Press Release: USAID provides support to UNICEF’s Emergency Response to Floods in Laos

Vientiane, Lao PDR, 31 July 2018 – The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has granted to UNICEF the sum of $100,000 to provide support for the emergency response to the floods in Lao PDR with a focus on access to clean drinking water for people in the camps and child protection.  

There are more than 7,300 people displaced by the floods who have been registered in displacement camp shelters. This grant will provide emergency relief support in Attapeu and nearby affected areas of Sothern Laos through the provision of hygiene and sanitation supplies and facilities, and awareness raising to prevent outbreak of water borne diseases. It will allow for a quick dispatch of additional water purification solutions and the rehabilitation of contaminated water sources in communities, including health centers and schools.

In addition, the USAID contribution will help identify unaccompanied and separated children and facilitate psychosocial support for children, while strengthening coordination with relevant authorities.

“We welcome this U.S. contribution which will help UNICEF and the Government of Lao PDR to better respond to the needs of those affected by the floods. As an initial response, UNICEF has made available pre-positioned water and sanitation supplies for 1,500 households including tarpaulins, soap and jerry cans which have arrived in Attapeu province. We have now finalized the rapid assessment and are working with the Government and development partners on a medium and long term response to meet the needs of children and their families affected by the floods,” said Octavian Bivol, UNICEF Representative in Lao PDR.

“We recognize that there will be longer term impacts to this tragedy. When the water recedes, the American people will continue to stand with the people of the Lao PDR,” said U.S. Ambassador Rena Bitter.

Current priority needs for children include access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene; immunization and vitamin A supplementation; management of acute malnutrition cases and provision of psychosocial support and child friendly spaces. UNICEF is working in coordination with the Government of Lao PDR, development partners and other UN agencies to ensure that those in need receive support.

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About UNICEF

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, to build a better world for everyone. For more information about UNICEF and its work for children in Lao PDR, visit http://www.unicef.org/laos

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and at www.unicef.org

About USAID

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is the principal U.S. Government agency extending assistance to countries worldwide recovering from disaster, trying to escape poverty and engaging in democratic reforms. For more information about USAID, visit: https://www.usaid.gov/

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For more information, please contact:
Maria Fernandez, UNICEF Lao PDR, (+856) 2055519681, mfernandez@unicef.org

Tabongphet Phouthavong, UNCEF Lao PDR, (+856) 2096888890, tphouthavong@unicef.org

Richard Nyberg, USAID Regional Development Mission for Asia, rnyberg@usaid.gov  

Wiraporn Srisuwanwattana, USAID Regional Development Mission for Asia, wsrisuwanwattana@usaid.gov

Press Release: Children affected by floods in Laos need urgent support

UNICEF and partners working to save lives and meet urgent needs of most vulnerable children

Vientiane, Lao PDR, 25 July 2018 – UNICEF is working with the Government of Lao PDR and development partners to provide essential support and services to around 6,331 people, including children, affected by the floods in Attapeu province (Southern Laos).

 

“We are deeply saddened by the news in Attapeu. It is imperative that we meet urgent humanitarian needs and ensure the safety of children and families who have been displaced by the floods,” said Octavian Bivol, UNICEF Representative in Lao PDR. “Based on a primary assessment conducted by the Government, there are more than 1,300 families that urgently need tents for emergency shelter and other non-food Items such as family kits and personal hygiene kits.”  

Under the leadership of the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, the National Disaster Prevention and Control Committee, and in coordination with other UN agencies, UNICEF is releasing immediate support for about 1,500 households through the provision of water, sanitation and hygiene supplies which will reach the affected communities within the next 24-48 hours.

UNICEF is working closely with local authorities and other partners to determine the most urgent needs and is deploying a team to support immediate relief efforts over the next few hours and the coming days.

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About UNICEF

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, to build a better world for everyone. For more information about UNICEF and its work for children in Lao PDR, visit http://www.unicef.org/laos

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and at www.unicef.org         

For more information, please contact:
Maria Fernandez, UNICEF Lao PDR, (+856) 2055519681, mfernandez@unicef.org

Tabongphet Phouthavong, UNCEF Lao PDR, (+856) 2096888890, tphouthavong@unicef.org

Shima Islam, Regional Office of UNICEF in East Asia and Pacific, (+66)23569407, ssislam@unicef.org

Christopher Tidey, UNICEF New York, +19173403017, ctidey@unicef.org

Every child deserves a second chance

“I am grateful for all your help. Without you, I don’t know what would happen to me, and I may not be home today,” Mr. Phou¹, Nonesoung deputy village chief, quoted Xay² who said this to him in tears.

Xay, the 14-year old boy from Houay village of Kaysone Phomviharn district in Savannakhet, came into contact with the law in October 2017 when he and his group of friends got into a fight with another boy, who sustained severe injuries. Xay and his friends were arrested. Upon learning Xay was 14 while his friends were 18, the village leaders – including Mr. Phou, wrote to the police.

“We explained to them that since Xay is below the minimum age of criminal liability [set at 15 in Laos PDR], he should not be in detention along with his adult friends,” Mr. Phou recalled. Back then, Mr. Phou had just received training in community-based diversion programmes from the Ministry of Justice.

Diversion re-integrates young offenders into their families and back into society, as an alternative to the formal justice procedure. This intervention is to ensure they are not exposed to further violence in adult prisons or traumatised, which adversely affects their overall development as children. As an age-appropriate approach, diversion allows for proper processing of the young offender’s case in a child-sensitive setting that ultimately re-integrates them back into society.

The community-based diversion training that Mr. Phou received is designed for community leaders and members to learn the rights of children in contact with the law as victims, witnesses and offenders, in the legal framework of Lao PDR. With support from UNICEF and the Australian Government, two villages in Vientiane and Savannakhet province were selected to pilot the project to assist children in conflict with the law.

As village deputy chief for more than four years now, Mr. Phou has seen not only the struggles but also the transformation of children from being offenders into responsible young adolescents after undergoing diversion.

Mr. Phou recalled how his training had impacted the community through Xay’s story. “We were happy the police listened to us and eventually released all five boys from detention. The conflict was turned over for the community to resolve through a mediation process. We followed our training on case management and invited both parties and their parents. All parties agreed to settle and were happy with the solution,” he said.

Mr. Phou is very proud that he could help Xay and give him a chance to stay with his family instead of being in prison at such a young age.

“I’m glad our village was selected for this project,” adding they learned a lot from the training and gained more knowledge on laws and regulations, and on how cases can be handled at their level. “If we did not have the training, we would not have been able to negotiate Xay’s case with the police. He could have been in prison now, along with hardened criminals,” he said.

After the mediation activities, the re-education sessions and values formation as part of the diversion programme, Xay now has a greater appreciation of the process he went through; and is back at home, ready to pick up his life again.

As for Mr. Phou, he said he would continue using the knowledge and skills he has gained from the training to help even more children in his community.

Building the capacity of health workers is helping to promote positive behaviours and reduce malnutrition in Laos

Under the Partnership for Improved Nutrition, the Government, the EU and UNICEF are working together to support the adoption of recommended maternal, infant and young child health, nutrition and hygiene practices at community level and especially in hard-to-reach areas

Doctor Lamany Lorvanxay is the Head of Saleuy Health Center, in Sam Neua district, Huaphanh Province. Her team provides Maternal and Child Health Care, including immunization, and prevention and treatment of malnutrition.

She is one of the 19 health workers from Sam Neua who were recently trained on Infant and Young Child Feeding Practices thanks to the 1,000 Days Project funded by MMG through UNICEF Australia, which is part of a larger umbrella initiative, the Partnership for Improved Nutrition (PIN), to which the European Union and UNICEF contribute substantially.

This training has allowed Lamany to better perform her daily duties, including carrying out interpersonal communication activities. 

“Working with ethnic minority groups is challenging because we speak different languages. Their education level is also an issue and this makes communication difficult. However, we have seen positive trends and I can say that these groups are more supportive now than before,” she explains.

Reaching those in hard-to-reach areas is not always easy, but Lamany is driven by her desire to improve people’s lives. “It is an honour for me to help others. I don’t want to see children suffering from malnutrition and I believe I can make a difference by promoting positive behaviours and providing counselling”.

For the Government of Lao PDR, improving the nutritional status of children and women is a priority. “To achieve this goal, it is crucial that both parents and care givers understand their role,” states Dr Phouangsy Phommavanh, Head of the Hygiene and Health Promotion Division, Huaphanh Provincial Health Department.

“Before starting to work with development partners under the 1,000 Days Project, people in Huaphanh used to feed children rice at a very early stage. Thanks to this programme, we have been promoting exclusive breastfeeding during the first 6 months,” Dr. Phouangsy says.

As she recognizes, change does not happen overnight. “When mothers hear for the first time about exclusive breastfeeding, they tend to refuse it.” Cultural beliefs and practices are deep rooted and, thus, it is important to closely work with these communities, gain trust and continuously repeat the messages. “During the awareness sessions, we also show evidence of the positive impact that exclusive breastfeeding has on children’s health by comparing children that are fed rice and those who have been exclusively breastfed, so they visually see the difference, and this works,” she concludes.

Request for proposal

UNITED NATIONS CHILDREN'S FUND (UNICEF)

wishes to invite you to submit a proposal for

Institutional Consultancy for Development of a Parenting Package to promote early childhood development (ECD) for Lao PDR.

SEALED Proposals should be sent to:

UNICEF Vientiane, Lao PDR
Bid Reference Number: LRPS-2018/9141013
Km3 Thadeua Road, Ban Watnak
Vientiane, Lao PDR
Telephone: +856 21 315200 - 04
Facsimile: +856 21 314852

Deadline to submit Proposal: 25 July 2018

For more info, click https://www.unicef.org/laos/about_22792.html