Information on Oxfam Projects in Laos and Thailand

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Cynthia Madison Fields
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This network is linked together by Oxfam International which works to utilise the most effective personnel, resources and skills in the specific programme area.

1 Information on Oxfam Projects in Laos and Thailand Oxfam works with others to find lasting solutions to poverty and injustice. The following sheet will tell you more about the work Oxfam New Zealand does in Laos and Thailand. Often this work will be conducted by the wider Oxfam network. This network is linked together by Oxfam International which works to utilise the most effective personnel, resources and skills in the specific programme area. Laos In Laos, Oxfam focuses on improving people's livelihoods through projects in small scale irrigation, sustainable agriculture and income generation activities. Our work aims to strengthen community institutions, strengthen the role and status of women, and promote a better understanding of traditional/indigenous systems of land use and natural resource management. Background Laos is a landlocked country with a mountainous and heavily forested terrain. Around 80% of the population live in rural areas, relying on subsistence agriculture and operating outside the cash economy. The main crop is rice, which is grown in the fertile floodplain of the Mekong River. However, less than 5% of the land is suitable for cultivation. Poor rice yields, drought and a lack of crop diversification pose great threats to food security, especially in rural areas. Deforestation and soil erosion are also issues. Outside the capital city of Vientiane, many people live without access to basic services such as health care, electricity or education facilities. There are high poverty indicators for the country as a whole, however those in the urban and wet-rice lowland areas tend to have a higher standard of living than the minority communities living in the upland, mountainous areas.

2 Infrastructure is low-tech: there are no railroads, the road system is rudimentary and external and internal telecommunications are minimal. The internet made an initial appearance in late 2002, but electricity is available in only a few urban areas. Even though 22% of the population lives in urban areas, only 18% has access to adequate levels of sanitation and 44% to safe drinking water. Laos is currently a single party socialist state. Since the 1990s, the country has increasingly been engaged with the region and internationally, moving towards decentralisation, and an easing of foreign investment laws. In 1997, Laos joined the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN). Projects Education in Ta Oy The level of child and adult literacy in Ta Oy district is very low. In more than 80% of villages, there are no local schools, and only 16% of children have the opportunity to attend school. This situation has been exacerbated by the difficulty of retaining teachers at the remote schools, who are faced with a lack of resources and support. Also, a significant proportion of adults (more women than men) are not fluent in the official Lao language. In Ta Oy, we support communities to build schools and teachers' houses. Communities are also supported to construct wells and toilets for the students and teachers. Adequate infrastructure is more likely to encourage teachers to stay on at the schools. The students are taught in a practical way that matches their lifestyle and needs of the local people. By improving access to education, and highlighting the importance of education to parents, this project is increasing the number of children, especially girls, who attend school. By focussing on education for girls, their status and respect will be boosted in society. Sustainable livelihoods in ethnic minority communities Oxfam works with a number of ethnic minority communities to improve access to food and livelihoods. This is done by: constructing irrigation systems providing training in appropriate agricultural techniques and technologies constructing rice banks developing income generation activities building clean water systems and latrines, so that communities have access to clean water and sanitation facilities providing basic health and sanitation education strengthening and supporting community organisations to manage and implement development activities into the future This work will result in a reduction in the 'food deficit' in these villages by at least three months each year, meaning more food will be available during the year. It will also lead to improvements in health amongst these communities

3 and increase the ability of communities to manage the development of their own villages. Community Based Disaster Management in Ta Oy Ta Oy district is a remote and mountainous area of southern Laos where the vast majority of the poorest people are marginalised ethnic minority groups. The area suffers from a lack of food availability, caused by drought, landslides, pest infestations, animal and human diseases, a lack of proper storage facilities and techniques, a lack of alternative staple food crops, landmines, infested arable land, and forest and village fires. Our project aims to strengthen the disaster preparedness and response mechanisms at community and government level. More than 90% of villages in the district have no access to basic health initiatives such as a safe water supply, sealed latrines, dispensaries, or hospitals. Low education levels coupled with non-hygienic eating habits mean that the outbreak of acute diarrhoeal diseases and cholera are still serious problems. This programme aims to significantly reduce vulnerability of poor women and men to natural and man-made disasters through community based approaches to disaster management. This will be done through: training in Community Based Disaster Management techniques diversification of food production systems veterinary and animal husbandry training establishment of rice banks construction of clean water systems and water reservoirs health education awareness raising of HIV/AIDS and landmines Fisheries management In Southern Laos, communities are faced with an ongoing depletion of fish stocks. These communities are largely dependent on these fish stocks to survive. Oxfam is addressing the causes of reductions in fish stocks through the creation of Community Fishery Conservation Zones and through improving community and local government awareness of conservation issues. Through this project, communities will have an increase in food availability due to boosted levels of fish stocks. Communities and local governments will also have an increased awareness of the effects of external factors on local river systems. Thailand

4 Oxfam s work in Thailand focuses on increasing awareness on issues surrounding HIV/AIDS to try to increase the levels on understanding and care. We also focus on supporting local and national NGOs that work with farmer groups to promote sustainable agriculture. Our work also aims to highlight issues of workers rights both at home and in factories. We support Fair Trade organisations that promote and sustain vulnerable workers in Thailand s threatened areas and industries. Background Thailand was at the centre of the Asian financial crisis in 1997, which produced a savage slump from which the economy has not yet fully recovered. The boosts from tourism (10m visitors a year) and financial services have brought growth (running at 6 per cent, the highest in the region, in the last quarter of 2002), but some rural and urban populations remain afflicted by poverty. In Thailand over two per cent of adults under 49 are HIV positive. There are a huge number of orphaned children, including over a quarter-of-a-million as a result of HIV/AIDS. Education rates are poor for such a comparatively rich country; poverty and malnutrition are high in some rural areas and there is also fall-out from environmental damage. Projects HIV/AIDS Our partners work direct with people living with HIV/AIDS (PWHAs) and with their families and communities to try and raise levels of understanding and level of care. At national level they work on getting access to medicine for PWHAs - only about five per cent of Thailand's HIV-positive get the drugs that patients in America or Europe can have, though the Thai government is now working hard to increase those figures, by making anti-retroviral drugs available under the 30-baht cheap health care scheme. Our partnerships with Thai NGOs link up with Oxfam's global campaign on trade rules and the transnational pharmaceutical companies in order to try and reduce the price of essential drugs. Fair trade We support a range of fair trade organisations that promote and sustain vulnerable workers in Thailand's threatened areas and industries. We work with them to help market their goods and seek new outlets for some wonderful Thai products, like silk, silverware and beautifully-crafted toys. Labour

5 Oxfam supports a range of NGOs that help with workers' rights both at home and in factories (Thai Labour Campaign Homenet). They also monitor pollution and its impact on humans (CAIN), and work with jobless women (Friends of Women). For more information on Oxfam programmes in Thailand and Laos please visit the Oxfam International website: PROJECT Visit for Challenges Whenever possible we try to coordinate a project visit in the Challenge country. However due to varying funding timeframes, resource restrictions and the Challenge route, sometimes a project visit is not possible. More information regarding possible project visits will become available closer to the departure date.

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