Building a shelter for a shared hope

Written by: Aksonethip Somvorachit, Communications Analyst, UNDP Lao PDR

June 17, 2022
Beneficiaries chatting in front of the soon-completing evacuation center

Local villagers sitting in front of the new evacuation center supported by UNDP Lao PDR and the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare (MoLSW).

UNDP Lao PDR

It was scorching hot. I felt the heat on my back, as I walked towards the evacuation center where the villagers were joyfully laughing and helping one another to do some touch-up work to the building on a Sunday afternoon. The land where the building was being constructed, is the highest point in Thuangse Village, Kongsedone District, Saravane Province- home to more than 700 residents. So should there be a flood- that would be the safest part for the villagers to find shelter in. The center will also be opened to the people of the nearby Hadsaykham Village, which is even more vulnerable given its geographical location, where almost 400 more individuals live in.

people crossing a flooded road

Colleagues having to cross the flooded access road to Thuangse Village on foot as the water level was too high for the car.

UNDP Lao PDR

There had always been regular floods in the area. At most, it never went beyond half or 1 meter above the ground. So, villagers never actually felt scared or worried. But in 2019, it poured endlessly for days on end. Although they had been warned by the village authorities to be prepared for an incoming storm, little did they anticipate that they’d witness such a scene.

The water washed away their rice crops and livestock, and for some- even parts of their homes. “We could only take as much as we could. And at that rate, we could only save ourselves,” said Ms. Khamla Norkeosouliya, who was born and raised in Thuangse Village.

“I was in despair. I couldn’t even bring myself to eat. We tried to be as prepared. But given the location of our homes, which are built on lands that are quite low- the rainwater just kept rising,” Khamla expressed with teary eyes as she walked us through her memory of the day she doesn’t ever want to experience again. The water was so strong that motorcycles, cows and many objects couldn’t stand the currents. All Khamla and her family were able to do, were only to look at their belongings as they floated away.

Khamla said the water was approximately 3 to 4 meters above the ground that time- reaching the lower brim of her window frame. Although the houses in the village are usually built on stilts, they're still not high enough to feel completely safe from the incoming flow. Together with her family, Khamla prepared necessities like rice, to be placed at the highest point inside their house, as soon as they were warned.

Despite all the preparations they did- there weren’t much they could do for the crops they’ve grown for months in their fields.  It took more than 10 days for the water to subside. The aftermath was unbearable for all of the affected villagers, as Khamla recalled the time she gathered with her neighbours, to see the destroyed crops which turned into unrecognizable debris.

Alongside the other villagers, women have also lent their hands to do what they can, such as helping to carry some cement to co-create their shelters. Khamla expressed how this evacuation center had helped them to feel more at ease if such natural disasters were to come again. “I no longer have to feel like having no place to find safety in, as our homes are much lower compared to the land, compared to where the evacuation center is situated on. I’m entirely grateful for the support and the thought for us. And we too want to help build, even if it is just by carrying a few items- as much as we physically can,” said Khamla cheerfully.

2 women about to clean the inside of an evacuation center

Khamla Norkeosouliya (on the left) and her friend who were about to help clean the inside of the evacutation center.

UNDP Lao PDR

On the way there, I could certainly confirm that the access road from the district towards the village was anything but easy. Though it was already said to be much improved according to the local villagers- we were caught in the mud despite the car being a 4-wheel drive. Fortunately, there was a family of local farmers on their tractors, who were making their way down the same road- right about 5 minutes after we got stuck and helped us out. But before we could make it in and out of the village on the first day of the visit- there were a total of 3 times that we had to get their rescue. To my astonishment- this was said to be already much more convenient, if compared to the state the road was in before- making logistics an obstacle and access to full support during emergencies difficult.

Villagers helping to tow out a car stuck in the mud

Villagers trying to connect their tractor to help pull our car out from the mud.

UNDP Lao PDR

Resilience is more than just being prepared for the worst to happen, but the ability to respond with the least risk when it does occur. Moreover, what I felt among the villagers were the sense of family, ownership and the relatability between home to home, which brought the people in the community together. And only together can the resilience be sustained to thrive in a volatile environment that can never be fully protected from nature’s harm.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the United Nations Development Programme.

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Through the "Urban Risk Management and Resilience - Integrated Resilience Building for Lao PDR’s Sustainable Growth project," UNDP Lao PDR supports the National Disaster Management Office, Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare to strengthen the country's disaster risk management systems through building capacities, fostering horizontal and vertical administrative coordination, and enhancing data analysis for risk-informed development planning. This project is funded through UNDP's Funding Windows, which is a pooled, flexible funding mechanism that provides a strategic opportunity for partners to contribute to achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.