Smiling again after the flood in Laos

By Simon Nazer

Since a huge flood in the south of Lao PDR left thousands homeless, child friendly spaces have been set-up in remote camps to give children a safe area to learn and play with trained volunteer teachers.

UNICEF and partners such as Save the Children, Plan International and Child Fund led by the Ministry of Education and Sports and the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare, with the support of the Australian Government and USAID, are supporting the Government to create a happy space to help children heal from the trauma of the disaster.

We recently visited some spaces and the smiles tell their own story.

Nado, 2, loved running around and using the slide. “I want to come back tomorrow,” he said before running off to join the queue for the slide. 

2-year old Donut, right, couldn’t get enough of the activities. “I like it lots,” she said. “I hope I can come again every day!”

One mother who was watching her child play really valued the child friendly space. “My daughter likes it here very much,” she says. “I think this is really great for the kids.”

“I think it’s good to bring the children together,” continued the mother of 4-year-old Vanmai. “It’s much more active here than just sitting in our tent, alone with her few toys. I can see she’s more active and happy here.”

The child friendly spaces allow children to heal after the trauma of the floods where thousands of people lost their homes and livelihood to huge floods. The tent is equipped with UNICEF’s School in a Box and volunteer teachers have be trained to give children and mothers support to move on from the trauma. 

As well as playing, children also learn while their schools are closed. This helps keep their learning on track before they can go back to school and restart their lives.

UNICEF is continuing its work for the many children affected by the floods to help them and their families get their lives back on track.