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Many of our Lao projects are geared towards sizeable water projects ($40,000 CAD and more) to bring a permanent supply of water to these rural villages that currently have to trek for it, just get enough to cook and drink with. Once a week they trek to a river to bathe (although the elders will trek much more infrequent), and to wash clothes. Washing dishes is done by using left over rice water that was used for preparing the rice before cooking.
This project involves drilling of wells (although rare), or constructing a dam, laying and burying several km of pipe, building a water tank and tap towers throughout the village. This is the preferred method because pumps (for drilled wells) often break and many of the villages cannot afford to replace them. In summary, the bulk of our funds go towards these projects. With 34 villages left in the area we generally work in, that don’t currently have water, our support has never been more important.
Our support does not stop there, however. We also provide for a feminine hygiene program in the secondary schools, and provide critical repairs/upgrades to village water systems where they have the basic structures but water flow has been disrupted by mudslides, wear and tear over many years or natural disasters. Toilets are also built for schools (often as part of a larger water project for the village) and there are other smaller projects each year which are considered important. While it is rare for us to build schools for us, we would certainly consider constructing more, should funding become available.
As another important part of our support for the region, there are many children whose parents cannot afford to send them. As such, we continue to support many secondary school and university students throughout each year. Secondary School students generally cost $550 CAD per year, while university students generally cost $6,000 CAD per year so it takes several donors to provide support for a single university student. Donors for student support (for donations over $100) will receive a picture of the student (sometimes a video for the university students).
Should you have interest in any of these programs, do not hesitate to contact us, or specify how you would like us to direct your funds. We would be happy to explain what projects are in the works. Often, our donors simply ask us to choose on their behalf so we can apply their funds to wherever they are needed the most.
All donations over $40 will receive a tax receipt. For donations over $100, a tax receipt is provided, plus you will receive at least one email confirming where the funds have been applied (if you haven’t indicated) and pictures of course. For donations over $1,000, a full accountability report will be submitted at the end of each project.
Please help us make a positive difference…