Five Years of Empowering Disabled Women

One of the best parts about my job here in Laos is that I never know quite what to expect in a day. On this particular Friday afternoon, I was sent to cover the proceedings of the 5th Anniversary Celebration for the Lao Disabled Women's Development Centre. The women who live and work at the center made absolutely radiant hosts. Beaming and dressed in their finest clothes (each one wearing the traditional styles of her village) they welcomed us and directed us to the field behind the center, backing onto the river. I had visited the LDWDC before, but this time the place had been transformed. Tents and a stage had been set up, along with tables overflowing with Lao delicacies and vendors selling handicrafts. The women had been preparing for this event for months, and it showed.

And then the festivities began. Able bodied and disabled people alike marked the occasion through carefully rehearsed Lao traditional Dances interlaced with congratulatory speeches. It was truly inspiring to see how the faces of my mentally and physically disabled friends came alive when the music was turned on and they were given a chance to be in the spotlight for once, rather than being pushed to the farthest edges of society, as per usual. The day ended with more dancing, but this time the impromptu kind. The girls sitting next to me in their wheel chairs persuaded me to put down my camera and we all danced together until exhaustion and laughter overcame us. I have never in my life danced so much as I do here in Laos and I wonder why is it that we have relegated dancing to night clubs and ballet classes back in Canada?

My boss here likes to tease me that I have the most enviable job in the organization, and on days like this, I have to agree.

Ponsinuane Primary School

I wish you all could meet the wonderful children I spend my afternoons with at Ponsinuane Primary School! This local public school has only 90 children and 4 small classrooms, but the spirit of the place is anything but tiny. Since 2002, youth from the community have been serving as volunteers with the village children, and one year later, they began to introduce after school activities into the primary school including: storytelling, reading, drama, games, music, garbage dividing, recycling and composting. The Ponsinuane Volunteer Group (PVG) now has its own building at the school and operates after school programs each afternoon, as well as volunteer taught English classes as a part of the regular school day. MCC supports a part time staff person (who is himself a young adult from the community) to help with the implementation of PVG's activities as well as sending me as a half time volunteer to teach English and help with the after school program. It is very special for these children to have the undivided time and attention that the volunteers give each day and for our part it's very meaningful to build relationships with the children!

World Views Make a Difference Towards Global Transformation

The 3rd International Conference on “Gross National Happiness”
Nongkai/ Bangkok, Thailand

I admit, I was more than a little skeptical when I was first told that I would be joining a delegation from our volunteer peacemaker team to attend a conference in Thailand on “Gross National Happiness” (GNH). What purpose could it possibly serve to hold an international conference on the hazy theme of happiness? And aren’t there more important things to be worrying about these days? My skepticism quickly faded, however, when the conference began and I learned what the concept of GNH was all about. You see, the king of Bhutan initiated the first GNH conference in 2004 because he was tired of the way the world judged the success of a country based solely on their Gross Domestic Product. He decided that in this age of environmental degradation, rampant globalization, cultural decline and scarce resources, it was time to work together towards a new paradigm of success. At the first international conference in Bhutan, the four pillars that “GNH” works towards were created. They are as follows:
· Good Governance
· Sufficiency Economy
· Sustainable Environment
· Cultural Recovery


This year’s conference had two unique parts. Firstly, we, representatives from Bhutan, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, South Korea, Japan, Thailand, Fiji, Burma, Sri Lanka, Tibet, New Zealand, Brazil, Canada, U.S., England, Russia and Serbia gathered in a forest temple for three days in Nongkhai, Thailand. Monks, nuns and spiritual leaders from various religious backgrounds deeply enriched the experience. It was a meaningful time of religious and cultural dialogue, relationship building and discussions on such topics as “engaged spirituality”, “local wisdom”, “the urban/rural gap”, “right relationships with the environment”, “peace building” and much more.

After this informal, preliminary part of the conference, we traveled 12 hours by bus to Chulalonghorn University in Bangkok. It felt good to be back on the familiar ground of a university campus. In Bangkok, academics and representatives from governmental and non-governmental organizations from all over the world presented papers, held workshops and premiered films, all surrounding one or more of the four pillars of GNH. The Prime Ministers of both Thailand and Bhutan even made an appearance to offer their support at the opening ceremonies.

Highlights for me from this portion of the conference included a paper presented about conflict resolution used to help transform conflict between Buddhist and Muslim youth in a juvenile detention centre, a workshop about the storyteller’s role in society, a film By Helena Norberg-Hodge called “The Economics of Happiness”, a concert by a famous Sri Lankan musical ensemble and a conversation I had on a bus with an American woman who started an eco-village in Brazil 30 years ago. I don't know that I have ever been in the presence of such an eclectic mix of people before.

*If you want to learn more about the GNH paradigm, visit www.gnh-movement.org

Gross National Happiness Conference, Thailand

A version of the festival I talked about in my entry "Light in the Darkness" is held 1 month later in Thailand, so I got to participate in it again! Pictured here are my friends Kalia and Nic from MCC's peacebuilding team.

We marchedthrough the streets in a festive parade with banners bearing the four pillars of "GNH": Good Governance, Sufficiency Economy, Sustainable Environment and Cultural Recovery.

In a village close to Nongkhai, villagers organized a feast for all three hundred of us, complete with music and dancing! This group blended traditional Thai instruments with drums, a violin and an electric guitar.

Conference banners guided us through the forest at this Theravada Buddhist temple compound in NongKhai, Thailand.

Heart Dance

In the cool of the night
in rhythm with the ancient drums,
my heart pounds like love.
Love of a planet.

I’m afraid to look down at this page,
for already each second is speeding away
like the paper lantern we have flung into the heavens,
a new star
a new vision.
A vision of happiness for this continent
and for the planet it calls home.

Gathered from the far reaches of Asia
and beyond
we dance feverishly,
as though the fate of each sentient being rests in our spiraling arms,
no telling what may happen if we fall still.
still.
still as the monks in our midst,
wrapped warmly in their fire coloured robes.
Deep red for Bhutan, brilliant orange for Thailand.

And if I close my eyes and squint a little
every pounding heart will rise
into the night like so many paper lanterns.

*I wrote this poem during a particularly meaningful evening of the "Third International Conference on Gross National Happiness" held in Thailand. I will post some pictures and highlights of the conference very soon!

In a strange Lao style mix up, my fellow SALTers and I were signed up to run the 10k race instead of the 5K we had been training for. It worked out well in the end though and somehow all three of found it within ourselves to finish. My time came in at just under an hour, but don't get too excited; the route was suspiciously short. Our best guess is that we ran 8 or 9K. Larry, another MCCer who signed up to run the 21K had the opposite problem. The turn around sign was somehow knocked down and he (along with dozens of other runners) wound up running close to 30K! I'm excited to keep running in the mornings here and hopefully find opportunities to run a few more races, if not in Laos then when I return to Canada.

Disabled Women Join in International Friendship Half Marathon Event

Photo by Kaylie Tiessen

In the early hours of Saturday, November 17, 2007, the streets of downtown Vientiane were strangely empty of their usual fleet of motorcycles, tuk-tuks and cars, but the Lao National Stadium and the surrounding streets were a hub of activity none the less. Runners and walkers of many ages and nationalities showed off their physical abilities in Vientiane’s 10th Annual International Friendship Half Marathon. And while athletic types, the stereotypical participants in such an event, were present in abundance, they did not hold a monopoly on attendance. Also present were nearly forty women from the Lao Disabled Women’s Development Centre (LDWDC), all in matching light blue t-shirts, some in wheel chairs, others supported by crutches or friends, who overcame the obstacles of their disabilities to participate in this athletic event.

Some of the more able bodied women and their able bodied supporters took part in the 5,10 and (in one instance) even the 21 kilometre races, while the majority of the group stayed inside the National Stadium and completed three symbolic laps of the track. Though this may seem an easy task for an able bodied person, it was a feat accomplished only through great determination by these strong-spirited disabled women, who wanted to raise awareness of the challenges that disabled people face everyday, as well as draw attention to their many abilities. Ms. Kinnilone, herself a disabled woman and long time employee of the LDWDC had a clear message to get across on race day. “I want to say to all disabled people in Laos, and especially the women, be sure to pay attention to your work and education. Be confident! Remember that you are still a valuable part of this society and don’t let yourself become depressed by your physical disabilities.”

And how do the women feel about this special day? “They [were] very happy to attend,” says LDWDC director Ms. Chanhpheng Sivila. “The women come from many provinces, and they heard about International Friendship Half Marathon in Vientiane, but never before had the opportunity to participate. This event is about friendship and the women are happy to join in with able bodied people.” Each woman was awarded a special certificate for her efforts as she crossed the finish line. It is certainly an accomplishment that each one can be proud of for a long time to come.

As for the Lao Disabled Women’s Development Centre, the race to raise awareness and support for disabled women didn’t stop at the finish line. Today, the centre draws disabled women (and a few men) from all parts of the country, who are given a chance to learn a practical skill. The LDWDC offers vocational training and employment to these individuals in sewing, paper making, weaving or basic computer literacy as well as introductory English language instruction. Upon completion of their training, participants are able to return to their home communities with a new level of self worth and dignity, as they are now able to use their newly acquired skills to contribute to the family livelihood.

In addition to benefiting the individuals who pass through the centre, LDWDC acts as a valuable resource to the wider community, by demonstrating the abilities and potential of people living with disabilities and by building awareness within the general public of the needs and aspirations of disabled people in the Lao P.D.R.

*The LDWDC is supported in part by MCC Laos. For those of you who know Jane Snider and Larry Nafziger, they have worked with the centre for the past three years.