JADDO is a certified NPO that provides assistance related to school health in Laos. The name means "That's it!" in the Kagoshima dialect. Its first representative, a physician, learned during a visit to Laos that school health education was lacking, and founded the group in 1992 together with colleagues and a Lao doctor friend.
Its work has three main parts: health education for children (creating and distributing materials, health information from Lao doctors and more), health seminars for teachers, and support for school facilities. The teacher seminars, begun in 1995, are reported to have led to nine hours of health and hygiene classes being added to Laos's teacher training curriculum in 2005. It has been able to provide 751 sets of desks and chairs.
Today Lao doctors lead the activities, with the Japanese side in a supporting role. Study tours have been held since 2010. This year's tour has been canceled, but directors plan to visit Laos in March 2027 to review the state of school education.
Key points
- Lao doctors take the lead, with Japan supporting: a locally rooted approach
- Its work with teacher seminars led to health and hygiene classes in teacher training
- Wide-ranging activities, from toilets, wells and desks and chairs to student study tours
Why this organization's work stands out
Rather than only teaching children directly, it trains teachers and places health and hygiene within the education system itself, a useful reference for making impact last.
Its decades-long history and financial reports are published, and updates are shared in its newsletter, which are reassuring for those considering support.
Editor's comment
A simple wish, that children grow up healthy and receive an education, seems to have sustained more than 30 years of work.
Details on the activities and on volunteering are on the official website. Please take a look.