- Home
- »Why is COPE in Laos?
Why is COPE in Laos?
Laos is still one of the World's poorest countries with a large group of people living at a subsistence level. The conflict in Vietnam spilled over into Laos in a secret war, leaving it the most heavily bombed country per capita in the world. Many of these bombs and other devices did not explode at the time. So, even though the war ended in 1975, the country is still littered with a significant amount of UXO (Unexploded ordnance) which also contributes to poverty, hunger and disability on a daily basis. It is difficult to say with certainty how many people in Laos are affected by disability from this and for other reasons in some way. Remote villages, poor infrastructure and inaccessibility contribute to people with disability being a disadvantaged group within an extremely poor society.
Hence the need to provide
- Prosthetics and mobility devices for those people who require them, free of charge if they cannot afford to pay for them.
- Information to people about services available
- Training and support to local staff to provide a high quality service
- Assistance in developing longer term strategies for sustainability so that the service will always be here!
COPE is an organisation developed in Laos working with Lao staff for Lao people with disabilities.