Laos

Why your support matters in Laos

Laos is one of the most rural countries in South-East Asia. Many families depend on small-scale farming, fishing and forest products for food and income. The Mekong River and its tributaries are central to daily life — shaping planting seasons, access to water and the productivity of rice fields, river gardens and fisheries.

But this balance is under pressure. Hydropower development and shifting river flows can affect water levels, sediment movement and fish migration. At the same time, climate change is altering rainfall patterns across the country. UNDP notes growing risks of both drought and flash flooding, which make it harder for farmers to plan harvests or protect crops. 

Upland communities (people who live in mountainous or highland parts of Laos) often face additional challenges, particularly ethnic minority groups. They may have fewer roads, less access to public services and limited influence over decisions that affect their land and water.

Women shoulder significant unpaid labour and usually have fewer opportunities to participate in village or district decision-making. These structural inequalities shape how quickly households can adapt when the climate shifts, or when nearby development affects crops, forests or fisheries.

Despite these pressures, communities across Laos are leading practical, locally grounded responses. Women’s groups, youth collectives and village networks share information, map changes to their environment and advocate for fairer development outcomes. Their leadership is essential. And your support helps strengthen the systems that allow them to lead so effectively.

When you donate to Oxfam, you stand with communities in Laos and around the world that are adapting with dignity, protecting their rights and influencing decisions that affect their futures.

How Oxfam is working in Laos

Through the Mekong Inclusion Project, Oxfam works with local partners right across the Mekong region with one major goal: to ensure the people most affected by planning decisions can participate in the process and influence outcomes.

The Mekong Inclusion Project is supported by the Australian Government and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).

Supporting women’s leadership and rights

Oxfam works with local organisations to strengthen women’s participation in community decision-making. This work supports women’s access to information and develops leadership opportunities.

The aim is for women to influence discussions about land, water and local development. When women’s voices are heard, development outcomes are more just and more inclusive.

Strengthening climate resilience and local adaptation

Across rural and river-dependent communities, Oxfam supports locally led work to help households adapt to shifting weather patterns. Partners share climate information and support community-led strategies to manage water, land and forest resources as conditions change. These efforts help communities prepare for floods, drought and unpredictable seasons.

Supporting fair and inclusive development decisions

Oxfam works with community groups and civil society organisations so they can contribute meaningfully to development decisions that affect them.

This work creates opportunities for dialogue, helps people understand the potential impacts of development projects, and supports advocacy grounded in diverse lived experiences. The focus is on fairness, transparency and protecting community rights.

Working alongside local organisations

All of Oxfam’s work in Laos is led through long-standing partnerships with local groups who understand the context, the landscape and the needs of their communities. Together, they strengthen resilience, deepen gender equality and ensure local knowledge guides decisions about land, water and natural resources. Donate to Laos to stand with them.

Key focus areas

Why choose Oxfam

Local partnerships

Every program is grounded in community knowledge and led by local organisations.

Long-term resilience

From climate advocacy to disaster preparation, we focus on lasting impact (not just emergency relief).

Proven accountability

As a member of the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID), Oxfam follows the highest standards of transparency and effectiveness.

A regional approach

Our work in Laos is part of a wider strategy, ensuring solutions are shared, connected and led by the Mekong region itself.

Justice over charity

We support communities to lead their own future. It’s not about charity. It’s about fairness, dignity and equal rights.

How your donation helps

Every donation to Oxfam supports community-led programs in Laos and around the world. Here’s what your support can help make possible:

• Support for women leaders — especially in advocacy and community organising
• Local climate solutions — like food security programs, sustainable livelihoods, and community education
• Stronger disaster preparedness — through community-led planning, early warning systems, and local training
• Access to clean water and sanitation — critical during disasters and for long-term health
• Stronger regional advocacy — helping communities amplify their voices on the wider regional stage

Your donation is more than a moment of support. It’s a commitment to a more just and resilient future for the people of Laos.

Donate to countries like Laos now

Help us work for justice and equality. By donating today, you’re backing the leadership of Laos communities facing climate extremes and rapid development head-on. Every contribution helps provide practical tools, long-term support, and builds better systems for the future.

Donate now to support justice and equality in Laos.

Learn more about Oxfam’s work in the region

Want to understand the bigger picture? Explore how Oxfam works across the Asia-Pacific region to support community-led climate action and push for global systems that put justice first.

Discover Oxfam’s gender equality work, or our stance on climate justice. Read about how we’re working with partners across the globe to support local solutions to the climate crisis and gender injustice.

You can also explore our current appeals or learn more about how we work in the Philippines and Indonesia.

Oxfam’s partners

Lao Women’s Union (LWU), Oxfam in Laos, Green Community Alliance, Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law, and Development, Lao Disabled People’s Association (LDPA), Department of Meteorology and Hydrology, Department of Social Welfare, University of Champasack Province, University of Luang Prabang Province, Oxfam Novib