The people struggle to make ends meet. There is no social care.

The key to survival is your family, who is always there to take care of you. 

Family takes up all the costs, energy and time. That is why charity is misunderstood in Laos. 

Quite frankly, why would you help complete strangers when your own family could always use some help?

Two kinds of friends

In Laos, people have two different types of friends: the first one is a person to drink or eat with and the other one is a friend for life. The first relationship is more superficial, when you have money to afford it without commitments. The other one is for a lifetime and is usually a relation, such as family. 

Besides this circle of friends, there isn’t any interest in anyone else. If there is a problem or they need help, people most likely turn to others in their inner circle. 

Family First

As a true citizen of Laos you are always there for you family. While harvesting rice everybody needs to help. Older children watch the younger children. Old people watch the buffalo. Everyone can do something. That is the ancient recipe for survival.

Volunteer?

In the beginning there was a lot of confusion about volunteers. 

Has your family disowned you? Is there nothing else you can do for them? 

Are you just abandoning your family? Those are the questions you get when you become a volunteer. 

Strangers who help, now that’s strange!

Until now there aren’t many people from Laos who help as a volunteer. People who have money are already engaged in supporting family members financially. They will never give money to an unknown charity organisation. 

That is why we appreciate what the people of KDC do for the locals, who they do not know personally. They aren’t rich themselves.