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Humanitarian Response

Lao PDR is vulnerable to windstorms, landslides, floods and droughts, which cause widespread agriculture losses. 

In the coming decades, it is projected that climate change will lead to more frequent and intense hydro-meteorological and climate extreme events. There will be more intense rainfall events, and more frequent and severe droughts and floods and more extreme wet and dry seasons. Annual mean temperatures will continue to rise by 0.1-0.3°C per decade, and the number of days with temperatures above 33°C will increase, while the number of cooler days with temperatures below 15°C will drop by two to three weeks per year.

What We Do

Save the Children is the leading humanitarian response agency for children in Lao PDR and provides provinces with technical expertise when responding to the needs of affected children.  Save the Children is committed to reducing children’s vulnerability to disasters, ensuring their right to survival and development and providing the support children and their families need to quickly recover and re-establish their lives, dignity and livelihoods.

Our Recent Humanitarian Efforts

  • Flood in Nan District, Luang Prabang Province

From 21–23 July 2025, Tropical Depression Wipha and subsequent storms caused severe flooding in Nan District, Luang Prabang Province, affecting 14 villages and 895 households (2,722 people, including 855 women), destroying homes, livelihoods, and worsening sanitation and food insecurity. Kheum, 43, lived by the river with his 70-year-old mother, Vanh, until a sudden surge of water in the early hours of 23 July swept through their village without warning. “I was asleep when my son shook me awake. The water was already around us. We didn’t think — we just held onto each other and ran,” Vanh recalled. Within minutes, their home of more than 20 years, along with their chickens, savings, and belongings, was washed away, leaving them with only the clothes they were wearing. With support from Save the Children, funded by the Humanitarian Fund, they received essential construction materials, household items, blankets, and other assistance to rebuild their home, restore their small garden, and begin recovering their livelihoods, helping them move from immediate survival toward rebuilding their lives with renewed hope.

  • Schools Recover After Floods,  Luang Prabang Province

In Luang Prabang Province, flooding had a severe impact on education, with many children unable to return to school after losing their uniforms and learning materials, leaving families—at least 70 of whom expressed serious concern—worried about affording basic school necessities for the new academic year and increasing the risk of absenteeism or permanent dropout. Classrooms, toilets, water systems, fences, playgrounds, and learning materials were damaged at several schools, including Paphai Kindergarten, Simoungkhun Primary School, Phonxay Primary School, and Huay Sala Primary School, disrupting teaching and learning. In response, Save the Children, with generous support from EiE funder worked closely with the Ministry of Education and Sports, Provincial and District Education authorities, and the Education Working Cluster to assess repair needs, identify the most affected students in Nan and Phonexay Districts, and ensure the fair distribution of WASH kits, essential school supplies, and uniforms alongside basic household assistance. Through careful planning, on-site verification, and close coordination with school leaders and teachers, timely and equitable support helped restore safe learning environments, strengthen school readiness, and renew hope for children and their communities—“I’m very happy to have new clothes after the flood. I lost mine, and these make me feel happy again,” shared Nampherng, 7 years old.

2025 DIRECT REACH THROUGH HUMANITARIAN PROGRAMS

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1,204

Households reached through Humanitarian programs

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5,549

People Reached through Humanitarian Program

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1,407

Children Reached through Humanitarian programs

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84

 Persons with Disabilities Reached through Humanitarian programs

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" My son should be playing and learning-not waking from nightmares or asking when the next flood will come. I just want him to feel safe again"

- Keo, 31 years old, and her son, 10 years old, a flood-affected family in Luang Prabang Province

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"I’m very happy to have new clothes after the flood. I lost mine, and these make me feel happy again,"

- Nampherng, a 7-year-old Grade 2 student, was among those affected in Luang Prabang Province. 

 

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" This support arrived when we needed it most. It helped our family recover, protect our children, and begin rebuilding our lives with dignity."

- Sonechit, 33 years old, Luang Prabang Province

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 "This support gave me more than practical help; it restored my hope. We will plant again, we will rebuild again, and we will keep moving forward no matter how many times we are knocked down"

-  Thitchanpheng, 64 years old from Luang Prabang .

News & Stories

17 Aug 2026

Giving Refugee Teachers a Voice, Giving Children a Future: How TeachWell Voices Is Transforming Education in Dadaab

Ibrahim*, 17, fled Rwanda with his family in 2015 and is now a student leader in Dadaab, where he is experiencing the impact of more supportive, learner-centred teaching through Save the Children’s LEGO Foundation-supported TeachWell Voices project. The initiative is strengthening refugee teachers’ professional skills, leadership and recognition, resulting in more engaging classrooms, stronger teacher-learner relationships and improved school leadership, while Communities of Practice are giving refugee teachers a collective voice to advocate for greater professional recognition.

11 Aug 2026

Beyond Survival: How Save the Children Is Helping Aldrine and Hafold Reclaim Their Future

After years of displacement, hunger and poverty forced Esther’s children, Aldrine and Hafold, out of school. With support from Save the Children, the siblings have returned to learning, received psychosocial support and gained renewed confidence, while cash assistance helped their family rebuild a safer home. Their journey shows how education and humanitarian support can help children move beyond survival and reclaim hope for the future.

13 Jul 2026

A Mother's Journey from Hunger to Hope: How Life-Saving Care Transformed Alice's Family

Alice*, a mother of three from Turkana County, struggled to keep her children alive as prolonged drought, food insecurity, and poverty pushed her family to the brink. When her four-year-old daughter Charity* developed severe acute malnutrition and began losing her eyesight, Save the Children reached their community through the UK Aid Match-funded ACCEPT project. After receiving life-saving treatment and Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF), Charity recovered her strength and sight, giving Alice renewed hope. Today, despite walking three hours to access outreach services and facing ongoing hardship, Alice continues to seek care for her children, determined to give them a healthier future.