Help Children in Laos
Landlocked Laos is comprisedÌýof thickly forested andÌýmountainous terrain. The Mekong River forms a large part of the country's western border with Thailand.
Most children in Laos live in rural areas, where about 80% of families earn a living in agriculture. These rural areas are especially vulnerable to the impacts of natural disasters, such as extreme flooding and droughts, which can lead to increased food insecurity and loss ofÌýlivelihoods.Ìý
Poverty is widespread in Laos, and is especially severe for children from ethnic minorities living in rural areas. Families lack access to basic services, including health care, sanitation and food. As a result, 33% of children in Laos under the age of 5 suffer from stunting due to malnutrition, and Laos has one of the highest child mortality rates in Southeast Asia.Ìý
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Challenges for Children in Laos
1 child in 22 dies before their 5th birthday, 7 times the U.S. rate
33% of children suffer from stunting due to malnutrition
28% of children are engaged in child labor, instead of learning
18% of people live in poverty
Our Results for Children in Laos
Thanks to giving people like you, our work for children in Laos is helping them not only survive but thrive, including the over 300,000 children whose lives we changed last year.
Thanks to you, we’re helping the most vulnerable families – like that of Ntokozo and his sons Joseph, age 7, and Sipho, age 13 – with emergency cash transfers, so they can feed and support their children.
275,000 children healthy and nourished
26,000 children educated and empowered
3,000 children protected from harm
55,000 children lifted from poverty
Our Work for Children in Laos
»ÆÉ«ÊÓƵhas supported programs in Laos since 1987. Today, we continue to help children in Laos access quality healthcare, education, protection and nutrition services so that they can not only survive, but also live to build a better future for themselves and their families.
Here are some recent examples of our work:
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A healthy start in life
- InÌýLaos, our signatureÌýÌýhas been reaching children and mothers in remote communities for more than 25 years. Our current focus is on providing remote health centers with essential medical equipment, encouraging better nutrition and care practices within families, and supporting health workers and midwives through training and mentoring.
- Through our USAID Nurture project, we reached 25,000 pregnant women and 23,000 children with integrated nutrition and water, sanitation, and hygiene services and activities in 471 villages across six districts in Khammouane and Savannakht provinces.
Emergency response
- In response to an emergency request from the Government ofÌýLaos, the USAID Local Health System Sustainability Project (LHSS) worked with the Ministry of Health (MOH) to combat the spread of COVID-19.Ìý
- In 2021, we will work with the Green Climate Fund to increase the climate resilience of health systems to protect and improve the delivery of essential health services to the Lao population.
How to Help Children in Laos
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Support Save the Children’s mission. Donate to help children in Laos and around the world grow up healthy, educated and safe.
Join Team Tomorrow
Join Team Tomorrow and your monthly donation will go toward addressing the needs of children affected by today’s most urgent issues.Ìý
Give a meaningful gift that will help transform children’s lives and futures in Laos and beyond. There’s something for everyone!
Sources: Facts and statistics have been sourced from Save the Children’s monitoring and evaluation experts, as well asÌýour thought leadership publications, including our Global Childhood Report 2021 report.ÌýOther sources includeÌý and .