Recently, several members of the Abundant Water (AW) team (Khamkeo, Porchang, and Marion) traveled to Mun district in Vientiane Province, a few hours northwest of Vientiane capital city.

After arriving, the team first conducted an introductory filter training in collaboration with the Association for Community Training and Development (ACTD), one of our local partners, which included local representatives from the Mun District Health Office (DHO). After this initial training, we met with the village leaders of the 12 target villages in Mun to discuss the importance of clean drinking water and led additional community training workshops about AW filters in each of the target villages. Once each training had been completed, ACTD and the AW team installed 10 AW water filter sets for the 10 target households in each village that had been selected by the local DHO to receive filter sets.

During this field visit, we met Hmong, Khamu, and Lao families, all concerned about and impacted by the lack of clean drinking water available in their villages. In Namphua village, we met Mr. Kheo (pictured below) who spoke to us about the presence of regular diarrhoea with his children as well as intestinal problems with some of the elderly members of the village. The villagers, with the typical smile seen throughout Laos, welcomed us with joy and interest in the filters and our clean water project.

This trip was also particularly significant for AW staff members Khamkeo and Porchang, AW’s two Hmong staff, as their families are both from Mun district. Personally, this mission really allowed me to better understand the impact and the operations and implementation side of AW projects. I also reconnected with the peace and charm of Laos that I knew from my previous time here, where life is punctuated by the rain and the sun. I am thankful for my time in Laos, a place with an abundance of kindness and innocent, happy smiles.

Written by Marion Reisch, Abundant Water’s Volunteer Program Officer.