naga casino Why more young Singaporeans are volunteering in 'unfamiliar' Laos
VIENTIANE: Despite not knowing much about Laos, undergraduate Erwin Soh still took a leap of faith, heading over for 17 days to help out at a local school.
From May to June, the second-year computing student at the National University of Singapore’s (NUS) taught and built infrastructure at Sanot Primary School in a village in capital Vientiane.
The 22-year-old is among Singaporean youths who have in recent times made Southeast Asia’s only landlocked country their destination of choice for volunteer work.
Singapore's Prime Minister Lawrence Wong observed during a visit to Vientiane earlier in October that many student groups from visit Laos for such community efforts, as part of “growing people-to-people ties that anchor" the friendship between the two countries.
There has been “rising interest in volunteerism in Laos, with it being one of the most popular destinations for Singaporean youth, even more so than Cambodia and the Philippines”, said Ms Joyce Yu, head of international programmes at non-profit YMCA of Singapore.
Laos is seen by youths as an “intriguing and mysterious” destination as it is relatively less known, she told CNA.
“At the same time, schools find it a safe destination for volunteerism,” she noted.
Her organisation runs projects across Southeast Asia and in China and Nepal.
It first began efforts in Laos in 2011. This yearnaga casino, the country accounted for one-third of YMCA Singapore's overseas trips, with more than 200 youths venturing there a total of 10 times.
Singapore Polytechnic student Riley Kang (left) interacting with local students during a science lesson at Phuanmit School in Oudomxay province, Laos. (Photo: Riley Kang)