Article 1: Nasavahn Village

My visit to Nasavahn village was an extremely eye-opening experience. From the one way in one way out road,
the generosity of the villagers, witnessing first-hand the value of the past and current Volun tour Laos projects, it
was quite amazing.

There is only one route to get to Nasavahn a slow and tedious two hour drive on a tractor along a terribly
maintained dirt road (that turns to sludge and thick mud in the rainy season). I was warned the journey there
would be bumpy but the reality of it surpassed all the expectations and redefined the very word. The tractor was
really just a chuck of metal with huge wheels, built to withstand the steep, rocky road and muddy slopes. It was a
very long two hours as we were jerked and jolted along this poor excuse for a road; and by the tail-end of the
journey I was more than ready to get off that vehicle. While I took this one-time drive and experienced as a tourist
might; the reality for these villagers is that this horrendous road is the only way to enter and leave the village.
Luang Prabang is the closest city to Nasavahn. As there are no shops in Nasavahn (excluding mini marts selling only
preserved bamboo), travelling to Luang Prabang is a necessity for the villagers to buy food, other goods, household
items and to sell produce. The only current method to get there is the arduous two hour tractor journey, each way.

(From left): one of the better

sections of the road to
Nasavahn, on the tractor to
Nasavahn in the rain

In November 2016 Volun tour Laos began their first project in Nasavahn village; which was completed in March
2017. This project was for the development of education opportunities not only in Nasavahn but also for
surrounding villages. The project involved building a dormitory for high school students to reside in through the
week. This dormitory was an absolute necessity for the students, as many high school students live in villages
surrounding Nasavahn but must travel there to attend school. Prior to the completion of the dormitory, the
students had two equally poor options. The first was they could walk to and from school, along the
aforementioned terrible road, which was as far as 20kms each way. It was really quite dangerous for them,
especially with a schoolbag full of books and low quality shoes. The second option was that their parents could
build a small hut on the school grounds to live in, at their own expense. Some of these small dormitory huts still
remained in the shadow of the new dormitory. The comparison between the little huts and the new dorm was
quite shocking. The huts were absolutely tiny, with each one housing three or four students. The walls looked like
they would blow down with a big gust of wind and the roof looked like it wouldn't survive through one rainy
season.The completion of the dormitory has been astoundingly beneficial to both the students and Nasavahn
village. VTL received much assistance from the villagers and with their help were able to complete the project in
less than five months. This was due to VTLs unique approach of village involvement in their projects. Everyone was
aware of who VTL was and the outcome of the project, hence many of them were willing and keen to assist in any
way possible, and bring the plans to life.

Looking to the future, VTL hoped that with this dormitory in operation, Nasavahn had the potential to become an
educational hub of the area and attract many more students. That vision is slowly but surely becoming a reality. In
its first year of opening, the dormitory hosted 52 high school students. This year that number has grown to 96. The
dormitory is split into two sections; male and female and provides comfortable living conditions and is located
directly next to the school. Many new students have enrolled to attend due to the convenience of living next to the
school campus. Students from surrounding villages are now only required to make their difficult trek home on
 Friday afternoons to go home, and Sunday evenings to return to school. This allows them to be with their family on
the weekend; and while making the long walk is not ideal, it is much better than doing it twice a day, five day a
week. In addition to this, some students had been sent to Luang Prabang for high school due to limited options
available closer to home. Education and cost of living is significantly higher in Luang Prabang and students were
rarely able to visit their families at home for the transportation between the two places is just too inconvenient.
With the Nasavahn dormitory in place, many students have changed schools and opted to go to Nasavahn, as they
can now receive a good education whilst being closer to home, and for a much lower price. In the coming years it is
predicted that the number of students in the dormitory will increase exponentially. VTL ensures that completed
projects are able to be completely sustainable and independently maintained by the village. This dormitory plays
the leading role in increasing population and growth in the area, and was the catalyst in creating VTLs second and
current project in Nasavahn.

(From left): The old

dormitory buildings, the
new dormitory

Nasavahns current project, facilitated by VTL, is a water project. With the rise in population and undoubted influx
of students in the coming years, it was observed that Nasavahns water system was inadequate. Currently, a huge
water tank that can hold a maximum of 60L of filtered water is being built on the outskirts of the village. In the
coming weeks, pipes will be installed to lead water from the river through a filtering system, and into the water
tank for storage. The pipes will carry water into the village to equip the school, the dormitory and peoples homes
with running water, as well as a central tap location. Built in 2003, the current water tank can only store an
inadequate amount of water for the village, is old and outdated. This water project will be transformation to
Nasavahn, allowing them to continue to grow into the future. When I visited Nasavahn, there was a sense of
anticipation and excitement at the nearing completion of the project. VLTs builder was assisted by around nine
villagers who were ready to follow his every request, and learn from him. When the pipe connecting the tank to
the village is ready to be put underground, the English teacher told me that there will rally all the students along
the pipe, and that everyone can do their part to help dig the trench that the pipe will be buried into. Its clear that
VTL really advocated from community involvement in the projects, recruiting all abled-bodied people to contribute
with their own two hands.
(From left): VTLs
builder connecting
pipes to the water
tank, a high school
teacher helps to
dig trenches, the
water tank a few
weeks shy of
project completion

That's the great thing about Volun tour Laos that distinguishes them from other voluntourism companies. Their
main focus is the wellbeing of the future of each village, and the sustainability of their projects. It's not just a
matter of "build a water tank and leave". Throughout the whole process, the community is aware and involved in
what's going on, supplying key raw materials and physical laborers. VTLs futuristic approach teaches villagers how
to use and maintain the completed projects. This is to ensure that when the time comes for VTL representatives
and their volunteers to finally leave the end result is self-sufficiency. When the project is officially handed over to
the village as theirs, there is a sense of ownership and pride around it.

Nasavahn is village is not a desperately poor village, but they are still within the clutches of poverty. This was
evident in the fact that every individual home was made of bamboo. Several houses has roof structures made of
corrugated iron, but most has only bamboo. We were invited into the home of a family of four, and it shocked me
that their entire house was about the size of my living room back in Australia. VTL has been planning and working
towards Nasavahns growth, increasing accessibility to water, increasing the convenience and caliber of education.
The next natural step is an obvious one - accessibility to the city. If VTL could receive support and funding to build a
concrete road connecting Nasavahn to Luang Prabang, the effects would be astronomical. The current road is
dangerous and impractical, requiring two whole slow and painful hours to reach the road to Luang Prabang. The
nearest hospital is in Luang Prabang. In the case of a medical emergency, its imperative to have accessible means
to reach a hospital and medical treatment. The current dirt road is not an acceptable means of transport. If a
proper road was built, the travel time would be decreased to just thirty minutes. If Luang Prabang could be
reached so easily from Nasavahn and other villages; the benefit to their lives would be huge. Trips to Luang
Prabang for trade, commerce and shopping would be able to be far more frequent. Scope for high school and
university students to attend institutions in Luang Prabang would grow. In the current situation, Nasavahn will
remain a countryside village. If the city was more accessible, who knows how the community could grow.

Danielle Tzivakis
13/09/17