Mr Bounpheng Sisawath (front, fourth left), Ms Rebecca Derry (front, third right), and associated individuals attend the project launch in Vientiane.

US extends support for UXO accident victims

World Education, a division of JSI, and the National Regulatory Authority (NRA) last week launched a project to continue the US State Department funded “Medical Support Fund for UXO Victims in Laos” programme.
The project launch followed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) by the Director General of the National Regulatory Authority, Mr Bounpheng Sisawath, and Country Director of World Education Laos, Ms Rebecca Derry.
The MOU will take effect from 2024-2028 with a total budget of US$553,455 and a budget of US$319,010 for project activities in Laos.  
World Education is a US-based nonprofit organisation and has been operating in Laos since 1992.
World Education Laos’ programmes are designed to build capacity, promote self-sufficiency, and increase the inclusion of all persons through programmes in education, health, mine action, and economic development.
Since 1996, World Education has worked to address the legacy of unexploded ordnance in Laos in the areas of victim assistance, health systems capacity building, and mine risk education.
The Medical Support Fund for UXO Victims, formerly known as the War Victims Medical Fund, was established in 1996 to provide for civilians affected by UXO accidents in Laos with access to immediate and ongoing medical and dental care, assistive devices, per diem assistance for family members during hospital stays, and contribution towards a religious ceremony or funeral.
The goal of the Fund is to ensure that anyone directly affected by UXO accidents will not be burdened by medical and funeral-related debt. To date, the Fund has helped support over 1,185 survivors and their families.
Since July 2016, WEI has operated the Fund in partnership with the National Regulatory Authority (NRA), the inter-ministerial board in charge of UXO issues in Laos.
Together, WEI and the NRA visit families following a UXO accident and coordinate with hospitals to ensure that the needs of survivors are met. These efforts support the government and people of Laos as they work towards achieving the country’s Sustainable Development Goals, including Goal No.18, “Lives safe from UXO”.
In addition to UXO victim assistance, WEI has supported UXO programming through the Comprehensive Mine Risk Education Project (2018-2021), assisting the government to integrate mine risk education into the national curriculum, enabling over 500,000 children across the country to receive messages about UXO safety.
The project was extended and expanded to target a diverse range of beneficiaries including secondary school students, out-of-school youth and adults attending non-formal education centres, community members, speakers of minority languages, and social media users through Lawang (‘Beware’): Expanding the Scope of Explosive Ordnance Risk Education in Laos” (2022-2024).

By Times Reporters
 (Latest Update December 9, 2024)