Knocking on doors

Last Friday, I spent the day trekking through Vientiane to visit three different offices: MAG (the Mines Advisory Group), Peuan Mit Street Children Project and World Education Laos. At MAG, I learned more facts and figures on UXO's and also learned there's a possibility I can go with them on one of their UXO clearing trips up north. Peuan Mit takes children off streets and into school (http://www.friends-international.org/wherewework/lao-pdr.asp?mainmenu=wherewework&page=laopdr). I decided their work, as remarkable as it is, would not work the best with my project. So I set out to find World Education Laos (http://laos.worlded.org/).

I serendipitously found World Education Laos on the internet after entering my post last Thursday night. Frustration turned to hope again as I read of their work. Quite conveniently, they already are working with children survivors of UXO accidents in obtaining an education. They also help survivors pay for their medical costs which could easily bankrupt a survivor's family.

Finding addresses in Vientiane, and anywhere in Laos, can be a bit tricky. I do have an excellent map of the city but unfortunately, most places are identified by landmarks rather than numerical addresses. At MAG, they told me that the World Education office was across the road from Don Chan Palace, a huge hotel on the Mekong River. Although I could easily have walked there, I decided to take the tuk-tuk to the neighborhood because the glaring sun was starting to get to me.

For the first time in my life, I have been able to use the French I took in school. I found it very helpful to smack myself on the forehead a couple times to find the right words. Sign language and Laotians' wonderful willingness to help also worked wonders. After about an hour of searching, I found the World Education office on a small side street.

How glad am I that I found them!! I met with a very sweet man named Phadsada who welcomed my unannounced visit with a huge smile. That smile grew broader and broader when he learned of what I hope to do. I am so pleased to learn that they have just set up a new office in the northern province called Xiang Khouang, which has highest concentration of UXO's in Laos. He recommended that I meet with his co-worker, Vongdala, who is the Project Coordinator there.

Incidentally, MAG also works a lot in Xiang Khouang province. Could I get so lucky that I could go on an UXO clearing trip AND see World Education's new office all in one trip to Xiang Khouang? I will definitely try!

An email to World Education

Dear Mr. Chanthavong,

I visited the World Education office in Vientiane last Friday and Mr. Vongphachanh (Vongdala) recommended that I speak with you.

I would like to meet with you to discuss a potential new project. My name is Isabel Chung and I am a graduate student at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health’s Department of Mental Health. I am looking to set up an educational enrichment program for children in Laos who are survivors of UXO accidents.

This will be part of a research project for school to demonstrate that an enriched environment can help those who suffer childhood trauma to recover from psychological and physical damage. I hypothesize that an educational enrichment program will empower them to lead healthy and productive lives. In order to set up this program, I would like to work with you and World Education as you already are doing very similar work in Laos.

Presently, I am visiting family here in Vientiane until March 15, 2010. I very much would like to meet with you while here. Back in the U.S., I have the interest of many in this potential project and believe a partnership could bring your work
notoriety as well.

My email address is: isabelchung1@gmail.com. I hope to hear from you soon. Thank you very much.

Kindest Regards,
Isabel

2-25-10

2-25-10 As for my educational enrichment project for children victims of UXO’s, I’ve encountered a couple obstacles. First, my efforts to contact various NGO’s who work with UXO victims has so far proven futile. I’m beginning to wonder if the reason for the lack in response is because my goal is a bit too lofty.

In other words, there seems to be a much greater second obstacle: Poverty. I gained this insight through my conversation with Nahm. Poverty keeps even relatively healthy kids out of school for two reasons. One, there just are not enough schools in rural Laos. Two, when there’s no food on the table, everyone in the family, including children, has to work. To make matters worse, scrap metal provides the greatest source of income in rural Laos. Large corporations actually come into these areas and pay cash for scrap metal. So even though they risk their lives in handling UXO’s, people still think the risk worthwhile because they can maybe get away with it and put food on the table for their family. Therefore, the greatest problem lies with just getting children to school, or so it seems.

So if there is little or no access to education, how can there be any educational enrichment? In other words, how can I enhance education for a specific population (i.e., UXO victims) when even a basic education is not accessible for the general population of rural school children? These questions compound the problem of how to find children who are UXO victims and set up a special program for them. I hope the answers will be clearer in the morning! Feel free to email me your input too!!

The Cope Center

2-24-10 Today, I crossed a threshold that probably changed my life. I visited the Cope Center here in Laos and learned firsthand of the fight against UXO’s. Visitors are only allowed in a museum where you can see and learn of all the different types of UXO’s. Also, there are photographs and stories posted of various victims of UXO’s.

I went on a museum tour given by a college student named Nahm. He told me that he was one of nine children in a rural family and lived on his own since he was 8 years old. The way he told his story, he made it sound like it was no big deal. So I asked him if it was common for children to leave their families at such a young age and he said yes. I cannot even fathom it. As a young boy, Nahm was able to take refuge in a monastery where he lived for several years as monk. He is the only one in his family to have finished high school.

As far as I know, monasteries don’t accept girls. So what happens to homeless girls? If they’re not sold by their families for money first, then I imagine they end up having to find other kinds of street work. Will have to do more research on this.

While at the Cope Center, I watch an excerpt from a recently made movie on the effort to clean UXO’s from Laos. It’s called “Bomb Harvest” and is a well-done documentary on the work of a bomb disposal group from and NGO called MAG (Mines Advisory Group) International. Call me crazy but I’d really like to go on one of these clean-up missions to see for myself how UXO’s are affecting Laotians.

Vientiane and first impressions

2.5 days now in Vientiane, the capital city of Laos. Tim and Susan have been wonderful in showing us around and teaching me the ropes of how to get around here. We covered quite a bit of ground the first day and half here. Mostly walked around the downtown.

My traveling companion, Aunt Hildred, has been a blast! At 76 years old, she doesn't miss a beat. She's added so much wealth to our trip because she stops to appreciate all the little details. For example, we were shopping and every few steps she'd exclaim, "Oh, look at this! Isn't it just bee-u-tee-ful?!"

And indeed, we saw so many bee-u-tee-ful things. Textiles and weaving seem to be the most common form of art here; Tapestries made of the finest threads, luscious silk blouses thin as tissue, and everything in such vibrant colors. Also love all the tropical flowers, especially orchids, everywhere!

Hildred says that she'll try everything once and she does. Today she even took a ride on a motorcycle for her first time. She eats everything and loves trying all the different flavors. I SO want to be like her when I'm her age. She has such a lust for life!

Despite the age difference, I feel like she's my soul sister and am so lucky to be on this journey with her.

Making my way to Vientiane, Laos

Greetings and welcome to my blog! It is now 7:32 a.m. in Taipei, Taiwan and I am writing from a internet kiosk at the airport. There are 3 computers plus wireless service and it's all free!! We need these in the U.S. Funny thing is that it's all young Americans using this service -- internet junkies like me! :-)

Anyhow, what am I doing in Taipei? Well, for those of you who haven't heard yet, I'm on my way to Vientiane, Laos to visit my brother, Tim, and sister-in-law, Susan. While here though, I'm also hoping to start launch an educational enrichment program for children who have been injured by unexploded ordnances (or UXO's). You can read more about UXO's and their impact on Laos at these websites: http://www.uxolao.org/ and http://www.copelaos.org/. According to one estimate, one person/day becomes a UXO casualty and 50% of these are children (http://www.copelaos.org/).

As you can imagine, anyone who suffers such an accident experiences great distress both physically and emotionally. I hypothesize that an educational enrichment program will help these children overcome the horror of their accident and equip them to lead healthy, productive lives. I am inspired by the work of a UC-Berkeley neuroscientist, Professor Marian Diamond. You may read about Professor Diamond's work at this website: http://www.newhorizons.org/neuro/diamond_cambodia.htm. I will also write more about her and the neuroscience research on enriched environments which provides the foundation for this project.

For now though, I'm off to another layover in Bangkok, Thailand...