The stunning ancient city of Luang Prabang in Laos is home to various women in need of support. Our sustainable women’s empowerment initiatives in the local community aims to empower woman to become equipped to improve their futures. Volunteers will get involved in education initiatives in the forms of English, health and life skills classes depending on the needs of the local community at the time. Educational enhancement improves these women’s chances of employment and overall quality of life. The goal of this project is to promote gender equality, improve equal education, increase employment opportunities and break the cycle of poverty and inequality amongst women in developing countries such as Laos. Come help uplift and empower these disadvantaged females!

Women's Empowerment Project in Laos

The Tycoons

The stunning ancient city of Luang Prabang in Laos is home to various women in need of support. Our sustainable women’s empowerment initiatives in the local community aims to empower woman to become equipped to improve their futures. Volunteers will get involved in education initiatives in the forms of English, health and life skills classes depending on the needs of the local community at the tim...

18-20

21-25

26-30

31-35

Online Application

Volunteer Abroad

5-8 Weeks

9-12 Weeks

University Freshman (1st Year)

University Sophomore (2nd Year)

University Junior (3rd Year)

University Senior (4th Year)

University 5th Year or More

High School Freshman (1st Year)

High School Sophomore (2nd Year)

High School Junior (3rd Year)

High School Senior (4th Year)

High School 5th Year or More

No schooling completed

Nursery school to 8th grade

Some high school, no diploma

High school graduate, diploma or the equivalent (for example: GED)

Some college credit, no degree

Trade/technical/vocational training

Associate degree

Bachelor’s degree

Master’s degree

Professional degree

Doctorate degree

Luang Prabang

Laos

All Nationalities

Education

English Teaching

Human Rights

Social Work

GVI Impact

Unforgettable!

I had a brilliant time in Nepal

A really amazing experience

Home

Providers

My time in Laos with GVI was an unforgettable experience that I will forever cherish. From arriving until the day I departed the base team in Laos were extremely helpful and supported through any problems I had. I felt super nervous in the first week because I had never really been abroad, nor any teaching experience, however after a couple of days it becomes second nature to you with guidance from the base team but also from my fellow volunteers. This experience opened by eyes to the world, working in a developing community and living in a completely different way of life (culturally especially), changes your perspective on so many things when you return home. The children appreciated education and they would even come into the school on their vacations because they are so eager to learn!!
I made friends for life in Laos and I am still in contact with today many of the people I met on this program. I recommend this to everyone, especially if you're having a gap year or want to travel in your break whilst participating in a valuable project! I will be graduating this July and plan on travelling the America's where I will be stopping off in Costa Rica for my second GVI experience.

I had a brilliant time in Nepal, and would recommend anyone to go out as well! The programs are tailored to what the community has asked for, and the participants in the women’s empowerment are all enthusiastic, engaged and totally lovely!

A really amazing experience. Staying for 4 weeks, I met so many different characters, all lovely and an absolute pleasure to get to know- staff included. If you are doing women’s empowerment be prepared to be teaching English quite intensively with individual women as well as classes of up to 10. Whilst challenging, the overall experience was definitely one I thoroughly enjoyed and would recommend.

Glorious experience

I am still in shock since returning home on 4/11/19. My experience in Laos has changed me beyond my expectations. Luang Prabang is beautiful and vibrant, the local people have an amazing capacity for giving and sharing and the program is providing an excellent service which is renowned across the city.   I admired the students and their capacity for learning. I formed bonds with both classes, particularly the Women’s Empowerment group, and worked hard to deliver positive learning experiences to them.   I was given freedom to develop Workshops for both classes which everyone enjoyed.   The GVI team encouraged volunteers to make the very most of free time at weekends, taking part in the Fireboat Festival, chanting in temples and giving of alms.  Overall - a glorious experience. I was very sad to leave.

A truly wonderful experience !

I have recently completed 6 weeks volunteering in Luang Prabang, Laos on GVI’s Women’s Empowerment project. I had decided to take a year away from my western world and planned to travel solo throughout SE Asia. My decision to volunteer as part of my travels was spurred on by the wish to immerse myself in local culture and do something worthwhile rather than just being a tourist and GVI Luang Prabang did not disappoint me! The friendly staff were on hand to support with every step of lesson planning; clear instructions and training were provided and all the volunteers in my group were made to feel welcome and at ease. 
My experience on this project left me feeling very humbled. I was unsure exactly what ‘Women’s Empowerment’ meant. I found myself teaching two very different but inspiring groups of women. The first, on a buffalo farm about 45 minutes ride outside of Luang Prabang. Here I met four incredible employees, who were striving to improve themselves by learning to speak English to enable them to engage with tourists visiting the farm. I was struck by how enthusiastic they were, and I really enjoyed our time together. 
The second group was an amazing group of young women who were awesome in every way. In Laos many young girls living in the countryside have less opportunities to study as they must help their younger siblings. So, women have to work incredibly hard; leave their homes and move to Luang Prabang to pursue their dreams. Each young woman I taught had their own story but what struck me the most was how determined they all were. Relaxation time was something they experienced very little of and every moment was used to better themselves. 
Whilst I was with them, we learnt about the skills of debating and held a debate with another young adults’ class on whether it was better to live in the city of the countryside. Debating is a difficult concept, but they managed this in another language so confidently and it was remarkable to witness.  We followed this topic by looking at interview skills – the young women found it very hard to ‘blow their own trumpets’ but with practice and encouragement they achieved a good summary of what they could say in an interview. 
As my 6 weeks came to an end, we had just started looking at successful young Asian women and this brought up another discussion regarding of all things, Philanthropy! A difficult subject to talk about in especially in English but they managed with ease and enjoyed learning along the way!
It was a privilege to be part of something so worthwhile and I was so impressed by the student’s determination to learn and the respect and gratitude that they showed. 
If you’re considering volunteering then GVI Luang Prabang is special, so much so I plan to return next year! If you’re worried about the teaching side, then don’t be! You’re not expected to plan alone as help is always on hand from staff and other volunteers.

Volunteering in Luang Prabang

I have just spent six weeks volunteering with GVI in Luang Prabang on the Women’s Empowerment Program. This was my first time volunteering and spending six weeks in one place, and it was an amazing experience. When I arrived I was nervous about my ability to lead a classroom and provide lessons which had an impact on the children’s English. 
In my first week I was provided with training and given a mentor for each of my classes. This meant that I soon became confident enough to start planning and teaching by myself. After two weeks I felt very excited to make resources and tailor the classroom to the students I enjoyed teaching and getting to know. 
The beauty of the GVI program is the diversity of the partners in Laos – I taught at a temple in the morning with novice monks, then at a buffalo farm with local village children 40 minutes away from Luang Prabang town. In the afternoons, I had my women’s empowerment class, which was primarily teaching English to a class of 10 hardworking girls. For me, this meant that each class was very different and I was able to have variety in my teaching because of the range of classes you teach. 
The volunteers all live together in one guest house, which means you quickly become close to the whole group.  I came in an intake of lovely volunteers who all were keen to start making an impact in Laos, we were of all different ages which meant we had different strengths and different stories to tell.  We had weekends off which allowed us to explore Luang Prabang as a group. We went to the waterfalls, jewelry class making and learnt how farmers make rice at Seven Brothers Farm. 
I cannot recommend volunteering enough and Luang Prabang is the perfect calm town to spend months getting to know and live in.

My experience has been a positive one

My experience has been a positive one and have come away with a host of good experiences and happy memories. The volunteering programme was very good at the buffalo and I also delivered women’s empowerment and a. Workshop. The meals and restaurant area could be improved and there was a lot of building work going on whilst eating. The kitchen staff seemed not to be all that competent and meals came incorrect, sometimes there was half an hour wait. There was no attempt to prevent dust from the work entering the kitchen or the restaurant area. The noise could be so intense that you were unable to hold a conversation. Thankfully the bright centre served good food and it is quick. So they were patronised more, which is a shame for the guesthouse.  I do believe they are trying to get things right but they are not there yet. Possibly in another 3 or 4 months they will be more organised. I am also trying to realistic in my comments and taking into consideration the area and the country and have therefore not mentioned things that I think our out of their control in Laos.

Amazing cultural experience

I took retirement from my job as a nurse manager in the UK and needed a diversion to help me adjust to this life change.  I searched the internet and was instantly attracted to the Womens Empowerment Programme run by Global Vision International (GVI) in the beautiful city of Luang Prabang, Laos. 
GVI provided me with 10 hours of Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) and issued me with a certificate. This guidance, from GVI staff, gave me the necessary preparation for my teaching role.  The instruction on lesson planning and using different teaching techniques and games were particularly useful. The GVI teaching staff provided mentorship, so I always felt supported.
My involvement with the Women's Empowerment Programme, where I was involved in teaching English and running careers workshops, was very rewarding. I had the opportunity to make a positive difference to these young women who have limited access to education and often limited life choices. GVI recognizes that teaching English improves employment opportunities for this group of young women.  Also, the aim of the careers workshops is to help broaden their awareness of employment opportunities and choices. It was a pleasure to see their enjoyment when participating and they even chose to attend on a bank holiday! 
Through volunteering with GVI I was also involved in the Days for Girls (DfG) menstrual health programme. This initiative provides health education and reusable menstrual hygiene products for women in rural communities.  I taught a young Laos man about menstrual health which prepared him to be an ambassador for the DfG programme. It was a privilege to be part of a programme that is making a difference to the  health, self esteem and daily living of these women. 
Volunteering for GVI was an amazing cultural experience which I gained from immersing myself in the culture whilst  working and living in Laos. For example, when teaching I had to dress appropriate to the Laos culture and wore a Sinh (Laos skirt) and collared shirt. This meant I was recognised and respected as a teacher by students and local people, hence I felt part of the community. I learnt about the local customs, language and Buddhism through cultural talks run by GVI which enabled me to behave in a culturally appropriate way. My learning about the Laos language helped me to consider the difficulties in learning English and to adapt my teaching accordingly. I could speak a few words in Laos and locals appreciated a friendly greeting 'Sabaidee' with 'nob' gesture. As volunteers we participated in chanting and meditating at temples and gave early morning  alms to Buddhists. I felt fortunate to participate in these rituals as a volunteer who was contributing to the community rather than observing as a tourist. I even experienced tourists wanting to take my picture when wearing my Sinh!
Another positive part of my time as a volunteer was experiencing the beautiful UNESCO world heritage sights and local countryside. The highlights of my trip included visiting temples, the food market, waterfalls, and the Mekong river. 
My immersion into the culture when living and working for GVI in Luang Prabang  has helped me adjust from retirement and consider new opportunities for my future. Overall my experience of volunteering and the country of Laos has been amazing. Being part of projects that are sustainable and make a difference to communities has made my experience all the sweeter.

Women's Empowerment Project in Laos

Media Gallery

Quick Details

Recognitions

Program Reviews

Overall Rating

Total Reviews

Unforgettable!

I had a brilliant time in Nepal

A really amazing experience

Program Details

Related Programs