Lao Voices

NGO Friends International has started a new initiative to alter the life of Vientiane street kids in a positive way. Through a project named Peuan Mit street kids get help in the form of prevention, reintegration, outreach and vocational training. Based on the support of up Mak Phet restaurant, former street children get a new perspective on life through training and building their confidence.

Since May 2004 the project has aimed for reintegration of street children into their society, to prevent vulnerable children from having to work or live on the streets and build the right capacity to execute these goals. Gustav Auer, regional hospitality and business coordinator of Friends International, explains that “most importantly, through their experience in the restaurant, we want to nurture in the former street kids a sense of self-esteem,”.

According to the 2005 Peuan Mit report
• The outreach team has had 3268 contacts with street children (girls/boys = 39%/61%);
• The main activities of children on the streets are begging (45%) and scavenging (47%).

Most children have other occasional activities that are usually less mentioned because they would put them in conflict with the law. It is unknown how many children live or work on the streets of Laos. This is partly because the problem was not recognised officially by the government until recently. Often the children were rounded up, returned home or put into detention centers.

The Peuan Mit project attacked these problems by supporting 108 children in public schools and supporting 169 families to improve their living conditions through access to health care, problem solving, life skills education and some financial support.

Since 2006, students have gained basic training in food-handling, cooking, service, hygiene and safety procedures in the Mak Phet restaurant as well as classes in English, Lao and mathematics. Strong emphasis is placed on building self-esteem and self-respect. Based on the 18- 24 months course, more and more students graduate and obtain work at  Vientiane’s restaurants.

Apart from the restaurant project, Peaun Mit engages in many other social support ventures in Vientiane. The report contains a striking story of a 15 years old girl from Vientiane.

I am a 15 year old girl. I live about 5 km from the center of Vientiane. My younger brother was scavenging one day when he met a sister (term commonly used between people having good relations) working for Peuan Mit. When he came back home he told me about the interesting activities hehad done with the sister. From that day he started going to the center every week when he had some free time.

I was very interested because I wantedto study Lao and mathematics. I have never gone to school before. But I was too shy to go to the center and I had to work at home. One day a team of Peuan Mit came to my village. I discussed with them and they told me I could come to the center any time to study. The problem was that if I walk there I spend too much time and I cannot work at home. So Peuan Mit organized for a tuk-tuk in the village to bring me a few days a week.

I joined the beginner class and was very happy to study so I tried to concentrate hard. 3 months later I was very sad because my mother wanted to send me to workin Thailand…I did not want to go. I have heard that some girls who are going there become prostitutes. I didn’t want to be a prostitute. So I did not know what to do.

Finally I decided to speak with the Peuan Mit staff. So I spoke with the leader of the Peuan Mit center and she decided to come and speak to my parents. She explained to my parents that I will maybe have a dangerous life in Thailand and if I study more in the center I can get a job in
the future. So my mother agreed and also she is happy because Peuan Mit supports her to sell dried fish along the road.
Today, I have been a student in the Peuan Mit center for 6 months and I know how to read and write. I am also learning a bit of sewing but I do not really like it. I have visited a training school to become a beautician and I am very interested. In September I will start the training. I just need to know a bit more about mathematics. I am happy now because I can do things I like to do.

Source: Irin Asia and Peuan Mit 2005 report.