Nga, Laos!

Smiles for miles

Meet the children of Nga, Laos!

Chi

Chi, 10 (second from right, in yellow) collects water on behalf of her family, using an old petrol jug, from a communal water tap. When the water becomes muddy during the rainy season, she collects it from a local stream, instead. Without proper facilities at her school, she has to come home partway through the day.

Yeng

Yeng, 11 (at top right), is in grade 5 at the local school. His family has faced – and continues to face – several health challenges, so his father hopes that Yeng will someday be a successful doctor and lead a life filled with prosperity and good health.

Nambon

Nambon, 10 (at right), is Yeng’s sister and in Grade 4. Like any other child, she loves to play with her friends (some pictured with her here). Yet, she also carries a lot of responsibilities at home: she helps collect and boil water for her family, cares for her younger siblings and performs various household chores.

Xeer

Xeer, 13 (at left), is both Nambon and Yeng’s sister, and dreams of working as a teacher. Unfortunately, as the oldest girl in her family she’s had to take on certain duties at home, causing her to drop out of school in Grade 4. Xeer primarily looks after her younger sister, who was born with a disability and requires full-time care.

Hamlea

Hamlea, 12 (pictured here with his sister), is in Grade 5. He dreams of becoming a police officer when he grows older. “Whatever their dreams are, we support them,” his parents told us.

Pheng

Pheng, 10 (at left), is determined to learn. But without any pre-school available, she struggled to transition into primary classes and had to repeat her first grade. After persevering, she made it to the third grade and is learning to read and write. Now, Pheng wants to become a primary school teacher.

Leud

Leud, 12 (front left), is Pheng’s older brother who shares in Pheng’s commitment to school. He is currently in Grade 5 of his schooling and hopes to continue and fully complete his education. Leud dreams of becoming a soldier to aid and protect his community, and all of Lao.

Cheung

Cheung, 9 (in blue, at right), is in Grade 4. She had struggled to pay attention in class, but not wanting to drop out, became determined to succeed. “She didn’t want to quit and she studied harder and got a better grade,” her father told us.

Xeu

Xeu, 4 (at left, pictured here with a friend), isn’t yet old enough to attend school (5 is the minimum enrollment age). Instead, she and her two younger siblings play while accompanying their parents to the fields every day, over an hour away on foot. She’s looking forward to starting school soon..

Ya and Lue

Ya Tua, 11, and Lue, 8, brothers of both Cheung and Xeu, are each currently enrolled in school. Ya Tua is in Grade 6, while Lue is in Grade 4. As farmers with limited income, their parents dream that the boys and their siblings will graduate and secure more stable careers.

THE XUA FAMILY

Mother: Neung, 25
Father: Nor, 32
Children: 2 daughters, 3 sons (ages 3 to 11)

The Xuas live in a single 250 square foot home together. They work as rice farmers, but don’t earn enough to generate income. On the rare occasion they have livestock, they sell them at a distant market to pay their two eldest children’s school fees – but the future is always uncertain.

Since there is no pre-school or childcare available in the community, the youngest three children accompany parents Nor and Neung to the fields daily, located more than an hour away, on foot. This makes it very challenging for Nor and Neung to work, making them especially eager for local access to early education centres.

THE VA FAMILY

Mother: Deng, 25
Father: Chong, 27
Children: 1 daughter, 2 sons (ages 1 to 5)

The Va’s are one of the poorest families in the community, earning less than $130 CAD per year, mainly from selling off livestock. Proper nutrition is an issue, as they can only really generate enough rice for consumption, along with collecting some local vegetables. Protein is rare addition to their diets, incorporated about once a month, if possible.

After Chong’s father died at a young age, his widowed mother couldn’t afford to support him, forcing him to quit school before completing his primary education, and leaving him to largely fend for himself. Chong and Deng are excited to send their daughter, who has just turned 5, to school next year, and are hopeful that Plan will provide improved facilities, like latrines, to the school.

THE YEA FAMILY

Mother: Nam Yea, 25
Father: Por, 32
Children: 5 daughters, 3 sons (aged 1 to 10)

Por’s first wife, and the mother of the eldest 5 children, passed away during childbirth complications. Without access to clean water and proper sanitation, the entire family’s health is an ongoing issue. They generally retrieve water from a nearby, untreated stream and boil it when home, but drink from it directly when working in the fields – exposing them to the threat of waterborne illness.

“It would be great if we could be supported with pre-school in our community,” said Por, whose two daughters struggled with a late transition into school and both had to repeat the first grade.

THE XIONG FAMILY

Mother: Yeng, 31
Father: Va Thor, 45
Children: 4 daughters, 3 sons (aged 9 months to 16)

Health has been a problem for the Xiong family, which has led to further complications. Va Thor, the father, has been ill for a few years, meaning his wife leads most of the labour, like rice production, while the older children are taken out of school to assist her. Sadly, Va Thor and Yeng also lost a two-year-old son in 2014, due to illness.

At 13, Xeer, the eldest girl in the family, had to drop out of school, when the responsibility of caring for her younger sister, Namchua, 7, fell on her shoulders. Namchua was born with a disability where he cannot walk or talk, and requires full-time care. The family is hopeful that this project will help improve their health and make education more inclusive and available for all.

THE YENG FAMILY

Mother: Pa Xiong, 20
Father: Chong, 22
Children: 2 sons (aged 9 months to 2)

Chong, Pa Xiong and their two small children live in a single hut alongside 15 others. Never having finished schooling themselves (they both dropped out to help out at home), they are excited at the prospect of their children receiving the proper education – along with all the opportunities that come with it – that neither had available to them.