Last week we shared how our humanitarian mission team had been working alongside community members, government partners and ADRA staff to help construct a gravity fed water system in Xayoudom, a remote village in the country of Laos. The water system included filtration and storage tanks, along with over six kilometers of hand-dug trenches. The efforts were worth it for the promise of a year-round supply of fresh water. Because the spring that feeds the system flows for 12 months of the year, villagers won’t have to worry about lack of water in the future as long as they maintain the system. Team members also conducted daily hygiene activities for children, with demonstrations of hand washing and teeth brushing, as well as crafts, songs, dances, games and more.
This past week, the Really Living Laos team’s focus was on the construction of greenhouses in Yortpair. Team Coordinator Szasza Paz reported a brutal drive to the village due to an eroded road. “Sometimes we had to get out of the van to walk up since the van couldn’t handle it,” she reported. Again, the inconveniences were worth the effort for the potential of fresh produce the new greenhouses would provide villagers.
Additional work undertaken by the team included supporting the construction of a disabled latrine at Xay, distributing water filters to Namsan Village, distributing school supplies, warm winter clothes and flipflops to students, and distributing mosquito nets to villagers at Somboun.
The remainder of the team’s time overseas will be spent exploring and sight-seeing, both in Laos and neighbouring Thailand.
