This is a copy of a letter sent to the Hotel by Barbara Varney.
Laos….for many people it is the “Land of a million Elephants”, “a small piece of paradise on earth”.
The many visitors now flocking to Laos leave the country with fond impressions and memories of beautiful vistas, friendly locals, great food, wonderful temples and a totally relaxed lifestyle.
But there is another side of life to this beautiful country…
Laos is one of the poorest nations on earth. Only a small percentage of Lao live in towns and cities - the majority of the population survives by farming at subsistence levels, often having to travel many kilometres each day just to collect water.
During the 1960’s/70’s war in south-east Asia, areas of Laos were the most heavily bombed places on earth - the American military dropped 250 thousand tons of bombs on Laos during the war. Not only were bombs directed at specific targets, but planes returning from air-raids on other countries jettisoned their surplus bombs over Laos before landing. Even today there are hundreds of Lao people injured and killed by the unexploded cluster bombs that still lie around the countryside.
Children are particularly vulnerable in the harsh, dangerous living conditions endured by so many Lao, and many are denied the most basic essentials. There are many children who have lost both parents (or their whole family) to disease or accidents.
Some of the children come from extremely dysfunctional families - their mother might have died and the father has remarried a woman who does not want them, or they are unable to look after them due to extreme poverty etc. Usually the child’s extended family or village tries to look after them. But as subsistence farmers, where every day is a fine line between life and death, the burden of feeding an extra child where there are no extra adults to help with planting rice or hunting becomes too much.
For many children the only hope of survival is to find their way to an orphanage.
The Luang Prabang Orphanage School is one of these places.
The Luang Prabang Orphanage School is dedicated to providing a home and education for 400 orphans and abandoned, underprivileged and needy children. The orphanage does what it can with very little funding. There is no money available to purchase books, pens, soap or medications to treat the children when they are unwell. There is no money for clothing or warm, clean bedding.
The amount allocated by the government for food per child, per day is 1000 kip (about 10 US cents). This is sufficient to provide ONE meal a day!! All the children work in the vegetable plots, planted at the back of the orphanage. These plots provide much of the food for the orphanage. However, many of the children are under-weight and are often hungry as the amount of food grown on-site is not enough to feed a growing child.
Generous donations from Off the Square owners, staff and patrons have enabled the children to establish a rabbit breeding/fattening enterprise at the orphanage. Rabbit farming is growing in popularity in the Northern Laos provinces as a viable alternative to the high disease risk (avian bird flu) associated with poultry production. Rabbits are appreciated for their low cost establishment and management, prolific breeding, rapid growth rates and low disease risks. Rabbit meat can provide the necessary protein that many of the children lack.
Funding from Off the Square has allowed Barbara Varney to purchase breeding stock and building materials and, with enthusiastic assistance from the kids of the orphanage, build breeding and fattening hutches.
Hands-on training has been given in all aspects of rabbit production including nutrition, health, breeding, hygiene and other general management issues. Visits have been made to established rabbit farms and research centres to enable the students to see and learn first hand from experienced breeders and livestock personnel.
Barbara has also been working with a number of senior students in English language training and in providing opportunities to improve income generating activities. Unique and individually made embroidered greeting cards are now being created and outlets found at local cafes, guest houses and tourist offices. A percentage of income from sales is retained to cover costs of replacement thread and card and surplus income enable students to purchase school books, pens and pencils and the odd luxury such as shampoo and soap.
If you wish to know more about the children of Luang Prabang Orphanage you can contact Barbara at
jcgbasha@hotmail.com or visit the website at
www.lao-kids.org
Many thanks to all at Off the Square who continue to support the children of Luang Prabang Orphanage.
