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SCMP Reporter

Imagine if there was no water or toilets at school, no transport and the classroom was a three-hour walk from home. Would you bother to go?

Thousands of  children face these conditions every day in Laos, one of the poorest countries in the world.

This was a real eye-opener for 25 Hong Kong youngsters who recently visited Vientiane, the capital of this Southeast Asian nation.

Most of the group were selected from this year's Unicef Young Leaders Programme, while two were from the MTR Shopping Malls Good Student Club.

During the week-long study trip, the young leaders were able to witness the lives of their less fortunate  counterparts. Their itinerary took them to the capital's Unicef office, numerous schools, a child development centre set up to keep children off the streets, youth centres and a mulberry farm, where they did some voluntary work.

They also had a chance to meet HIV patients during a gathering of youth groups concerned with Aids.

'What struck me most was that their situation was a lot worse than the impression I got from the internet,' said young leader Cheung Wai-ling of HKTA Lee Heng Kwei Secondary School.

'Some of them didn't even have money for pencils or notebooks. I wouldn't have believed it until I saw it with my own eyes.'

Poverty has led to numerous problems for children in the country - inadequate supplies of clean water, malnutrition, a high dropout rate at school, Aids, death and disability from unexploded bombs and abduction.

According to Unicef, diarrhoea is one of the leading killers of children, as 60 per cent of the population have no access to running water. More than 75 per cent have no access to regular health services. Ten per cent of children don't even survive past five years old.

Twenty-five years after the Vietnam War, much of the three million tonnes of ammunition and bombs dropped in Laos still poses a danger to the population.

The country is surrounded by China, Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia.

More than 60 per cent of the bomb casualties are children. Many Laotians also risk their lives every day by recovering the bombs to sell as scrap metal.

Many girls are forced to leave school early to look after younger siblings, or to help grow food and fetch water.

For 30 years, Unicef has been working with the government to improve the lives of the young.

Nevertheless, despite their dreadful living conditions, Laotian children still enjoy learning and always have a smile on their faces.

'They were much more attentive in class than us,' said Carrie Ng Ka-yuk of Diocesan Girls' School.

'They may be poor, but they treasure what they have, as well as their rights,' added Jessica Ng of St Paul's Convent School.

To raise Hong Kong students' awareness of deprived children around the world, the 25 Unicef young leaders will conduct seminars and exhibitions on the subject at their schools.



Happy with life