Laos Solidarity is a non-profit association registered in France (officially under the name Eau Laos Solidarité). The organisation has been active in Laos since 2010, working closely with the Luang Prabang Library and supporting education, health, and hygiene for children and teenagers in rural communities.
A major part of its work focuses on hygiene education. They contribute to the Library’s Outreach Programme and lead activities on basic hygiene, adolescent health, and reproductive health. The president of Laos Solidarity, Sally Piper Pillitteri, has written three hygiene books for the Luang Prabang Library. Her puberty guide for girls, I Am a Teenager, has reached more than 10,000 schoolgirls and is approved by the Ministry of Education as a science resource.
Laos Solidarity also supports two Learning Centres in Pak Ou District and Pakseng District. These centres offer a safe and welcoming space where 40–80 children (ages 11–16) can read, play, learn, and explore creative activities. They also run workshops on nutrition, food, and cooking.
Many of the children belong to the Khmu ethnic group and speak a different language than Lao. Since local schools rarely have teachers trained in second-language literacy, the headmaster asked for the support of Laos Solidarity. In response, they introduced a peer-to-peer reading programme. Through this approach, boys and girls help other children—especially those previously illiterate—learn to read with confidence. Today, many read independently for pleasure, including seven boys in Pakseng who could not read just two years ago.
The Pakseng centre currently has a small library of around 100 books. Most are outdated or worn, originally left from before the centre’s relocation four years ago. Although the children have read them many times, they still return to them for enjoyment—showing just how strong their motivation is to learn and read.
More information:
https://www.facebook.com/LaosSolidarity
Motivation:
Activities fit very well with the purpose of The Book Aid in terms of literacy and of stimulating reading for children and young people, in communities that need it most.