The first Lao social worker Bounmy Souvannalath

The first Lao social worker Bounmy Souvannalath

Xuyen Dangers – Vietnam
Bounmy, the first Lao Social worker is a 22-year-old woman running a center of a Half Way Home for recovering drug abusers and for child development.

Xuyen Dangers – Vietnam

Bounmy, the first Lao Social worker is a 22-year-old woman running a center of a Half Way Home for recovering drug abusers and for child development.

Bounmy, a young Lao woman who did not see any future after graduation from high school, met Xuyen in the summer 2000. Xuyen asked her to write what is her dream. She wrote: “I want to do something to help others.” Xuyen put her to work doing volunteer work at Donkoi Children Development Center and Bounmy’s life began to change.

After Donkoi, Bounmy worked at Vientiane International School for two months, went to the USA for one year on an international exchange program under the Mennonite Central Committee.

When she returned to Laos she had a choice to work with the International school or Donkoi, a poor village school and children’s center. She chose to work again with Donkoi, where she could continue to learn social work with Xuyen. Due to her work with Xuyen and Xuyen’s network, UNICEF supported her to go to Stockholm, Sweden to an International conference on Residential Care where she saw Swedish social workers in action. She was more inspired.

Back to Laos again, a year later Church World Service/Global Ministries office in Laos PDR provided a scholarship for her to study in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Bounmy returned to Laos in September 05 and 2 days later began to work at her own village: Simuang / Phyvat, Sisatanak district, Vientiane Municipality, Laos where Tammakhung center is. She is the first Lao social worker with a 2-year diploma in Social work.

She said before she met Xuyen she “did not know that professional social work was different from Charity work.” Now she has received a good foundation of social work courses at the University level where she learned basic social work skills, methods and lots of codes of ethics. With her natural dedication plus over three years experiences in volunteer work and international exposures, she is now applying all what she has learned and experienced. Xuyen said ³Bounmy can provide direct social services but she is also given a challenge to learn MANAGEMENT as the Manager of Tamamkhung: a Half Way Home for recovering drug abusers and a child center for village children and children in especially difficult circumstances and their families.

With this new responsibility Bounmy will also have a chance to practice ADVOCACY an area in which she has shown great potential.

Bounmy had two-month full time practicum work in a huge drug rehabilitation center while she was studying social work in Vietnam. She will be able to continue working with these vulnerable youth who need lots of psychological support in Tammakhung Center.

Bounmy is studying English at night and on weekends. During weekdays, she also has a chance to teach English and Computer for officers of the Rehabilitation Center. Once in a while Xuyen takes Bounmy to the National University of Laos to assist Xuyen in teaching a course on Social Problems or to be a facilitator in workshops. So Bounmy is learning TRAINING as well!

Congratulation Bounmy for being the first Lao Social worker and having a job of running a child center in your own village at this very young age! Your life inspires me to write this story !

(Bounmy’s dream is to pursue a Masters Degree in Social Work or in a development field some day. Xuyen thinks with her determination, her hard work and her natural compassion she will succeed one day, don’t you think so?)

Xuyen Dangers

Xuyen Dangers is a social worker in Laos/Vietnam.  She serves as a Social work supervisor of Donkoi child center and 5 other centers, Social work advisor, Faculty of Social Sciences, and the National University of Laos.