OUR PARTNERS
LEGACIES OF WAR
Legacies of War is the leading U.S.-based educational and advocacy organization working to address the impact of conflict in Laos during the Vietnam War-era, including removal of unexploded ordnance (UXO). We raise awareness about the history of the Vietnam War-era bombing of Laos, provide space for healing the wounds of war, and create greater hope for a future of peace. We are not a direct service or aid organization, nor do we have local offices in Laos. From Washington, D.C., we engage and establish relationships with governments, civil society and individuals, especially from the Lao diaspora, to raise awareness and increase financial support for clearance of UXO in Laos. We work directly with key decision-makers in the U.S. government – including Congress and the Administration – and with the private sector and media outlets to provide these influential groups with compelling information and analysis. We serve as a convenor and organizer of partner organizations and individuals seeking to resolve the UXO problem in Laos.
Our work has led to tenfold increase of U.S. funding for UXO clearance and victim assistance in Laos, from $3M in 2008 to $30M in 2017. In bringing greater attention and increasing resources, we’ve helped to make a real impact on the ground in Laos: more land being cleared, lives being saved and additional care and services available for the approximately 12,000 UXO victims living in Laos.
FRIENDS WITHOUT A BORDER
Lao Friends Hospital for Children opened in February 2015, with the idea to create a locally-sustainable hospital by and for the Lao people.
LFHC implemented a phased opening of treatment; with provision of care starting with the Outpatient Department. 47 children were seen on opening day, and the hospital now treats 20,000 children annually. The clinical team delivers care to an increasing number of children with dedication, smiles, and a caring, compassionate attitude.
The primary emphasis of education is with patients and their family members – providing preventative education on topics such as nutrition, vaccinations, breastfeeding support, oral health, family planning, and disease-specific information.
LFHC is the only hospital in northern Laos to offer neonatal services, providing life-saving care for newborn babies that otherwise have no access to proper healthcare for essential development.
LAOTIAN AMERICAN NATIONAL ALLIANCE
We are 100% volunteer based national nonprofit advocacy organization dedicated to advancing, uplifting, uniting the Laotian American community.
Laotian American National Alliance (LANA) is the oldest and only national nonprofit advocacy 501c3 organization in the United States. The Laotian American National Alliance (LANA) is the premier resource and advocacy organization in the United States who strives to cultivate the strengths and leadership of all Laotian Americans comprising of the diverse ethnic communities from Hmong, Iu-Mien, Khmu, Lahu, Lao, Tai Lue, Phu Tai, Tai Dam, Tai Phuan and other descendants from Laos who make up the dynamic, collective Laotian American community.
WAT PA LAO BUDDHADHAM
Wat Pa Lao Buddhadham (Phood-taht-tahm) is a Theravada Buddhist Temple that has been offering spiritual services and programs to our community for over 20 years. We, at Wat (Temple) Pa (Forest) Lao Buddhadham that support and operate this temple are all Volunteers from the Heart.
We are very proud of our many community outreach programs. We have had the privilege of watching our community grow, and that growth has been tremendous. As such, we are now in need of expanding our facilities.
LAOS IN THE HOUSE
The Mission: We integrate storytelling with art, seeking to engage community members to share their own personal stories, allowing us to do it in the way we want it to be done, seen and heard. We acknowledge the work of Lao American artists already sharing their own stories while giving voice to those who cannot do so for themselves, in the hopes of healing the scars of war and beginning the process of regular intercultural, intergenerational exchanges.
The diaspora of Laotians living outside of the country of Laos spans all over the world, from France to Australia, Argentina and the United States. This is a result of war - three to be exact, all happening simultaneously: the Lao Civil War, the neighboring Vietnam War and perhaps the most devastating, the U.S. Secret War in Laos - a military campaign that averaged a planeload of bombs every 8 minutes, for 24 hours for 9 years, giving Laos the title of the most bombed country in the world. What makes Lao Americans so unique then, is their experience living in the very country that nearly destroyed their own homeland.
Artists have frequently been referred to as voices for the people, and their work often utilized as tools for social change. Highlighting the work of artists gives us a chance to shine a spotlight on that experience, while adding their voices to the larger collective narrative that makes us uniquely Lao American. Whether traditional khaen musician or contemporary neo illustrationist painter, whether refugee survivor, descendant of the royal Lao family or adopted son of a former soldier, we believe that all stories are important to the story of Lao America.