Luang Prabang

Country information

The foundation stone of the fourth SOS Children's Village in Luang Prabang was laid in February 2000. By June 2001, construction of the SOS Children's Village and the SOS Kindergarten was completed and the first families could move in. Luang Prabang is the ancient capital of the former Laotian kingdom of Lan Xang. It is situated on the river Mekong. The town's main attractions are the King's Palace (now a national museum) and numerous temples. In 1995, Luang Prabang was declared part of the World Cultural Heritage by UNESCO. The people of Luang Prabang live mainly on tourism and cloth trade. On the outskirts of the town, there are farms and paddy fields. Many orphaned children from the hill tribes living in the area end up in Luang Prabang. These children only speak their tribal dialects and have not learned the Laotian language. The SOS Children's Village Luang Prabang is situated about 4 km outside the town, near the village of Ban Pong, on the main road to Muang Khai. It consists of fourteen family homes, the Village Director's house and the necessary administrative buildings. There is an SOS Kindergarten, which is also open to children from the neighbourhood, and an SOS Social Centre. The site, which was assigned to SOS by the authorities, includes a paddy field and a pond.