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Issue No. 129 | 22 March 2002 |
Not So Happy Campers
Interview: Pulling the Pin International: At the Crossroads Unions: A Case Of Lost Identity History: Rocking the Foundations Industrial: Rocky Road Economics: Cracking a Coldie Poetry: The Right Was Wrong Satire: Heffernan�s Evidence Conclusive: Proves He's An Idiot Review: Upstairs, Downstairs
Giant Rat Fights Cole Commission Queue Jumper Abbott In Cash Grab Rabbit Fence Leads Reconciliation to Classroom Council Takes Up Discrimination Challenge Power Workers To Decide Own Fate Fee Pressure Builds on Beattie Nobel Committee 'Subordinates' Union Rights Columbians Level Death Charges Call To Blockade Burmese Junta
The Soapbox The Locker Room Postcard Cole-Watch Week in Review
Letter to Howard #2 Letter to Howard #3 Jump Before You're Pushed
Labor Council of NSW |
Postcard Greetings From Lao
******************** I arrived in Vientiane, the capital of Lao PDR (Peoples Democratic Republic), in mid-January 2002 to set up the project Union Aid Abroad-APHEDA is undertaking with our local partners, the Lao Women's Union. The preparation for this program has been going on though for many years. In 1997 staff from the Cambodian office of Union Aid Abroad-APHEDA researched needs for vocational training in Laos and funding was sought from AusAID to begin a program of support. It wasn't until 2000 though, with the help of donated funds from Union Aid Abroad-APHEDA supporters, that we started a small pilot project in vocational training for young women in Vientiane. This pilot is now being expanded with funding from AusAID and individual donations. In this first 2 months since I arrived, one of the first activities besides setting up the office has been the negotiation and tendering for the building of a new Vocational Training Centre located 20 kms south of Vientiane. A partially built and currently unused building (pictured) has been donated by the District and will become over the next 4 months a four classroom training centre with dormitories. Training initially will be in skills to enable young women and men to raise their own families' income. This includes tailoring, hairdressing, handicrafts and food processing. A feature of the project is to help the local women's union build their own capacity - so training of trainers, developing curriculum, improving facilities, supporting effective management and monitoring of what's working best - all form part of the project. Another early activity is taking representatives of the 2 Provinces involved in the project to Cambodia to review what Union Aid Abroad-APHEDA has been supporting there over the last 14 years. A group of 7 of us will head off on 24th March 2002 to Cambodia to visit a range of women's and education centres in Cambodia. The group includes 2 current trainers from the project who will be placed for a week in centres in Cambodia to work with local trainers. Over the next year we will also be recruiting Australian trainers to help with upgrading curriculum and teaching methodology. Union Aid Abroad-APHEDA has been keen to begin a program in Laos as it is one of the poorest countries in South East Asia (with an average income per person of just $360US per year in 1998) and is still very directly affected by the aftermath of the Vietnam war in the 1960s and 1970s. Aftermath of War While not a problem here in Vientiane, there are thousands of unexploded bombs left over from the war in most other Provinces - and clearing them will still take many many years. Over 1.9 million metric tonnes of bombs were dropped on Laos between 1964 and 1973 - part of Kissinger's secret war - and the broader Indochina war. This has earnt Laos the distinction of being the heaviest bombed country per head of population in the history of warfare - 10 tonnes per sq kilometre. Country Profile Laos is a small country with only 5 million people, sandwiched between China, Vietnam Thailand and Cambodia. Only 3% of the land is cultivated for agriculture and the Mekong River provides important food and transport links for much of the population. Tourism too is increasingly important to the economy. Since the end of the Indochina war in 1975 Laos has been a communist state with close political and economic links to Vietnam and China and more recently Thailand. Laos has been a member of ASEAN since 1997. For now that's all from me her in Lao PDR. Perhaps another postcard after the Cambodia study tour - and from some of the participants. For more information about the work of Union Aid Abroad-APHEDA go to: For more information about what Union Aid Abroad-APHEDA is doing in Lao, go to: http://www.apheda.org.au/campaigns/lao.htm
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