SOS Medical and Social Centres in Laos

In Laos there are currently five Social Centres and one Medical Centre for children and the local community, examples of which are Savannakhet and Luang Prabang.  Many SOS Social Centres operate via Family Strengthening Programmes, which aim to support the wider community.  Medical Centres provide medical treatments and services to the local community.  Below is some information about some of the Centres that SOS Children runs in Laos:

SOS Medical Centre in Laos: In-Depth

Samneua

Description of SOS Medical Centre:

The family-strengthening programme is run by the SOS Medical Centre in co-operation with the SOS Social Centre. The SOS Medical Centre is also the provincial centre for vaccinations and caters to the needs of the children, mothers and co-workers of the SOS Children's Village as well.

Work and Achievements:

During the second half of 2009, 7,565 outpatients in total were treated, in which 746 women and children came for first aid, 1,113 received a 5 course of vaccinations (anti-polio, anti-diphtheria, anti-pertussis, anti-hepatitis B), 634 children obtained Vitamin A, 10 pregnant women came to consult, and1,088 women from the neighbourhood participated in the Family Planning Programme, 939 received counselling support, 1,756 children obtained anti-parasitic medicine, 56 women joined the seminar on healthy nutrition, 58 children received the Encephalitis Vaccine, 306 children under the age of 5 years old received anti-polio, 153 children under 5 years old received the measles vaccination and 115 children under 5 years old received the anti-hepatitis B vaccination. (Our SOS Medical Centre Samneua now is the centre of the Samneua Province for providing Vaccines).

SOS Social Centres around Laos: In-Depth

Savannakhet

Description of SOS Social Centre/FSP:

An SOS Social Centre provides day-care for up to 60 children from local families and other family-strengthening programmes according to need. A visiting doctor attends to the children and mothers from the SOS Children's Village as well as to the beneficiaries of the family-strengthening programme.

Samneua

Description of SOS Social Centre/FSP:

In Samneua, the family strengthening programme focuses on primary health care and sanitation for people of all ages from the neighbourhood of the SOS Children's Village. In addition to that, two family homes of the SOS Children's Village are used for temporary accommodation of malnourished local children.

Luang Prabang:

Description of SOS Social Centre/FSP:

In 2002, SOS Children's Villages Laos launched its family strengthening programmes. These programmes are intended to support families at risk of abandoning their children and to encourage families to stay together. SOS Children's Villages therefore works with local authorities and other service providers to support families and enable them to take good care of their children. In Luang Prabang, the family strengthening programme focuses on primary health care and sanitation for people of all ages from the neighbourhood of the SOS Children's Village.

Xiengkhouang:

Description of SOS Social Centre/FSP:

In 2005, SOS Children's Villages launched its family strengthening programmes in Xiengkhouang. These programmes are intended to support families at risk of abandoning their children and to encourage families to stay together. SOS Children's Villages therefore works with local authorities and other service providers to support families and enable them to take good care of their children. Family strengthening programmes provide nutritional, educational and health support as well as vocational training, career counselling sessions and job placement support. Families are linked with existing self-help groups; if there is no group, a new one is formed. The programmes also aim at raising awareness of hygiene and child rights and improving people's parenting skills.