Laos

Laos is one of the least developed countries in the world. Situated between Thailand and Vietnam in South East Asia, it has made progress in reducing poverty during the past decade.

The Attapeu province, where most of our work is based, is a poor and remote region at the southernmost tip of the country. Typical problems are:

• Chronic malnutrition – villagers have insufficient food for 4-8 months of the year
• Infant and maternal mortality rates are higher than national averages
• Remote villages often become cut off during the rainy season, which can prevent people from accessing health services such as immunisation clinics and antenatal and postnatal care
• Women in these areas often give birth in unsafe conditions without trained birth attendants, which increases the risk of them dying during childbirth

Health Poverty Action is working with remote communities to:

Improve mother and child health amongst hill tribes

We are improving maternal and child health through our project with indigenous communities in Attapeu. Regular Health Days reach remote communities to provide basic services such as immunisations, prenatal and postnatal care, and to identify and feed malnourished children.

Improve health and nutrition

In Attapeu we are increasing food security and the protection of the wetland environment, in order to improve the nutrition and health of resettled ethnic tribes.

Educate young people

In Saravan, Sekong and Attapeu, we are raising awareness of sexual and reproductive health issues that affect young people, and addressing them through training health staff and community volunteers.

Eradicate malaria

We are also helping to prevent malaria in Saravan, Sekong, Attapeu and northern Laos. This includes distributing bed nets, diagnosing and referring patients with malaria and training volunteers to raise awareness of the disease.