Mission Report to Lao PDR
17 – 20 March 2003
Mr.Ninomiya with representatives from the Lao Disabled People’s Association
An APCD mission team visited Lao PDR from 17-20 March 2003 and received positive responses for cooperation with APCD after visiting five Governmental and five Non-governmental Organizations.
Lao PDR is a very small country of 5 million people with few organizations working for PWDs. However, there are valuable resource persons/organizations and impressive programs for PWDs.
In 1995 the government established the National Committee for Disabled People (NCDP), chaired by the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare. It is a collaborative body of Governmental Organizations such as the Ministry of Health, and the Ministry of Education which support the Lao Disabled Peoples’ Association (LDPA) and the Lao Disabled Women Development Center (LDWDC).
Ms. Chanpheng Sivila, has a remarkable program for PWDs at the Lao Disabled Women Development Center (LDWDC). To our knowledge, this is the first women’s development center for the PWDs in the Asia-Pacific region which has been fully organized by Laotians. The vocational training includes a six months sewing class, a one month banana leaf papercraft, three months silk weaving class; and a one month computer training class.
Trainees come from Vientiane, the capital of Lao PDR, and five other provinces where the LDPA has provincial branches. Trainees stay in a dormitory at the Center. Amazingly, the Center accepts male students since they do not want to have gender discrimination; also, there is no vocational center available for men with disabilities.
LDPA, an officially recognized NGO working for PWDs with branches in five provinces is an implementing as well as a coordinating body. They collaborate with the LDWDC to recruit trainees for their vocational school from the five provincial branches.
Photo of Lao Disabled Women Development Center (LDWDC)
Mr. Singkham Takounphak, the President of LDPA and Mr. Bounviene Lanunggnot, a member of LDPA as well as the Secretariat of NCDP, promised to recommend potential leaders with disabilities for the APCD training courses.
Mr. Vangzay Phonelameuang, Project Coordinator for World Concern, has had a Community-based Rehabilitation (CBR) Program in Sarawan Province for 10 years. Major programs are primary health care and clean water supply which help prevent disabilities; for PWDs, they have rehabilitation and income generation programs .
Mr. Luc Delneuville and Mr. Ngo Thuc Tinh, from Handicap International (HI), continue to develop a CBR program and de-mine near the border of Viet Nam. Nearly 30 years after the Viet Nam War, one of the major causes of PWDs is the thousands of unexploded land mines still remaining in Lao PDR.
HI has conducted an analytical survey on CBR for PWDs interviewing more than 5,000 persons in communities in collaboration with the National Rehabilitation Center (NRC). They are also planning to organize a National Seminar on CBR from 12-15 May 2003 at Vientiane and invite local leaders of/for PWDs.
The overall outcome of the mission was significant in that we could establish cooperative and supportive relations with Lao PDR Governmental and Non-governmental Organizations. Also, we could identify some capable Lao PDR leaders with disabilities who could be good candidates for future APCD training courses.
See the mission schedule for Lao PDR
See the photo gallery of Lao PDR
