Dear Potential Supporter:

Laos is a war torn country. In fact, Laos holds the distinction of being the most bombed country in the history of the world. Between 1964 and 1973, a greater tonnage of bombs was dropped on Laos than was dropped during the whole of World War II, an average of one B-52 bomb loaded every eight minutes. Of the 260 million bombs, 80 million failed to explode, leaving a deadly legacy that continues every year to kill, maim, or psychologically traumatize hundred of children and adults.

Beyond the legacy of war, the lives of mentally ill children and adults are severely limited and lost every day due to an underdeveloped healthcare system. Imagine. Laos is a country of 5.5 million people, but only two psychiatrists. No clinical psychologists. No social workers. No psychiatric nurses. The only available acute mental healthcare in the country is one 15 bed psychiatric unit in Mahoshot Hospital in the capital, Vientiane. Yet, 75% of the Laotian people live in rural areas where no mental health services of any kind are available. The World Health Organization (WHO) has said "mental health issues are completely new for the country" and a UN Country Assessment noted, "Mental Health is an area that has been particularly neglected..."

This is the situation in Lao that our NGO, Health Enhancement for Laotian People, Inc. (HELP) is going to change. We are doing so by building systemic capacity for mental health training in Laos, by integrating mental healthcare into the primary healthcare system, by providing a mobile team to reach isolated people, by recruiting and coordinating volunteers who will share thier expertise with Laotian colleagues, and by facilitating the long term development of a psychiatric residence program.

Our strategies were developed as a result of a March 2009 needs assessment conducted by an international team under the auspices of Health Frontiers, an NGO working in Laos since 1991. In a March 2010 follow-up visit, I presented the results of the needs assessment and proposed interventions to various levels of the government such as the Ministry of Health, University of Health Sciences, and Provincial Health officials. Government officials at all levels endorsed and approved the strategies and proposed projects. But Laos is a poor country, one where 27% of the population lives on less than $1 day and the government itself faces considerable economic challenges. This is where I, and hopefully you, come in.

In April 2010, HELP was established and registered in Rhode Island as a non-profit charity to seek grants and raise direct funds to help Laos meet its mental healthcare needs. After 13 years of study in the US, I have decided to return to my native Laos with my family and serve as the executive director of HELP. I will be the first clinical psychologist in Laos. I will be collaborating with WHO, where I will be the first mental health consultant to Laos. Please consider being among the first contributors to HELP. Your contribution would be greatly appreciated and touch many lives.

Sincerely,

Manivone Thikeo, MD, MPH, Ph.D.
Executive Director

How You Can Help:

• You can help by donating money.
• Volunteer teaching and sharing your expertise with colleagues in Laos.
• Assisting HELP for fund raising and attending HELP events.
• Asking friends and family members to donate money and share their professional expertise with Lao colleagues.
• Volunteer to lecture on any topic regarding Health and Medicine with colleagues and medical students in Laos.
• Visiting our office when you are in Laos.
• Signing up for our email update.