World Vision and Minjok Leadership Academy Students Take the Lead in Solving Laos Water Supply Issues

Hope Friends World Vision and Minjok Leadership Academy’s Ongdalsem Students
Carry Out Water Supply Support Volunteer Work in Laos
Providing Appropriate Technology Solutions for Safe Drinking Water in Vientiane

Hope Friends World Vision is conducting the "2025 Minjago Ongdalsem Laos Water Supply Support Appropriate Technology Volunteer Activity" in Laos. World Vision

Hope Friends World Vision, an international relief and development NGO (President Choi Changnam), announced on August 8 that it had conducted the "2025 Minjago Ongdalsem Laos Water Supply Support Appropriate Technology Volunteer Activity" in the Vientiane region of Laos from August 1 to 6, together with "Ongdalsem" students from Minjok Leadership Academy.

A total of 13 people participated in this volunteer activity, including 11 Ongdalsem students from Minjok Leadership Academy and 2 representatives from World Vision. The students installed a three-stage gravity-type water purifier, which they developed to operate without electricity, as a pilot project at a local elementary school and verified its purification performance.

The Laos Water Supply Support Appropriate Technology Volunteer Activity began after water quality instability issues were discovered in an existing water purifier installed at a local elementary school in 2023. Outlying and rural areas of Vientiane face difficulties in water supply, and due to limited awareness of hygiene and a lack of maintenance personnel, children are exposed to environments where waterborne diseases are prevalent.

World Vision and Minjok Leadership Academy students took into account multiple factors, including a lack of local water purification technology, limited awareness of hygiene, and the absence of maintenance personnel, and developed a gravity-type water purifier that is easy to maintain and has easily replaceable filters. This purifier is a self-sustaining model designed for the local community to operate without external power, and it is expected to provide safe drinking water to approximately 900 local children, contributing to improved health and living conditions.

In addition, a variety of programs were conducted, including hygiene education for children, cultural exchange programs, a visit to the KOICA Laos office, and technical presentations, to promote practical improvements in health and hygiene.

Kim Songhyun, president of Ongdalsem and a second-year student at Minjok Leadership Academy, said, "At first, I was worried about whether the purifier we made would work well in the field, but I felt a great sense of accomplishment when I saw clean water actually coming out. I want to further advance the technology so that the system can operate stably using resources available locally, and contribute to solving the region's long-term water supply problems."

Choi Changnam, President of Hope Friends World Vision, stated, "The Laos water supply support appropriate technology volunteer activity, in which Ongdalsem students from Minjok Leadership Academy directly researched and implemented solutions, is an exemplary case of next-generation participation that World Vision seeks to promote. We will continue to create various opportunities for young people to actively participate in solving global social issues such as the climate crisis."