changing on the inside. He was less introverted, he was able to speak in public without embarrassment and he felt more confident.
In high school, he began practising public speaking, participating in competitions and winning first place several times. “What I wanted the most was to show my family that every effort has good results,” he says. Chucho also discovered his passion for dancing.
But life was still complicated, because he had no money to continue studying. At the age of 14 he decided to start working as a teacher`s aide in his community.
“I worked very hard in order to convince the children to participate in various competitions, to organise contests with other schools, and they always won something,” Chucho says. “I wanted to share with them one of the most important things I had learned in ChildFund Mexico €“ that everything is possible if you work hard for it.”
At the age of 15, Chucho received recognition from his community as the top teacher’s aide. His ChildFund sponsor, who still supports him today, expressed her pride in him too.
Then one day, Chucho was asked to become the youth leader of ChildFund`s local partner organisation, Valle Verde, in his community. He accepted without hesitation and began to organise all kinds of events, recognising that young people need support and motivation.
In 2012, Chucho received the Youth Merit Award of Michoacán. This is an award given to young people who are great leaders in different fields. He received the award from the governor of Michoacán, and Chucho was on the radio and television news.
“All the things I have done and what I am today is thanks to ChildFund Mexico,” he says. “They taught me so many things, and they took care of me when my parents died. They are my family. Now I want to continue working with young people so we can improve our community together.”
