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“I am so happy now that I know my land is cleared from UXO. I can start to plant my vegetables and even raise livestock near the house. Thank you to UXO Lao and the CBID team for helping make this happen”. Bounpha – Caregiver of CBID beneficiary. To ensure that no one is harmed or fatally injured from UXO, the importance of UXO clearance cannot be understated. From May 31 to June 4 in Kham District, Xieng Khouang Province, UXO Lao cleared the land of 14 families in high-risk UXO areas. These households are beneficiaries of USAID Okard Community Based Inclusive Development (CBID). Now ...

Lao PDR celebrates International Children’s Day on the 1st of June each year by recognizing the need to protect children’s rights in order to ensure they grow into happy, healthy adults. But, did you know, around the world there are approximately 93 million children with disabilities and are one of the most marginalized and excluded groups. In their daily life many barriers exist including experiencing negative attitudes and discrimination, being less likely to attend school, access general healthcare, rehabilitation and assistive products, or have their voices heard in society.  In Lao PDR, the USAID Okard project has a vision to build communities where children with disabilities ...

On 6 April 2021, the USAID Okard project conducted an Implementation Management Committee (IMC) meeting in Savannakhet Province. The meeting was attended by the National Committee for Disabled People and the Elderly (NCDE) from the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare, the Ministry of Health, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from central, provincial and district level and the Quality of Life Association Xiengkhouang. These key stakeholders discussed the progress of the USAID Okard project during the past six months as well as the lessons learned and future plans of the project in order to support disability inclusion in Lao P.D.R. At the IMC meeting, USAID ...

“It is challenging for persons with visual impairment to access information when they need it. Creating accessible information documents is not too complicated but it requires some time to learn specific technical skills. I believe it is worth the effort because accessible information not only benefits persons with visual impairment, but it will also be useful for everyone to access ”- Aikeo Koomanivong, Director of Disability Service Center (DSC) in Laos. This month, we are celebrating #GlobalAccessibilityAwarenessDay to support achieving the goal that people with disabilities can access web-based services, content and other digital products. Over one billion people across the globe have a disability ...

Did you know? This week marks the International Week of the Deaf! This year’s theme is “Reaffirming Deaf People’s Human Rights” to unite in endorsement of the need to secure and promote the human rights of deaf people. Since the early signs of the COVID-19 outbreak, and as one of the leaders in disability inclusion in Laos, the USAID Okard project has enhanced synergies between the National Operations Center for COVID-19 and the Center for Communication and Education for Health (CCEH) of the Ministry of Health, UN agencies, and national and international development partners to ensure that people with disabilities have equal access to reliable information ...

One of the prerequisites of a successful mine risk education (MRE) program is a confident and well-trained teaching force. In addition to working with the Ministry of Education and Sport on curriculum development, the Comprehensive Mine Risk Education project (funded by the the US Department of State), has partnered with the Department of Teacher Education (DTE) to support eight teacher training colleges (TTCs) across Laos as they train their final year students on MRE lessons. So far, a total of 2,351 student teachers have participated in these one-day training workshops, learning how to use participatory teaching methods to effectively deliver unexploded ordnance (UXO) safety messages ...

On September 24-25, 2019, U.S. Ambassador Rena Bitter together with the Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Welfare, Madame Baikham Katthiya, and representatives from the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, World Education Laos, and local authorities attended the USAID Okard project’s community awareness raising and screening activities in Kouymor village, Kham district, Xieng Khouang province. USAID Okard Community Based Inclusive Development (CBID) facilitators from the Quality of Life Association (QLA), a local non-profit association, led the activities. USAID works with the Government of Laos, World Education, Humanity & Inclusion, and civil society organizations to promote disability inclusive policies so that no person is left ...

World Education is pleased to announce the official launch of the USAID Okard project. “This new agreement marks an important milestone in our countries’ partnership to enhance the independence and functional ability of persons with disabilities through equal access to health and social services in Laos,” said U.S. Ambassador Rena Bitter. On May 16, the Country Director of World Education Laos, Ms Sarah Bruinooge and the Director General of the Department of Policy to Devotees Disability and the Elderly and Head of the Secretariat of the National Committee for Disabled People and the Elderly of the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare, Mr. Khamping Sengtannalat signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the ...

ໃນປີ 2017, ອົງການ ເວີລ໌ດເອດຢູເຄຊັນ ໄດ້ຈັດຕັ້ງ ແລະ ນໍາພາ ກິດຈະກໍາລົງສໍາຫລວດ ຄວາມຕ້ອງການທີ່ຍັງບໍ່ທັນໄດ້ຮັບການຕອບສະໜອງ ຂອງຜູ້ລອດຊີວິດຈາກ ລບຕ ທີ່ດຳລົງຊີວິດໃນ ສປປ ລາວ. ອີງຕາມສະຖິຕິຖານຂໍ້ມູນ ຈາກຫ້ອງການ ຄະນະກຳມະການຄຸ້ມຄອງແຫ່ງຊາດ ເພື່ອແກ້ໄຂ ບັນຫາລະເບີດບໍ່ທັນແຕກ ທີ່ຕົກຄ້າງຢູ່ ສປປ ລາວ ຈຳນວນຜູ້ລອດຊີວິດຈາກ ລບຕ ທັງໝົດໃນທົ່ວປະເທດແມ່ນປະມານ 15,000ຄົນ. ອົງການ ເວີລ໌ດເອດຢູເຄຊັນ ຮ່ວມກັບບໍລິສັດ ສຳຫລວດ ອີນໂດໄຊນາ ລົງສຳຫລວດເກັບກຳ ຂໍ້ມູນຜູ້ລອດຊີວິດ ເຊັ່ນ: ຂໍ້ມູນດ້ານການປິ່ນປົວ, ດ້ານເສດຖະກິດ ແລະ ຂໍ້ມູນດ້ານອື່ນໆທີ່ກ່ຽວຂ້ອງ ຈາກຜູ້ລອດຊີວິດ ຈຳນວນ 300ຄົນ ຈາກແຂວງ ຊຽງຂວາງ, ສະຫວັນນະເຂດ ແລະ ອັດຕະປື. ທ່ານ ນາງ ດຣ ໂຈ ເດີແຮມ ຈາກໂຮງຮຽນພາກວິຊາສຸຂະພາບສາທາລະນະສຸກ ຄະນະແພດສາດ, ມະຫາວິທະຍາໄລຄິນສະແລນ, ປະເທດອົດສະຕຣາລີ (School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Queensland) ເປັນຫົວໜ້າທິມໃນການອອກແບບເຄື່ອງມືເກັບກໍາຂໍ້ມູນ ແລະ ວິໃຈຜົນໄດ້ຮັບ ຈາກຜູ້ຕອບແບບສອບຖາມ ຈໍານວນ 300ຄົນ. ບົດລາຍງານຜົນໄດ້ຮັບຂອງການລົງສຳຫລວດແມ່ນເວົ້າເຖິງລາຍລະອຽດ ຂອງຄວາມຕ້ອງການທີ່ຍັງບໍ່ທັນໄດ້ຮັບການຕອບສະໜອງຂອງຜູ້ລອດຊີິວິດ ແລະ ບັນດາຂໍ້ແນະນຳຕ່າງໆແມ່ນໄດ້ນຳສະເໜີ ແລະ ປຶກສາຫາລືໃນກອງປະຊຸມເຜີຍແຜ່ຜົນໄດ້ຮັບຂອງການລົງສຳຫລວດ ເຊິ່ງໄດ້ຈັດຂື້ນຢູ່ນະຄອນຫລວງວຽງຈັນ ໂດຍມີຕົວແທນເຂົ້າຮ່ວມຈາກ ໂຮງໝໍແຂວງ, ອົງການຈັດຕັ້ງສາກົນ ແລະ ຕາງໜ້າຈາກ ຫ້ອງການ ຄະນະກຳມະການຄຸ້ມຄອງແຫ່ງຊາດ ເພື່ອແກ້ໄຂ ບັນຫາລະເບີດບໍ່ທັນແຕກ ທີ່ຕົກຄ້າງຢູ່ ສປປ ລາວ. ໃນຂະນະທີ່ຄວາມຕ້ອງການຂອງບຸກຄົນທີ່ໄດ້ກໍານົດໃນໄລຍະການສໍາຫຼວດ ເຊັ່ນ: ອຸປະກອນເຄື່ອງຊ່ວຍອໍານວຍຄວາມສະດວກຕ່າງໆ, ການຊ່ວຍເຫລືອດ້ານສຸຂະພາບຈິດ ແລະ ການເຂົ້າຮອດເຂົ້າເຖິງການບໍລິການດ້ານສຸຂະພາບ ເຊິ່ງຍັງຄົງເປັນບັນຫາທີ່ທ້າທາຍຫຼັກ, ການສື່ສານທີ່ດີກ່ວາເກົ່າ ລະຫວ່າງຄູ່ຮ່ວມງານດ້ານການພັດທະນາ, ບັນດາອົງການຈັດຕັ້ງປະຕິບັດກິດຈະກຳການຊ່ວຍເຫລືອ ແລະ ພະນັກງານສຸຂະພາບ ຈະຊ່ວຍປັບປຸງລະບົບການຄຸ້ມຄອງແຕ່ລະກໍລະນີ ແລະ ຊ່ອງທາງນດ້ານການປິ່ນປົວ ໂດຍມີຂໍ້ມູນດັ່ງກ່າວນີ້ ອົງການເວີລ໌ດເອດຢູເຄຊັນ ...

The goal of the USAID funded World Education TEAM project was ambitious: to enable people with disabilities, especially women and girls, to attain and maintain maximum independence to fully and equally participate in all aspects of life. The stories in this book are stories of hope and resilience, and they illustrate the contribution that World Education’s USAID-funded TEAM project has made towards the realization of the rights of persons with disabilities to access improved services and to enjoy the same quality of life as others in the Lao PDR. Click the picture below to see the e-book version of TEAM’s “Celebrating Diversity: Stories of Hope and Resilience”.