Moving hearts to serve the poor

NOTE: World Vision’s United States office is not currently funding projects in Laos.

World Vision was first established in Laos in l972 during the Vietnam War, when it was involved in several small-scale projects focusing on the needs of children. World Vision’s early focus in Laos was on improving health care by building clinics and hospitals, especially in remote village areas where health care was lacking.

In l990, emergency relief was provided to severe drought-affected areas in Savannaket and Champasak. The following year World Vision received permission from the government to open an office in Vientiane, the nation’s capitol. In collaboration with government hospitals, World Vision set up an extensive program to bring care and prostheses to the many handicapped people in Laos.

Additional offices were soon opened in Savannaket, Champasak, and Luang Prabang. Between l990 and 2000, World Vision contributed $10 million to relief and development in Laos.

Laos is a landlocked nation of approximately 236,800 square kilometers in the center of the Southeast Asian peninsula. It is bordered by China, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia.