Ever wanted to know what it’s like to work in international aid? In this special series, we introduce you to our many dedicated staff members working behind the scenes and on the ground, in Australia and overseas.
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For ChildFund Laos’ Blonglee Kouchongtoua, being a Global Community officer means going beyond the duties in his job description.
This includes sacrificing his free time a few nights a week so he can run workshops with ChildFund volunteers who want to learn important skills to help their communities.
“Sometimes I am tired from the journey and working until late at night, but I never want to stop,” Blonglee says.
“On the contrary, it inspires me to study and search for new knowledge to pass on so I can encourage these local children to gain abilities to use in their daily lives.”
“I’m so happy that I have passed my knowledge on to local children.”
Blonglee is based in ChildFund’s office in Nonghet, a remote area surrounded by mountains in the northeast of Laos, close to the border with Vietnam.
About 65 per cent of the population in Nonghet are Hmong people, one of the most disadvantaged ethnic groups in Laos.
Villages in Nonghet are still affected by high unexploded ordnance contamination, as a result of the Vietnam war. This has left families in fear, and makes it extremely difficult to farm and build in new areas.