In the last five years, rice yields in Phoupieng, Laos have doubled, disease rates have dropped, the number of poor families has fallen and food shortages have reduced. Editor Maureen Bathgate spent a day in the village to discover the secrets behind its success.

Head of the Phoupieng Village Water Users Group, Ka Wang has a wash at the new tap stand near her house.
Photo: Jerry Galea/OxfamAUS.

As the early morning sun stretches a lazy arm over the mountains that stand guard over the village of Phoupieng, in northern Laos, Ka Wang heads towards a tap stand, just a short walk from her house.

The maroon shade of her Lao skirt, blends in perfectly with yellows and browns of the traditional houses, the deep reds of the dry, thirsty earth and the orange glow that the sun casts over the whole village.

As she walks, Ka Wang tries to mask a smile as she carries a single bucket to collect clean water for the day.

"Before [the clean water system], the women worked very hard. We had to take five containers down to the river and carry them back. Now, we can just take one to the tap, fill it and carry it back to the house, then take another one. It is much easier," she explains.

"Before, we walked 300 or 400 metres morning and evening to get water. Now we have clean water, we don't have to walk to the river - we can cook, take a bath, use it for the latrines.

"Clean water is not the only change Phoupieng, or "Flat Mountain Village" has experienced over the past five years.

The village, one of the poorest in Feaung District, Vientiane Province, lies nestled between two mountains, 40 minutes drive from the Feaung District Centre. It is home to 447 people from the Hmong ethnic minority who now enjoy an improved quality of life, better health, increased incomes and more food, thanks to a range of joint development projects.

It's all due to strong partnerships between Oxfam Australia, the Phoupieng community and the Feaung District Government which have resulted in a clean water system, a rice bank, an irrigation system, improved sanitation and a savings scheme for the village, as well as sewing groups, environmentally sustainable land clearing for rice fields, a drug fund which supplies medicines, a new road linking the village to the district centre and skills training for young people in areas such as tailoring and carpentry.

Our work here is typical of what we are doing in more than 40 villages in three provinces across Laos. It is known as the "village-centred approach" and aims to maximise the village's own resources and insights, while constantly working with government officials on local issues and demonstrating the effectiveness of participatory approaches - approaches which are working if Phoupieng is anything to go by.

Villagers here describe life in Phoupieng in terms of "before" and "after", as Village Leader Kianang Yang animatedly explains.

"Before Oxfam Australia came here in 2001, we did not have clean water, there was not enough rice for each family, there was not enough land for every family to grow their rice; we depended on rain for our rice crops, we had no road to access the markets or the hospital.

"Now, after the activities supported by Oxfam, we have a canal for the irrigation system for our rice fields, we have set up a rice bank so that families have enough rice to eat, we have a gravity fed water system which gives us clean water from the mountains, we have set up sewing groups for the women and received funds to clear lands. We have a drug fund now and can buy medicine from our village. Every household now has close access to a latrine. The health of the village is good and disease has decreased.

"Just spend a day in the village and it's easy to see why the projects have been such a success - while we have provided the funds and expertise and the District Government has provided support, it is the community themselves who have lead the way, with their enthusiasm, hard work, commitment and sense of ownership and pride over the projects.

Phoupieng Village Health Volunteer Tong Yang checks current medicine stocks in the village drug fund.
Photo: Jerry Galea/OxfamAUS.

Just take the new road, for example.

Before the road was built, villagers had to walk for up to a day along a thin dirt track through the forest to reach the district centre and access vital services such as the secondary school, market, pharmacy and hospital. That was during the dry season. During the wet season, they were cut-off from the outside world.

Now, thanks to a new six-kilometre road we have funded, the village is just 40 minutes by motorcycle. While two construction companies were contracted to do all the heavy construction work, villagers contributed by installing large concrete pipes under the road for drainage and continue to do maintenance to keep it in good condition, particularly during the wet season.

The same goes for the water system, the irrigation canal and rice bank. We provided the funds, training and some equipment and supplies, while the villagers provided the labour and any other local materials, and continue to handle any ongoing maintenance.

Each project is overseen by a three-member committee comprising both women and men. Any new proposals relating to the projects are discussed at village meetings and must be agreed to by the whole community.

The irrigation system, which provides enough water during the wet season for 30 hectares of rice fields, has made a big difference for the 36 families who use it.

"Before, we depended on rain during the wet season for our rice crops. If there was no rain, there was no rice. Now it is very comfortable, we get water for our rice fields from the mountains, through the irrigation system," Mr Yang says.

"Before we had this system, we averaged 1.5 tonnes per hectare for rice. Now we average three tonnes per hectare for rice.

"Now we don't have to do 'slash and burn' cultivation to grow rice because the rice crops grow better."

Adds Wu Yang, head of the Rice Bank Committee: "Each year, 10 families don't have to borrow rice from the rice bank because they are now growing enough rice themselves.

"Better rice crops means more food for families and that, coupled with the village's new water system, household toilets, health education and drug fund which provides first aid, basic diagnosis and medicines, has seen big improvements in the health of the community.

"Diseases like diarrhoea, cholera, skin rashes, colds, and eye diseases have decreased," Ka Wang says.

Mr Yang says that thanks to the Oxfam programs, residents now have better resources, systems, ideas and technology to improve their health, food supplies, livelihoods and living standards.

"Before Oxfam Australia came here we had 25 poorest families (extreme poor) in the village, we have less than 10 poorest families now," Mr Yang says.

"We are very grateful to Oxfam Australia for having programs here and supporting our community."

Many other villages in Laos need our help. You can help transform the lives of poor people in other communities by donating to our Mid Year Appeal. Call our donation hotline on Freecall 1800 088 110 or donate securely online at www.oxfam.org.au.