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Home.. Programs.. Laos.. Child Protection & Empowerment.. SHELTER
CONTEXT: The SHELTER project is focused on the operation of a re-integration centre in Pakse, the main commercial and urban centre of southern Laos, to re-integrate Lao survivors of trafficking back into Lao society. The project, at this early stage, is developing close links with the Lao government in order to provide the most appropriate and timely support to victims of trafficking. The project will provide links to schools and vocational centers to provide maximum opportunity to young people in need of skills development. VFI will assess the local job market and businesses and work with each resident to identify marketable professions in order to customize education and/or training for them. VFI will also establish a follow-up system to provide continuing support as residents become more independent.
Target Results and Beneficiaries
- Set-up and operation of a physical re-integration Shelter in Pakse able to accommodate 35 victims at any one time -- within the first year of the project;
- An individualized re-integration and support plan for each victim, including an assessment of health and educational needs, entry into an education and/or training program, assistance with job placement, and a follow-up system for each person staying in the shelter;
- Associated to the Shelter, the setup and operation of an information centre highlighting safe migration, health issues, drug use, and other important issues, to be complete when the Shelter opens -- within the first year of the project;
- Information and awareness-raising campaigns reaching 50+ villages in Salavan Province, and more than 7500 young people in Salavan town, Pakse town, and Vientiane capital city -- in the second and third years of the project;
GOAL: To establish and operate a centre in Pakse, southern Laos, to shelter, counsel, educate and/or train, and re-integrate into mainstream Lao society victims of trafficking and other forms of exploitation, with focus on both official and unofficial returnees from other countries and internal victims.
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OUTPUTS AND SUCCESSES
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A beautiful Shelter and separate Drop-in Centre set up an fully operational, with six months of the beginning of the project
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The Shelter and associated project activities (Drop-in Centre and Youth Action Against Trafficking project) are now nationally and regionally recognized by government and NGO partners as among the most effective and professional run facilities in Laos
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Shelter residents – mostly young women between the ages of 14-20 – are in a range of educational and vocational training courses, including sewing, weaving, flower making, and hair care.
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Systems are set up and operational linking Thai NGOs and immigration police in both Laos and Thailand to refer needed young women to VFI’s Shelter
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In less than one year of operation, the Shelter is near capacity, making VFI consider possible expansion in the near future. While this seems a success, it also underscores the number of young people in need of these services.
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