Lao Voices

Video description: First UHA mission in Thaïland, summer 2006 : meeting Hmong refugees near White Water village (Huay Nam Khao), providing rice, cuddly toys and building a 100 m2 UHA Public School.

This video reminds me of my time in the refugee camps in Thailand. My family didn’t have a place to stay for many months and had to stay at my father’s uncle living quarter. We were among the last big wave of refugees in the late 80’s. There was no housing for us because the camp was over populated. My parents had to work hard so they could afford to buy a plot of land from a family that was leaving to go to the second camp, before they would be able to get to the third country.

We were only given tuna and rice. Water was rationed and was not enough. It was a good thing that my mother was a doctor and worked for the hospital in the refugee camp. My father gave English lessons so we were able to have some income. I also worked outside the camp for a Thai merchant family, selling clothes and other things.

Our little house was not as nice as what it is shown on this video. We built it with our own hands from leaves from the forest as a wall for the house. We weaved the leaves between the bamboo. Life was a struggle everyday but we were grateful to be alive and had big hope for the future.

When all is lost and hope is all that you got, it is still enough to get you going.