A 'Healthy Village'

Definition: "A village in which the inhabitants are physically, socially, intellectually, economically and spiritually well and in which the village land & forest are fertile and used in ways that are sustainable and contribute to the health of the people.

Elements of healthy village definition that may be measured:

I. Physical health

1. Disease: malaria, diarrhea, tuberculosis, (HIV).
2. Dentition: good dental health and habits among children of school age.
3. Rice Security: the amount of rice available on average for the village as a whole and for individual families.
4. Nutrition: height and weight of children under age 5.
5. Women's health: family planning; birth spacing; childbirth mortality.
6. Habits1: food preparation, hand washing.
7. Access to dietary protein: protein in the average family meal.
8. Vaccinations: vaccinations received for key diseases.

II. Social health

1. Village leadership: strength of leaders; demonstrated understanding of development.
2. Village solidarity; participation rates and quality.
3. Gender equality: women's participation in village leadership and planning.
4. Family unity: several generations living with or near each other; men able to make their living in the village instead of leaving for work; families able to care for all of their children.
5. Community projects: village participation in decision-making; common meeting space; rice bank; fish pond.
6. Cultural preservation: maintenance of cultural traditions; preservation of oral history.
7. Transparency: Knowledge of law; Village Assembly or venue for voicing out opinions.
8. Cooperation with neighboring villages: Joint meetings; Joint activities; Border agreements.

III. Intellectual health

1. Education: number of children attending school; number of women literate in Lao; literacy rate of the village.
2. Access to information: Library; P.A system; Radio; TEVY group; Knowledge of law.
3. Vocation training: People completing and using skills training.

IV. Spiritual health

1. Religious practices: freedom to practice religion; connection to ancestors through land or special ceremonies.

V. Environmental health

1. Water: ready access to clean water; ready access to water for agriculture; use of toilets/latrines.
2. Land: land security; land per family; land fertility; forest quality; village cleanliness; presence of UXO's; village boundaries defined and land use planning conducted.

VI. Economic Health

1. Self-reliance: ability to buy basic staples and supplies.
2. Debt: the absence of heavy debt.
3. Savings groups: active savings group(s) that allows fair borrowing and which promote livelihood development in the village.
4. Property and ownership: land; animals; equipment.
5. Access to markets: ability to make money by selling or bartering products.