This post celebrates some of QLA’s achievements in 2015, none of which would have been possible without our donors, partners and supporters. Thank you everyone and we wish you the best in 2016.
Medical Treatment for UXO Survivors
26 UXO survivors had the cost of their medical treatment paid for by QLA, including twenty three year old Chong Lee who endured 3 years of pain caused by a large piece of shrapnel that remained in his face until it was removed in 2015.
When the Interplast medical team came to Phonsavanh in December 2015, QLA referred UXO survivor, Mr Phimpha, who underwent surgery to improve the opening and closing of his eye, which is now much better. Thank you Interplast!
Education Support
21 UXO survivors, persons with disabilities (PWD) or their family members received
assistance with the cost of their continued education.
First Aid Training
100 people from 5 UXO affected remote villages received first aid training to strengthen their capacity
to provide first response first aid in the event of an accident.
New Houses for UXO Survivors and PWD
QLA worked with local communities to co-ordinate the building of 4 new houses for 3 high priority UXO survivors
and 1 person with disabilities and their families. As a result, more than 20 people were the beneficiaries.
Paralysed since she was 3 years old, Ms Dam was thrilled with her new house and new independence.
Income Generation: Advanced Handicrafts Training
Advanced technical skills training was provided to producers from 16 UXO affected villages
to improve the quality of their weaving and handicraft products and increase their income.
This project has far exceeded expectations.
Income Generation: Animal Raising Training
Animal raising training was provided for income generation for 181 UXO survivors,
PWD, family members and/or impoverished people living in Xieng Khouang province.
Provision of Assistive Devices
5 people with disabilities received simple assistive devices to improve their daily functioning and quality of life.
Disability Rights and Equality Training (DRET)
Disability rights and equality awareness training (DRET) was provided to 12 vocational trainers and medical staff
from the provincial hospital/rehabilitation center who interact with UXO survivors and PWD during QLA’s
livelihood training initiatives and/or in the provision of medical care.
DRET training was also provided to 40 village leaders from 20 villages
(in which more than 226 people with disabilities reside).
Good Governance
2015 saw the development of QLA’s first Strategic Plan…
and QLA’s first external audit was conducted by Ernst & Young Lao Ltd.
Participation at the Lao Handicrafts Festival
2015 was also the first year in which QLA participated at the annual Laos Handicrafts Festival in Vientiane,
to promote awareness of QLA and to sell handicraft products for income generation for producers.
Award for UXO Advocacy
2015 also saw Thoummy Silamphan (QLA’s Exec Director) receive his Advocacy Award from Legacies of War
for his many years of work advocating for UXO survivors. Manixia Thor from the Mines Advisory Group (MAG) who
is the Leader of a mine clearance team also received an award. Both Thoummy and Manixia were speakers in the
‘Voices from Laos’ tour of the USA in 2013.
UXO Survivor Information Centre
As part of the UXO/PWD advocacy work that QLA does, in 2015 QLA hosted more than 2100 visitors to its
UXO Survivor Information Centre in Phonsavanh (11% increase from 2014, which was a 42% increase from 2013).
Tree of Life
Visitors to QLA’s UXO Survivor Information Centre are invited to write comments and/or their thoughts about ‘Quality of Life’ and place it on QLA’s Tree of Life, which is displayed in the Centre. Below are some of the comments from 2015…
Thank You
Thank you to all of the donors, partners, visitors and friends who have supported QLA during 2015. To all of the UXO survivors, people with disabilities, their families and the impoverished people living in UXO affected communities in Xieng Khouang Province we look forward to doing our best to help improve the quality of your lives in 2016!
