Water Coolers for Schools Project - Laos

In Laos around 80% of the population does not have access to drinkable water. When asked what help they needed, the local communities said their biggest need was for clean, cool water, and especially in schools. What more did we need to hear?

Imaginative Traveller are assisting our local agent in Laos (who currently co-ordinate this project) to raise the much needed funds for the water-cooler equipment.
When the funds are raised our tour groups are able to buy a water-cooler from Vientiane city and at a later point on the tour deliver it to a local school. The schools in need are identified by the local staff working for our local agent. On a recent Magical Laos tour our tour leader was allocated funding from Imaginative Traveller's main Responsible Travel fund to buy a water cooler to see how well this program worked. It was a great success! Our group took the cooler to a school just outside of Vientiane, where the head of the school, the head of the village and some of the children were there to meet them. The school was extremely grateful for our assistance, and it was a fantastic opportunity for our group to interact with the local people and to give assistance at the same time.

A water cooler costs about US$100 and through our future tour groups and donations for this project we hope to be able to help many more schools in Laos in the same way. Both Journey through Laos and Magical Laos travellers are able to get involved in the delivery of this project.