Lithsouda, 19, lost his right eye and the fingers on his right hand in a cluster bomb explosion when he was a child. With support from Humanity & Inclusion, he is rebuilding his life and supporting other survivors of explosive weapons.

In 2009, 6-year-old Lithsouda was playing outside his grandmother’s house. He started to build a fire, and that’s when he triggered a cluster bomb buried in the ground.

To save him, Lithsouda’s family borrowed money from their neighbors, sold their belongings and hired a car to take him to a hospital three hours away. Lithsouda lost his right eye and the fingers on his right hand and was left with scars all over his body.

Rebuilding his life

Because of his injuries, other people see him as different, which makes him feel excluded.

With support from Humanity & Inclusion, he participates in a group of community volunteers in his village in Laos. Lithsouda has been trained to promote the inclusion and community participation of people with disabilities, including other survivors of landmines and explosive remnants of war.

"All this training has opened my mind and encouraged me to spend more time with my friends,” Lithsouda says.

Because of his disabilities, Lithsouda was unable to help his family by working in the field or fishing. Today, he works as a farmer and is empowered to participate in activities. He enjoys playing sports, fetching food, looking after livestock and spending time with friends.

Chue Por lost his arm in a landmine explosion 15 years ago. With the support of Humanity & Inclusion, he has regained his independence and advocates for explosive weapons to be banned.

In January 2007, Chue Por was fishing with friends in northeastern Laos when he pulled a landmine out of the water. It exploded in his hand. He was rushed to the hospital, where the doctors amputated his arm. His family sold all their livestock and borrowed money from their neighbors to save his life.

Chue Por, who was 18 at the time of the incident, dropped out of school because he felt too dependent and different from his friends. Because of his amputation, he could no longer work on his parents' farm or find other ways to help support his family.  

Humanity & Inclusion met Chue Por in 2019 and referred him to a rehabilitation center, where he was fitted with an artificial hand and given physical therapy.

"Thanks to Humanity & Inclusion, I am supported both physically and psychologically,” Chue Por says. 

Rediscovering sense of purpose

Today, Chue Por is receiving training to become a volunteer in his village and support people with mental health issues. He also participates in inclusion activities to help people with disabilities find their place in the community.

Chue Por grows rice and beans to sell, so he can support his family.

"Today I can clearly see the positive changes in my life,” he explains. “I am happy to be with my family and to look after my cattle.”   

Chue Por is engaged in advocacy efforts supporting the Mine Ban Treaty, the Cluster Munitions Convention and other international frameworks to prevent the use of landmines and other explosive weapons during war.

Living with the long-term effects of polio, Nuan faces discrimination and challenges in providing for her family. Humanity & Inclusion has provided her with seed money to raise livestock.

As a child, Nuan was bullied because of her disability. She was unable to complete her schooling because her family could not afford the fees.

Now 34, Nuan is married with children. She is a farmer, but because of her disability and the fact that her husband also has health problems, they do not earn enough to pay for their son's education or save money for emergencies.

Through Humanity & Inclusion’s livelihood support project, Nuan receives financial assistance for her livestock operation. She currently has 14 ducks, 12 chickens and two pigs.

"Even though we do things differently from other people, we should not be despised and discriminated against because we have a disability,” Nuan says. “We want to be independent, not to be a burden. I really appreciate all the efforts made to improve the living conditions of people with disabilities.”

With Humanity & Inclusion, she has participated in a training course on disability and inclusion and is now a disability “champion” in her village.

Because of her can-do attitude, Nuan has been asked to lead the village women's union. She helps other people with disabilities or mobility problems. When the village receives donations of food or clothing, she helps distribute it to the community and ensures that people with disabilities are given equal treatment.

Tok, 27, lost his leg in a work accident. Over the last two years, Humanity & Inclusion has provided him with an artificial limb and rehabilitation care in Laos.

Five years ago, Tok was hired to cut down a tree that was touching a power line. When the tree fell, it crushed his left leg. Tok managed to call his brother, who rushed him to hospital, but his leg was too badly damaged and had to be amputated. Tok’s acquired disability presented challenges and prevented him from performing certain everyday tasks.

In 2020, Humanity & Inclusion referred Tok to its rehabilitation center, where he received physical therapy and an artificial limb. Since then, Tok has regained independence.

Today, Tok’s living conditions have improved significantly. He can work again and has started to raise livestock. He is also employed by the Lao electricity board, collecting data on electricity consumption, distributing bills and collecting dues.

Tok has also joined a group of red mushroom producers and received training in the bamboo value chain, which has helped boost his income. In the future, he hopes to expand his farm and keep goats.

Advocating for disability rights

Tok has also received training from Humanity & Inclusion and Group for Research and Technology Exchanges (GRET) on disability rights and inclusion.

Now a community volunteer, he advocates against discrimination and promotes understanding, acceptance and awareness of the rights of people with disabilities and the importance of their inclusion. He also provides peer support.

His goal is to remove the physical barriers encountered by people with disabilities.

"People with disabilities need support to access public services and opportunities to improve their lives," Tok explains. "I have received a lot of support and it has changed my life."

Mr. Khamphong has been living with a disability since 2006, when he lost mobility due to health issues with his leg. He runs a cattle operation to generate income, with the support of Humanity & Inclusion.

Mr. Khamphong lives in the Houphan Province in eastern Laos. Before he acquired a disability, he made a living from farming and selling seasonal forest products he collected. He was very involved in his community and even served on his village’s security team.

In 2006, at the age of 23, he developed acute gout in his left leg and needed surgery. His health worsened when he developed a post-surgical bone infection in his ankle.

Today, at the age of 39, Mr. Khamphong has a deformity in his leg that causes him great pain and reduces his mobility. His income has decreased because he can’t work as much, and he can no longer carry out his duties on the security team.

"People with a disability have a much harder life than others,” Mr. Khamphong says. “It's not funny when someone mocks you by imitating the way you walk. We can do a lot of things. We just need support to improve our living conditions."

To generate more income, Humanity & Inclusion has provided Mr. Khamphong livelihood support for his cattle operation.

Despite his limited mobility, Mr. Khamphong has never given up and works hard to support his family. In addition to raising cattle, he dreams of opening to a motorbike repair shop to earn more money to support his family.

Injured by a landmine in 1970, Mrs. Chanh advocates for mine action and inclusion in Laos.

When she was 15, Mrs. Chanh stepped on a US-made landmine in Laos. The next day she went to the hospital, where her left leg was amputated.

For more than 50 years, Mrs. Chanh, 74, has been living with an artificial limb made by her uncle using scrap metal.

Humanity & Inclusion is working with Mrs. Chanh to provide her a new artificial limb and rehabilitation care. The organization has also given Mrs. Chanh a financial boost to help her raise cattle to generate income.

“We are celebrating the 25 years of the Ottawa Mine Ban Treaty this year,” says Julien Kempeneers, regional humanitarian mine action specialist for Humanity & Inclusion. “I want to underline that Victim Assistance is an obligation of the treaty and is vital for survivors, their relatives and communities. Victim Assistance comprises a vast range of activities including emergency and on-going medical care, rehabilitation, psychological and social support, facilitation of access to education, economic inclusion and more. Assistance needs lasts long after clearance operations end. A country or a region can be freed from explosive ordnances but the survivors are still there and need assistance.”

As a disability champion for Humanity & Inclusion, Mrs. Chanh shares her story and advocates for change.

"Bombs and mines must be removed from my village, so that people and younger generations can safely enter the forest and live without fear,” she explains. “I don't want anyone to go through the same experience as me.”

Weapons clearance in Laos

Laos has the highest level of cluster bomb contamination in the world. Nearly 500 square miles of land is considered to be dangerous.

Humanity & Inclusion launched its first weapons clearance operations in Laos in June 1996, removing contamination of exploded bombs, bomb fragments, explosive remnants, grenades, and other ammunitions. Deminers also detect larger, unexploded bombs—often weighing several hundred pounds—transport them to a specialized site to be safely detonated.

Since 2006, Humanity & Inclusion has decontaminated more than 1,200 acres of land in Houaphan and Savannakhet provinces. Since 2019, Humanity & Inclusion has destroyed 6,710 unexploded ordnances in Laos.

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As a child, Joc was injured by a cluster munition in Laos. Today, Humanity & Inclusion provides support to the young man who lives with multiple disabilities.

When Joc was 5, he was searching for worms to use as fishing bait in his village in northeast Laos. As he was digging in the ground, he came across an older cluster munition that was buried. It exploded. Joc spent a month in the hospital following the incident. His left arm was amputated, and he has had difficulties with hearing well ever since.

In the 14 years since the incident, Joc has found himself feeling marginalized. Daily activities like getting dressed, cooking and riding a bike are difficult. School was challenging because he was unable to hear his teacher or socialize with friends.

In 2019, Joc attended a training course organized by Humanity & Inclusion for the inclusion of people with disabilities. Soon after, Joc became an inclusion ambassador for Humanity & Inclusion; he supports, advises and integrates other people with disabilities in his village.

“Having a survivor like Joc as a local ambassador on inclusion helps us to raise awareness of communities on the fact that survivors and people with disabilities have the right to participate meaningfully in all decision-making processes that affect them,” says Julien Kempeneers, a regional armed violence reduction specialist for Humanity & Inclusion.

This year, Joc, who is now 19, attended a livestock training organized by Humanity & Inclusion. Raising animals will be a great opportunity for Joc to generate income and become even more independent.

"I want to have a good future, to be included in the society, to live happily and independently,” Joc explains.

Weapons clearance in Laos

Laos has the highest level of cluster bomb contamination in the world. Nearly 500 square miles of land is considered to be dangerous.

Humanity & Inclusion launched its first weapons clearance operations in Laos in June 1996, removing contamination of exploded bombs, bomb fragments, explosive remnants, grenades, and other ammunitions. Deminers also detect larger, unexploded bombs—often weighing several hundred pounds—transport them to a specialized site to be safely detonated.

Since 2006, Humanity & Inclusion has decontaminated more than 1,200 acres of land in Houaphan and Savannakhet provinces. Since 2019, Humanity & Inclusion has destroyed 6,710 unexploded ordnances in Laos.

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Four groups of students were recently recognized as winners of a storytelling video competition meant to promote disability inclusion in Laos.

The first place winner was a team from Phonmee High School who produced a video, titled “The Light of Faith,” about the stigma that a person with a disability may face in their school or community. The story shared a powerful message about how a sense of belonging has significant impacts on one’s well-being. In second place, a team from the Faculty of Economics and Business Management produced, “Attempt to Paint My Dream.” The video portrays the willpower and resilience of a girl with a disability who never gives up and does not allow negative attitudes to prevent her from achieving her goals. A team from the Faculty of Letters won third place with a video showcasing the ability of persons with visual disabilities. The fourth place team, also from the Faculty of Letters, explores inclusive employment.

The winners were announced at an award ceremony on April 5, hosted by the USAID Okard project and the National University of Laos.

Storytelling is a powerful tool for sharing key messages and valuable lessons, which help people reflect on their own attitudes and behaviors, and encourage the celebration and respect of human diversity. The winners will get a chance to be involved in future activities to help advocate for disability inclusion. This goal of the competition was to engage with youth in promoting diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. These selected short storytelling videos will be publicly available through various social media platforms, as well as screened during upcoming SBCC awareness raising events hosted by USAID Okard. 

USAID Okard, funded by USAID and implemented by Humanity & Inclusion and World Education, Inc., improves access to quality healthcare and economic opportunities for persons with disabilities, and supports design and implementation of disabilities inclusive policies in Laos.

Lamngueun joined Humanity & Inclusion in 2006 as an explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) expert. Today, she manages an 8-person clearance team in Laos, which has the most cluster munition contamination in the world. She tells her experience:

Hi! My name is Lamngueun and I am 40 years old. I grew up in Phine, a town in Savannakhet Province in Laos, which is an area heavily affected by unexploded ordnances. I come from a large family; I have seven sisters and brothers. I now have three children of my own.

I am proud to be a female deminer; every day I think to myself how it is a great feeling to demonstrate that the disposal and destruction of explosive devices is not a profession only for men. I am one of the few female deminers to reach the EOD level 3, which means I manage a clearance team and supervise remediation of sites.

Q: Has your team discovered anything unusual recently?

At the end of 2021, we were clearing an area in Nalaeng village, North Laos, with the explosive ordnances disposal expert team. The contaminated area was all over a hill surrounding the village. As usual, we found a lot of submunitions but not only that.

After five or six days of work, one morning an operator uncovered a large metallic object while he was excavating. He called me to investigate and identify the finding. We identified it as a Mk82 500-pound aircraft bomb—dropped by a U.S. military plane—laid in horizontal position, around 25 inches below the surface. This is a large bomb very common in the Savannakhet Province (East of the country) but not so common here in the North of Laos where we usually find smaller items such as artillery, mortar, grenades, rockets and cluster munitions. This was an event for the team and an opportunity for the supervisors to share their expertise. They explained how the tail fuse works and how to identify it.

We marked the site where the device was discovered, and the risk area around it. Then, the Operations Chief came to the site to assist in planning the disposal of the bomb. Such a bomb requires a 1-mile safety radius around the device. Two days later, the bomb was safe after partially evacuating the nearby village and moving the device to a disposal pit where it was destroyed using six pounds of TNT.

For this, I contributed to positively identifying the bomb, planning the demolition and securing the area on the day of disposal.

Q: What are the key qualities to make a successful EOD expert?

The most important thing is to be always concentrated on what you are doing. As a team leader, I need to take responsibility to ensure all tasks are assigned safely and completed to good quality, as planned.

We are in contact of explosive ordnances almost every day so we have to be alert all the time. A few days ago, we found and destroyed more than 10 cluster munitions and explosive ordnances in one day as we were clearing a rice field in Homphanh village in the district of Houameuang, North Laos!

For this job, you also need to be both physically and mentally strong. Field operations can be harsh. For example, the agriculture land here in Houameuang is mostly on the edge of mountains. We work long hours swinging a 26-pound metal detector. Excavating is hard work. Then, at the end of the day, when you think you have finished, we get back to base camp where we have to wash our clothes, help cook dinner, and complete our daily report.

Q: When and how did you become a deminer for Humanity & Inclusion?

It was in 2005, when I was just finishing school, I remember seeing that Humanity & Inclusion was looking for EOD operators. I decided to submit an application to work for the organization as an EOD expert. The process of applying for the job was not easy; I was lucky to be short-listed but then I had to go through a series of tests: mathematics, reading, medical and physical tests. After all my hard work I found out I passed!

The job started with an intensive 2-month training course. I found myself in a classroom with 25 other young men and women. We learned how explosive ordnances work, what the hazards are, how to use specialist equipment such as a detector, how to destroy an unexploded bomb, how to use a radio or a megaphone, and how to provide medical first aid.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

I was happy to get a job that helps to protect people from the danger of explosive ordnances. There are many explosive ordnances in Laos. Many accidents occurred. One accident is vivid in my memory: my father had an accident in 1984. A day after he finished office work in the evening, he went to work in the rice field. He dug and repaired the earthen dyke of the rice paddy with his spade. He hit an explosive device and it exploded. He was very lucky as he was not seriously injured, but he had to go to hospital for a week.

I have seen my grandparents, parents, children and many people in my community living in fear each day knowing the risks of deadly unexploded ordnances. I am so glad to participate to address the issue.

Q: How do you balance working as an EOD expert with having a family?

When Humanity & Inclusion’s base moved from Savanakhet province, where my three children live, to Houameuang in North Laos, it was really difficult. This means I am further away from my family. It takes one-and-a-half days to travel back home.

We have three campaign breaks each year, but last year because of Covid-19, there were a lot of disruptions and we worked from April through December without going back home. That was a long time for me.

Videos calls help because I can see how my children are doing back home. There are not many job opportunities close to my family and it is crucial for me to provide an income to support them; this is what motivates me to continue such important work.

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Humanity & Inclusion is working to reduce the impact of Covid-19 in Laos and recently published a survey on the obstacles people with disabilities face to receive vaccines.

Humanity & Inclusion teams interviewed 100 people with disabilities by telephone throughout May and June 2021. The survey participants live in the capital city of Vientiane within the Xamnua or Kaison districts.

“Our current projects show that people with disabilities always find it harder to access care,” says Pilar Duat Llorens, director of Humanity & Inclusion’s programs in the region. “As the survey we conducted in Laos a few months ago revealed, access to Covid-19 vaccination programs is no exception.”

Among those interviewed, the survey revealed that:

• Only 19% are vaccinated
• 61% are worried by the unknown effects of the vaccine and feel they lack information how it may impact underlying medical conditions
• 43% do not have enough information on where and how to be vaccinated
• 55% say that if they had more information, they would be more motivated to get vaccinated
• 73% say the biggest obstacles to vaccination are long lines and no priority lane for people with disabilities
• Between 56% and 85% say they would get vaccinated if they had the opportunity to do so

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Reducing the pandemic's impact

In the first six months of 2021, Humanity & Inclusion’s teams in Laos:

• Raised the awareness of 1,287 people, including 110 people with disabilities, on Covid-19 risks by displaying posters, organizing workshops and training sessions, and relaying prevention messages in the media and on social media in 21 villages in Houamoung
• Distributed 1,466 protection kits containing thermometers, masks, face shields and protective suits in Savannakhet
• Handed out 365 kits containing awareness-raising posters in Savannakhet, Houaphan and Houamoung
• Repaired and maintained seven ambulances belonging to Vientiane Rescue 1623
• Transported 460 Covid-19 patients in Vientiane
• Adapted two of Humanity & Inclusion’s vehicles to transport Covid-19 patients in Houaphan

“As a humanitarian organization, we need to help reduce the impact of Covid-19 in the countries where we work,” Duat Llorens explains.

Protecting people with disabilities

People with disabilities have been disproportionately affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, especially since the virus has the potential to impact pre-existing conditions. Physical obstacles and discriminatory behavior can also limit access to high-demand public services.

“The pandemic affects everyone, but people with special needs are even more vulnerable,” Duat Llorens says. “Many easy and reasonable adjustments can be made so everyone is included in the fight against Covid-19.”

“The people organizing Covid-19 vaccination programs need to ensure everyone is included,” she adds. “It is important to adapt communication campaigns by making new formats available and translating messages into sign language, for example. We also need to transport vulnerable individuals and provide appropriate support to people with special needs if they have to wait in line.” 

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