In rural and remote areas of Northern Laos, many women have difficulty accessing maternal health, adequate nutrition, and access to routine immunisations. Unfortunately, these issues of access are all too common, with little work being done in remote areas to solve these issues.
The Community Association for Salvation and Environment is working in partnership with ChildFund in Laos to implement the Integrated Nutrition for Growth (IN4G) project to ensure that everyone in the community can access healthy food and maternal health.
“The goal of this program is to provide a supportive environment for our community members so they can overcome whatever obstacles they may face. We recruited village volunteers and trained them on SBCC, and they will be able to transfer the knowledge to people in their community,” said Tiet a Project Officer at CASE.
Volunteers were split into two groups. The first group educated the community about health and hygiene. The volunteers encouraged people to keep their living spaces clean, understand waste segregation, shared information on illnesses that may come with dirty environments, and educated the community about the importance of routine immunisations for their children.
The second group educated pregnant women about their nutritional needs, both during and after pregnancy. They encouraged new mothers to register for regular health check-ups at their local hospital and to give birth there, rather than at home. These volunteers provided long-term support to new mothers for 1,000 days after their birth to support them in raising healthy children.
Tiet has been working on this project for one year and has found that more people in the community are now more aware of nutrition and health during and after pregnancy. They have also become more engaged in making changes to better protect themselves and their families.
“The obvious result is that more pregnant women go to the hospital to have antenatal care and give birth there. The school lunch program has also changed a lot over the last year. In the past, children brought only plain rice to school for their lunch. But now after parents have been educated about health and nutrition, they prepare their kids more nutrition food. Children bring rice with meats, vegetable, and season fruit to school for their lunch.”
In the future, Tiet wants to reach more communities that are facing similar maternal health and work with local partners improve access to health care and nutrition information.
“The partnership with ChildFund in Laos has been a game-changer for our community. We’re working for a better living and sustainable for our community by focusing on hygiene, environment, waste segregation, health, and nutrition. These are crucial issues that we have worked hard to address as a partnership with ChildFund.”
Community Association for Salvation and Environment (CASE) is a community-based association that provides services to the public. They are dedicated to the welfare of children in their community and work with other organizations to provide resources and support for them.
Saisingkham Itthiphone is proud to be able to represent his peers at the 2022 Lao Children’s Forum, a national event organised by the National Commission for the Advancement of Women and Mothers and Children (NCAWMC), in partnership with Khammouane Provincial Commission for the Advancement of Women and Mothers and Children.
Saisingkham is a youth representative from Luangprabang Province. “I attended the Lao Children’s Forum for the first time in 2019, and this year I was re-selected to represent the province. I am proud to be a part of this forum because the voices of children and young people are heard. I feel that our voices are very powerful and valuable, and that everyone cherishes children’s thoughts,” he said.
The theme of this year’s forum, held on 13 May in Khammouane Province, was ‘Progress in promoting children’s rights in Lao PDR’ and brought together 62 young people from 17 different provinces. Together they researched, discussed and brainstormed solutions to issues that they and their peers face, including early marriage, unsafe use of social media, road accidents and COVID-19.
It was an opportunity for children and young people to come together and learn about how to become active, responsible, and contributing members of their community. The participants walked away with a newfound confidence on how to address the challenges they and their peers face.
“I am a shy child. I’m usually afraid of speaking up and do not think I can change the society that I live in or the things that affect my life. But after attending the Lao Children’s Forum, I felt that everyone is important to the nation and I want all the children to bring their talents to develop society,” he said.
Another attendee from the Xaysomboun Province, Yervang Xiapao, said, “When I heard that I had been chosen to join the Lao Children’s Forum, I thought that this opportunity would allow me to help other children in my community, as there are still many children in my province who do not prioritise their education. By attending the event, I aim to share what I’ve learnt with my friends in my neighborhood.”
Yervang Xiapao speaking at the forum.
“I want the Lao Children’s Forum to be held every year. And, if possible, I would like ChildFund to do an event like this in my province. Because my hometown is in the mountains, there are no organisations that work with children and young people and I really want to be able to participate in more project activities like the other children,” said Yervang.
Before attending the event, youth representatives attended training sessions to build their confidence and develop everyday life skills. These sessions also encouraged them to learn about gender equality, healthcare, leadership skills and important life skills such as how to plan for their future.
The project also hosted local school-based forums in preparation for the National Forum, which will in turn prepare children and youth representatives for the annual ASEAN Children’s Forum later this year.
Unfortunately, the forum could not go ahead in-person in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. So instead ChildFund selected 12 representatives of children and adolescents from three provinces, Vientiane Capital, Xieng Khouang and Huaphanh, to participate in the forum as an online event.
ChildFund in Laos is proud to support children and young people from diverse backgrounds to attend the event, including all genders, ethnicities and children and young people from both urban and rural parts of the country.
The Lao Children’s Forum is an annual event held under the Ready for Life program, funded by the Australian Governments Australian NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP).
