1. The Australian Volunteers for International Development (AVID) program is an Australian Government initiative.
This flyer has been developed by Australian Red Cross,
a delivery partner for the AVID program.
Connecting people, changing lives, reaching our region.
Australian Red Cross has sent
45 volunteers to support 22 partner
organisations in Laos since 2011.
In Laos the Australian Red Cross
AVID program has worked with
government, local and international
non-governmental organisations,
and civil society to strengthen:
• Education, ensuring people have
access to quality basic education and
improving educational management
• Social inclusion, increasing
opportunities and access
to services for people from
disadvantaged backgrounds
• Civil society, supporting
stronger and more effective
community services
AUSTRALIAN RED CROSS
AVID PROGRAM:
Achievements
in Laos
George has made some
improvements and fixes to our
database system, and has helped
in training many of our staff
in day-to-day use and general
IT support…. Improved data
collection will allow us to have
more awareness of our day-to-
day ability to meet the demand
for blood from hospital patients
throughout the country.”
Dr Chantala Souksakhone, Director of the Lao
Red Cross National Blood Transfusion Centre
Mr Nit from the Lao Disabled People’s Association
talks with Australian volunteer Geoff Fawkner.
Photo: Australian Red Cross/Bart Verweij
“Having an AVID volunteer brings
many skills to our office, and our
staff get more knowledge and
experience in administration and
management.”
Mr Sisavath Khomphonh, Deputy Director
General to the Department of Pensions,
Invalids and Handicapped.
Two Australian volunteers, including Information
Management Officer George Dickson, have supported
the Lao Red Cross National Blood Transfusion Centre
in its goal to increase voluntary blood donations.
Photo: Australian Red Cross/Bart Verweij
Key achievements
Education
The Australian Red Cross AVID
program partnered with the public
library in Luang Prabang Province to
improve services for the public and
improve access to reading.
• Australian volunteers supported
staff to develop an organisational
strategy, and strengthen human
resource capacity and systems.
• Library staff gained a sense
of ownership and developed
their planning, fundraising and
relationship management skills,
which has led to increased
monetary and material donations
to the library, helping to ensure its
sustainability.
• A children’s library and activity room
have also been developed, which has
seen an increase in the number of
patrons to the library and encouraged
children’s literacy in Laos.

2. The Australian Volunteers for International Development (AVID) program is an Australian Government initiative.
This flyer has been developed by Australian Red Cross,
a delivery partner for the AVID program.
Connecting people, changing lives, reaching our region.
Strengthening civil society
The Australian Red Cross AVID program
has worked extensively to support
Laos Red Cross to achieve its goals
by ensuring that it can access the
resources it needs to deliver its services.
• Australian volunteers supported
Laos Red Cross to strengthen its
resource mobilisation and business
management capacity.
For example, working directly
with the Luang Prabang provincial
branch to strengthen an existing
income generation business through
improved business assessment
and marketing. This has resulted
in increased funding and a more
consistent revenue stream.
Social inclusion
The Australian Red Cross AVID program
partnered with the Association for
Autism, a rights-based organisation that
works to raise awareness and improve
the quality of health and education for
people with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
• Australian volunteers supported
the association to strengthen
its marketing, fundraising, and
networks with international
disability rights academics,
practitioners and organisations.
• Ultimately this support has enabled
the association to reach more
children from disadvantaged
backgrounds to access services at
the organisation’s special education
centre.
Australian volunteer Wendy Watson supported Laos
Red Cross to improve its information management
systems, which is crucial to programs in water and
sanitation, blood donation, first aid and health care.
Photo: Australian Red Cross/Bart Verweij
“The logical framework for the
next four years has now been
completed, indicators have
been developed and progress
has been made in developing
our monitoring and evaluation
system.”
Manivone Bounthongsy, Deputy Head of the
Luang Prabang branch of Laos Red Cross
Thank you
On behalf of the Australian Red Cross
AVID Program, we sincerely thank our
volunteers for their professionalism and
dedication. You have been excellent
ambassadors for the program and
your contributions have supported our
partners as they work to achieve the
national development goals in Laos.
We thank our partner organisations for
the good cooperation and hospitality
they have shown. They have done a
good job of hosting and managing Red
Cross AVID volunteers and we thank
them for being so open and sharing in
their partnerships with us.
Bounyang Latsamy
Laos Country Team
Australian Red Cross AVID program
Gerard Witham
Regional Manager, Asia
Australian Red Cross AVID program