"My village" - Behind the scenes of a children's TV show from Laos

NEWS / WORKSHOPS: In Lao PDR, media workshop encourages positive, holistic early childhood development

VIENTIANE, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, 28 March 2012 – Stunts by a miniature red buffalo stole the show at a recent ceremony held to screen new media productions for children in Lao PDR.

Though the buffalo’s performance – pushing and pulling a series of green balls that magically transformed themselves into numbers – was aimed at the pre-school children in attendance, the adult audience also burst into laughter.

The so-called ‘Clever Buffalo’ was a feat of clay animation, or claymation. It was a short film by a production team that had just finished a training session on ‘Innovative Communication for Early Childhood Development’.

Organized by the Lao Government and UNICEF, the training was part of wider efforts to strengthen local skills and capacity to generate quality media for children in Lao PDR.

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NEWS / OneMinutesJr: Lao teenagers get first taste of video making at OneMinutesJr workshop

Luangprabang, Lao PDR: December, 2010: Fifteen short films – each exactly one minute long – were the outcome of a workshop in this picturesque Lao town that gave a group of Lao teenagers a unique opportunity to try their hand at digital video production.

The workshop was the latest collaboration between the Netherlands-based One MinutesJr Foundation and UNICEF through which – since 2004 -- youth in over 80 countries have had the chance to unleash their creativity onscreen.

Stories about a stranded tuk tuk driver, a gilded puppet, and a young boy dreaming of running his own computer shop were among the finished films. Buddhist monks, a maker of traditional instruments and an animated family portrait also featured in the video productions which drew high praise for their creativity and technique.

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PROJECTS / RADIO: Youth radio initiative spreads health messages in Lao People's Democratic Republic

LUANG PRABANG, Lao People's Democratic Republic, 16 January 2009 – The thought of going live on the air might be daunting to most people, but not to Pany Vilaychith, 18. Despite her youth, she is the lead presenter on 'Smile of Hope', a weekly broadcast from a radio station covering Luang Prabang province, a mountainous area of northern Lao PDR.

The programme is part of a four-year-old initiative run by Lao National Radio with backing from UNICEF, funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA).

“I’ve been involved with the radio project for four years now,” Pany explains, taking a break from recording in the station’s small studio. “What I like about it most is that it gives me the chance to share information on lots of different issues with young people.”

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