Help Children in Laos

Landlocked Laos is comprised of thickly forested and mountainous terrain. The Mekong River forms a large part of the country's western border with Thailand.

Most children in Laos live in rural areas, where about 80% of families earn a living in agriculture. These rural areas are especially vulnerable to the impacts of natural disasters, such as extreme flooding and droughts, which can lead to increased food insecurity and loss of livelihoods. 

Poverty is widespread in Laos, and is especially severe for children from ethnic minorities living in rural areas. Families lack access to basic services, including health care, sanitation and food. As a result, 33% of children in Laos under the age of 5 suffer from stunting due to malnutrition, and Laos has one of the highest child mortality rates in Southeast Asia. 

Challenges for Children in Laos

  • 1 child in 22 dies before their 5th birthday, 7 times the U.S. rate
  • 33% of children suffer from stunting due to malnutrition
  • 28% of children are engaged in child labor, instead of learning
  • 18% of people live in poverty
Map of Laos

Our Results for Children in Laos

Thanks to giving people like you, our work for children in Laos is helping them not only survive but thrive, including the over 300,000 children whose lives we changed last year.

A woman and boy smile in Laos

Thanks to you, we’re helping the most vulnerable families – like that of Ntokozo and his sons Joseph, age 7, and Sipho, age 13 – with emergency cash transfers, so they can feed and support their children.

  • 275,000 children healthy and nourished
  • 26,000 children educated and empowered
  • 3,000 children protected from harm
  • 55,000 children lifted from poverty

Our Work for Children in Laos

Save the Children has supported programs in Laos since 1987. Today, we continue to help children in Laos access quality healthcare, education, protection and nutrition services so that they can not only survive, but also live to build a better future for themselves and their families.

Here are some recent examples of our work:

A healthy start in life

  • In Laos, our signature Primary Health Care model has been reaching children and mothers in remote communities for more than 25 years. Our current focus is on providing remote health centers with essential medical equipment, encouraging better nutrition and care practices within families, and supporting health workers and midwives through training and mentoring.
  • Through our USAID Nurture project, we reached 25,000 pregnant women and 23,000 children with integrated nutrition and water, sanitation, and hygiene services and activities in 471 villages across six districts in Khammouane and Savannakht provinces.

Emergency response

  • In response to an emergency request from the Government of Laos, the USAID Local Health System Sustainability Project (LHSS) worked with the Ministry of Health (MOH) to combat the spread of COVID-19. 
  • In 2021, we will work with the Green Climate Fund to increase the climate resilience of health systems to protect and improve the delivery of essential health services to the Lao population.

How to Help Children in Laos

You can create change that lasts a lifetime for children in Laos – in so many ways. 


A smiling baby in Laos

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Support Save the Children’s mission. Donate to help children in Laos and around the world grow up healthy, educated and safe.

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A small girl waves in Laos

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Give a meaningful gift that will help transform children’s lives and futures in Laos and beyond. There’s something for everyone!

Sources: Facts and statistics have been sourced from Save the Children’s monitoring and evaluation experts, as well as our thought leadership publications, including our Global Childhood Report 2021 report. Other sources include CIA World Factbook and BBC Country Profiles.

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