HI is working to reduce the threat of cluster munitions and explosive remnants of war in Laos. Its teams of mine clearance experts work alongside villagers affected by the presence of these weapons. They clear the land, destroy the devices and raise local people’s awareness of the dangers they represent.
At the same time, the organisation is running development projects aimed at reducing the risk of disability and improving the social inclusion of people with disabilities. The focus is on preventing disability in children under 5 years old. HI promotes the detection of disability, runs disability awareness activities and organises infant stimulation sessions. HI also aims to reduce the incidence of HIV/AIDS and diseases such as malaria among women, children and teenagers, including by conducting research, implementing a response model in villages, and training health-sector workers who visit villages.
HI also aims to improve access to education for disadvantaged children in the provinces of Champasak and Huaphan, and to improve the reading skills of all children in the provinces of Champasak, Xiengkhouang and Vientiane, with a particular focus on children who do not speak the Lao language and children with disabilities.
HI also focuses on access to employment or entrepreneurship for people with disabilities by providing personalised support and training on how to set up a project or start their own business. Furthermore, the organisation is involved in training disabled people’s organisations to campaign for their rights.
Finally, HI works to improve the care provided to people requiring rehabilitation. The organisation collaborates with public bodies in developing the country’s rehabilitation sector and provides training for professionals working in this field.
Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, HI has continued to help the world’s most vulnerable people. We have adapted our interventions in more than 45 countries.
