Ban Kok (Phase 3)

Ban Kok (Phase 3)
Completed (August 2015)

Background...

Travel 30km to the north of Luang Prabang and one will discover the village of Ban Kok. Set beside cascading limestone cliffs and jungle the village is a remote community. The village is situated on the Mekong/Nam Ou confluence and is only accessible via boat or trek! Viewpoints from the village offer panoramic Mekong views of the river and limestone cliffs. With a lack of road access the need for basic development here is great. The village consists of a population of 243, which is broken down across 43 families.

The main source of income to the community is fishing; both in the Mekong and Nam Ou rivers. Agriculture is also a vital source of income. The village is surrounding by mountainous terrain but also several flatland areas which are utilised for paddy fields. Locals tend to travel to nearby markets to sell their produce.

The Mekong Beach @ Ban Kok

The Project:
To commence sanitation work with the community; beginning with a communal facility to be utilised by the primary school.

Following well over a year of work with Ban Kok we have supplied the community with comprehensive water and education development. Now it is on to sanitation. According to UNICEF , "School sanitation coverage has not progressed (41% in 2009, 42% in 2013)." Moreover, "In Lao PDR, an estimated 10% of under-five deaths are due to diarrhoea. The data show a strong association between water and sanitation (WASH) and diarrhoea, underweight and stunting."

Therefore, we believe it is key to begin our sanitation work in the school. Young children are highly susceptible to contracting illness through poor hygiene stemming from inadequate or non-existent sanitation. The project will improve health but also educate on the importance of practicing safe hygiene. We will then look to roll out a comprehensive sanitation project to bring our three-phased development plan for Ban Kok to fruition.

Our work on the school...