Typhoon Ketsana has hit four of Laos’ Southern Provinces, leaving at least 16 people dead and 135 people missing.  The Social and Economic Developers Association, Laos (SEDA), is working to mobilize relief efforts to help the worst affected areas and the poorest people.  

Typhoon Ketsana has caused widespread flash flooding in the Xekong, Savannakhet, Attapeu and Saravane provinces; some of the poorest areas in Laos. Many people are now cut off from roads and any form of communication.

In Xekong, one of the worst hit provinces, it has been reported that approximately 30 villages, comprising over 900 families, have been completely flooded. Many people in the region are subsistence farmers who live in simple bamboo houses; the typhoon has blown the roofs of many homes, and even swept some house away.

“Houses here are not constructed to withstand storms as strong as this, or flooding; the people here were completely unprepared. The poorest people in the region are most at risk, with poorly constructed houses. Many people have lost their homes and everything they own. The floods may have also destroyed crops, contributing to poverty and malnutrition in the region.” – SEDA founder and Chief Executive, Souly QuachAngkham.

SEDA is asking people to donate money and/ or care packages of clothes and food to help the victims of the flooding in Laos. To donate a care package, please send to SEDA at

The Social and Economic Developers Association, Laos
PO Box T469
Xaysetha District, Vientiane, Lao PD

An update on how to donate money will be posted online shortly.

Typhoon Ketsana has wreaked havoc and misery throughout South East Asia, including the Philippines, Cambodia and Vietnam. Laos is very remote, and is one of the least developed countries in the region, and the full extent of this catastrophe is not yet clear. Many villages are still completely cut off from aid.

“Please help. The situation here is desperate. Many people in Laos survive on less than $2 a day, and over 40 % of children are chronically malnourished. The flooding will make matters much worse for many of Laos’ poorest people, and contribute to the cycle of poverty.” – Souly QuachAngkham