Child Sponsorship background from Xiengkhouang, Laos

Feb 24, 2010 03:10 PM
Report from Xiengkhouang, Laos

A look at the projects run by SOS Children for orphaned and abandoned children in Xiengkhouang, Laos, and an overview of the surrounding area.

SOS Children's Village Xiengkhouang

Xiengkhouang was the third SOS Children's Village in Laos. It is situated at Ban Nam Ngam, one of the suburbs of Phonsavan town.

This town is the capital of Xiengkhouang province in the Northeast of the country. During the civil war from 1964 to 1973, every town in this province was destroyed. In 1975, reconstruction efforts started. Nowadays, the inhabitants of this province live mainly on rice cultivation and cattle breeding. Phonsavan itself is a commercial centre.

SOS Children's Village Xiengkhouang is situated at a distance of about three kilometres from the town centre and about the same distance from Thong Hai Airport. It consists of family homes, staff quarters and an administration and service area.

Other SOS Projects in Xiengkhouang

There is an SOS Nursery School with five classrooms, where children from both the SOS Children's Village and the neighbourhood can be taught.

Next to the SOS Children's Village, there is an SOS School, which provides primary and secondary education. The school consists ofclassrooms, laboratories, a library, a service and administration area, a canteen, a sickroom and workshops.

It also has a football field. Older boys from the SOS Children's Village normally move to the SOS Youth Home when they start a vocational training course or go on to higher education. With the support of qualified youth workers, they develop realistic perspectives for their future, learn to shoulder responsibility and increasingly make their own decisions. They are encouraged to develop team spirit and build up contacts with relatives and friends, as well as with the relevant authorities and potential employers.

Background to Xiengkhouang

Phonsavan, with a population of more than 57,000 is the capital of Xieng Khouang Province, Laos.

It was built in the mid 1970s, after the old capital of Xiengkhouang was utterly destroyed during the fighting between the Pathet Lao and American-backed anti-communist troops.