Blog of the founders, Jesper & David

We have recently arrived back from the Ban Na Luang school building project which goes according to plan. Hopefully the whole building will be done by the end of February (if we manage to find the last group of volunteers).

Approaching the start of  2012 equals planning for new building projects in Laos! We are currently planning on building a house which has an opportunity to generate alternative income to a village in the Luang Prabang province autumn 2012. The idea is to build a clay eco-lodge to be used and rented to smaller groups of visitors with an interest in sustainable tourism accompanied by well-trained guides. Since the tourism in Laos is increasing dramatically, as well as many of them are interested in enjoying a sustainable holiday, the timing seams very good. The eco-lodge will be completely owned by the village and all accommodations fees will go 100% to the village.

The clay eco-lodge will provide the village with a facility that will generate cash income as well as labor opportunities for years to come. During the construction process we will transfer knowledge in building with earthen materials to the villagers as we work alongside in the project. This will create opportunities for them to build their own eco-friendly and cost effective houses. The pictures below shows our model. Thank you Carl Svahnström for your creative illustrations.

We already have one group interested in helping out November 2012. Do you have any suggestions on improvements in this project or other inputs that you would like to share with us?

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1. The village today
The main source of food is generated through rice cultivation.The village has limited alternatives sources of income.

2. During the construction
World Volunteer in cooperation with volunteers constructs the ECO lodge. External funds will be raised by World Volunteer to cover the cost for external materials. Building expertise from World Volunteer will be surveying the process. The villagers will help and learn during the construction process.

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3. Project social output
Small tourist groups are able to stay in the village which will generate labor opportunities and direct income to the villagethrough a village fund. Know-how and experience in how to build and maintain a clay house will be transferred to the villagers in the second and third phase.

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So we have just arrived back in Luang Prabang from our week in Ban Na Luang. It has been an amazing week, that’s for sure. Two walls are up by now and the volunteers has done a great job! Thank you SSHL for sending a team!
Since we don’t use watches, I’ll describe a typical day in the village with few words and more pictures. Is this something for you? Let me know!

Before sunrise
Roosters starts doing their chicken business. You’ll go back to sleep.

At sunrise
Heading down to the school
building site, work starts.

Morning
Work, work.

Lunch
Great, simple tasty food. Time to rest.

Afternoon
Work work.

Evening
Sum up the day. Playing with the children. Wash off in on of the streams. Dinner is served. Conversation with the villagers and time to go to bed.

Do you wish to help us out? We need more volunteers! Click here to gain more information and sign up.

There is so much to engage in when you are in Laos. An organization that really deserves attention is COPE. An organization that helps the Lao people who have lost limbs because of landmines and bombs that still remains after the Vietnam War. COPE assists with prosthesis, rehabilitation and assistive devices.

There are few people who know that Laos is the world’s most bombed country. There is a huge problem with unexploded bombs and landmines (UXO). Both adults and children are often severely damaged followed by death or amputations.

For many poor people in Laos, scrap metal taken from the bombs is worth a lot of money. For a few cents per kilo, they can scrape together money for food and other things that the family needs. This of course exposes a deadly risk to all children and adults who wants to support their family in this way.

Even those who are not actively looking for scrap metal are constantly exposed to danger. It is mainly farmers who are victims of explosions when they farm their land that contains mines and/or bombs.

Clearing UXO is both costly and time-consuming, and many organizations are trying to inform people in rural areas about the dangers.

If you are in Vientiane we recommend you to visit COPEs exhibition and learn more about this issue.

We thought we would shift focus from volunteering for a moment and instead make room for emotions and feelings about Laos – a country that so often leaves beautiful memories to the ones who visits it. Which is why we organize volunteer placements there and why we are so devoted to make life better for the Lao.

It is now extremely popular to visit Thailand on holidays, especially amongst Swedes. Often tourists miss out on what else there is to explore once sitting comfortably on the beach. If you just travel a bit north, you end up in Laos – “the land of a thousand elephants”.

The moment you arrive in Laos, you can feel the mystique and a sense of something exciting and different. Everywhere you go, you see beautiful colors on the local temples houses and trees. The smells from the street kitchens challenge the senses, and you can almost taste the chilies and spices.

The impressions will be with you long after coming home, but it’s often the memories of the people you have met that you will remember most vividly.

Whatever situation you might be in, there is always someone willing to help. They laugh happily at you when you are dragging on a motorcycle with a flat tire so bad that you can run your hand through the hole. But with a calming “Bowh pehn yangh” (no problem) you succeed despite language difficulties, and a moment later you can go home with a repaired tire.

In Laos you get the feeling that you are never alone. Everyone is family and friends and you are always welcome.

In Southeast Asia, especially in Laos, lives many minority tribes in remote villages and areas. The minority tribes such as Akha, Mhong and Lao Sung, are speaking languages that are completely separated from the Lao language. This means that their never get the chance to learn the national language, Lao, and then they are condemned to remain in the village and work in the fields or within the family.

Most of these areas have a lack of basic educational facilities and by far are all the children are capable of attending school.

By building schools and ensuring that the Lao language is taught, we make it possible for these children to attend higher education and/or find work in the rest of the country.