{"id":5470,"date":"2018-05-22T14:47:53","date_gmt":"2018-05-22T07:47:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/friends-international.org\/blog\/?p=5470"},"modified":"2018-05-22T14:47:53","modified_gmt":"2018-05-22T07:47:53","slug":"km52-laos-project","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/friends-international.org\/blog\/index.php\/km52-laos-project\/","title":{"rendered":"Km52, A Laos Project"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Laos and Friends-International go back a long way. To 2004 to be exact, when the <a href=\"https:\/\/friends-international.org\/in-laos\/\">Peuan Mit<\/a> (\u201cGood Friends\u201d in Lao) program launched in partnership with the Laos Ministry of Social Welfare in the country. Peuan Mit continues to operate a holistic program for children, youth and caregivers who are living on the streets and in marginalized communities in and around Vientiane and Luang Prabang.\u00a0 Just last year, 2017, the program assisted 3,043 marginalized children, youth and caregivers to build their futures.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5472\" src=\"http:\/\/friends-international.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/33060378_10156085197170617_8105272172873777152_n-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/friends-international.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/33060378_10156085197170617_8105272172873777152_n-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/friends-international.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/33060378_10156085197170617_8105272172873777152_n-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/friends-international.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/33060378_10156085197170617_8105272172873777152_n-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/friends-international.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/33060378_10156085197170617_8105272172873777152_n.jpg 1040w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5476\" src=\"http:\/\/friends-international.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/33216207_10156085197270617_873142339898441728_n-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/friends-international.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/33216207_10156085197270617_873142339898441728_n-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/friends-international.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/33216207_10156085197270617_873142339898441728_n-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/friends-international.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/33216207_10156085197270617_873142339898441728_n-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/friends-international.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/33216207_10156085197270617_873142339898441728_n.jpg 1040w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>There are a couple of projects run by the FI Laos team just outside of Vientiane, including the enigmatically named Km52. Although it may sound like some top secret initiative, bringing Area 51 to mind, what it actually is is the official definition of a village community located 52 kilometers outside of the city!<\/p>\n<p>Peuan Mit have been working there for many years with the ethnic Hmong community of the village, and have seen many changes for the positive through their interventions in those years, including school attendances going up and life conditions for the villagers improving.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5477\" src=\"http:\/\/friends-international.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/33093505_10156085197125617_4327997836479168512_n-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/friends-international.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/33093505_10156085197125617_4327997836479168512_n-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/friends-international.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/33093505_10156085197125617_4327997836479168512_n-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/friends-international.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/33093505_10156085197125617_4327997836479168512_n-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/friends-international.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/33093505_10156085197125617_4327997836479168512_n.jpg 1040w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Last week there was a visit from long term donor Caritas Australia. They came to Laos to see first hand the impact their funding was having on the people of Km52. Our team highlighted the livelihoods activities we have been building over these last few years. They were pleased to see how we had set up home-based production with families (a model that enables mums and dads and caretakers to work from home to earn an income) and how with others we had helped them to start up small businesses such as noodle shops and screenprinting. The Caritas group saw how the screenprinting business creates t-shirt uniforms which will be worn by students undertaking vocational training back in the city.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5475\" src=\"http:\/\/friends-international.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/33125707_10156085197045617_5336029272190484480_n-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/friends-international.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/33125707_10156085197045617_5336029272190484480_n-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/friends-international.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/33125707_10156085197045617_5336029272190484480_n-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/friends-international.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/33125707_10156085197045617_5336029272190484480_n-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/friends-international.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/33125707_10156085197045617_5336029272190484480_n.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5474\" src=\"http:\/\/friends-international.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/32869075_10156085196995617_7308413644767756288_n-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/friends-international.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/32869075_10156085196995617_7308413644767756288_n-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/friends-international.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/32869075_10156085196995617_7308413644767756288_n-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/friends-international.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/32869075_10156085196995617_7308413644767756288_n-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/friends-international.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/32869075_10156085196995617_7308413644767756288_n.jpg 1040w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Before leaving they sat in on some of our training for youth and caretakers on a very important subject indeed &#8211; money management! They also had the opportunity to watch the children of this formerly very marginalized Laos community enjoy some fun with arts activities!<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5478\" src=\"http:\/\/friends-international.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/33158304_10156085197225617_1462750047224463360_n-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/friends-international.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/33158304_10156085197225617_1462750047224463360_n-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/friends-international.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/33158304_10156085197225617_1462750047224463360_n-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/friends-international.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/33158304_10156085197225617_1462750047224463360_n-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/friends-international.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/33158304_10156085197225617_1462750047224463360_n.jpg 1040w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5473\" src=\"http:\/\/friends-international.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/33083950_10156085196980617_1278187790617542656_n-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/friends-international.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/33083950_10156085196980617_1278187790617542656_n-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/friends-international.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/33083950_10156085196980617_1278187790617542656_n-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/friends-international.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/33083950_10156085196980617_1278187790617542656_n.jpg 780w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"et_pb_module et_pb_slider et_pb_slider_fullwidth_off et_slider_auto et_slider_speed_5000 et_slider_auto_ignore_hover et_pb_slider_0 et_slide_transition_to_next et_pb_bg_layout_dark\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Laos and Friends-International go back a long way. To 2004 to be exact, when the Peuan Mit (\u201cGood Friends\u201d in Lao) program launched in partnership with the Laos Ministry of Social Welfare in the&#46;&#46;&#46;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5477,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[9,8,417],"tags":[721,78,544,102,718,107,626,135,719,329,158,160,161,720,215,262],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/friends-international.org\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5470"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/friends-international.org\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/friends-international.org\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/friends-international.org\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/friends-international.org\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5470"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/friends-international.org\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5470\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5481,"href":"https:\/\/friends-international.org\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5470\/revisions\/5481"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/friends-international.org\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5477"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/friends-international.org\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5470"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/friends-international.org\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5470"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/friends-international.org\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5470"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}