LFHC Treats a Child Injured in an Unexploded Ordinance Bomb Blast

This month, we wanted to highlight a different kind of story that illustrates a tragic threat that impacts the lives of children in Laos every day.

One fateful Monday morning, four-year-old Namneung, her five-year-old friend, and her nine-year-old aunt entered a forest next to their village in Nambak District, searching for bamboo shoots. This is a normal practice during the school holidays for children in Laos, who often have the freedom to explore the forests and surrounding countryside.

The three children were digging for bamboo shoots when they found a small round object about the size of a baseball. The five-year-old and nine-year-old began playing with it as Namneung watched on from the sidelines. The three children had no idea they were holding a deadly unexploded ordinance.

After a few moments, the bomb exploded. Tragically, the five-year-old boy and nine-year-old girl died instantly, but Namneung was sent hurtling backward with debris shattering her left eye.

Namneung’s parents were away from the village as her mom was sick and receiving treatment in a hospital. However, the local villagers heard the explosion in the forest and rushed to help the children. They quickly realized the severity of the situation and rushed Namnueng on a motorbike to Lao Friends Hospital for Children (a journey that took over two hours).

Luckily, following treatment for her wounds by LFHC's clinicians and receiving ongoing medication, Namneug survived. However, tragically, she has permanently lost sight in her left eye.

Laos continues to suffer deeply from the legacy of unexploded ordnance (UXO) left over from the Vietnam War era, where more than two million tons of ordnance were dropped over the country. Laos is, per capita, the most heavily bombed country in history. More bombs were dropped on Laos than were used in the entirety of World War Two. Thirty percent of these bombs failed to detonate, leaving the landscape littered with about 80 million unexploded bombs.

The impact on the civilian population has been severe and persistent. Since the bombings ended in 1973, there have been over 20,000 UXO-related casualties, including more than 8,000 deaths. Each year, new incidents occur, with over 100 people affected annually, the majority of whom are children.

Lao Friends Hospital for Children is fighting for a brighter future for the children of Laos. The free healthcare provided at LFHC gives children impacted by UXO explosions and countless other illnesses and diseases a chance of survival, care, and rehabilitation.