People Coping Through COPE

Hey folks,

Throughout my travels, I have focused most of my efforts on visiting cool historical sites, stepping out of my comfort zone with new crazy activities like bungee jumping and scuba diving, and eating all kinds of different foods, many which I thought I would never try. However, I have not taken/had many opportunities to really get a full cultural experience in the places I've been, mostly because that isn't always something readily available for the traveling tourist... But there have been a few "real" experiences, and in Vientiane I added another to my list...

I went and visited the COPE (Cooperative Orthotic and Prosthetic Enterprise) visitor centre, a small museum operating to educate people on the atrocities of the Vietnam war specifically when it comes to how it affected the people in Laos. Because it wasn't just the Vietnamese that were bombed on a daily basis by the Americans... Between 1965 and 1973, cluster bombs rained down on the people of Laos every 40 minutes, day and night! In an eight year period, over 260 million cluster bombs fell from the sky, and after the war, 80 million of them still remained on the ground, remaining a threat to innocent civilians long after the war ended and still affecting today's younger generation. The museum was very informative, eye-opening and incredibly sad, filled with stories from parents who lost children who were simply inspecting a glittering piece of metal on the ground or collecting scrap metal to help their families. The museum hosts many videos, photographs, and bicycle wheelchairs and crutches for you to try out in order to get a sense of what all the amputees in the country face every day. The organization COPE is quite spectacular in their efforts, not only educating the people of Laos on the dangers surrounding them, and tourists on the horrible history of the war, but also providing prosthetics for those who bring their stories to them, and providing rehabilitation for individuals who simply want a better life, whether it's children who want to be happy and go to school, or parents who need to find a way to provide for their families...

It's a shame that so many people skip over a city like Vientiane during their travels, simply because it does not offer activities like rock-climbing, kayaking, and tubing. The amount of culture I have soaked in within two days of being here, and the information I have learned as a result, is in many ways much more rewarding and long-lasting than the memories of some drunken trip down a river! It's things like my trip to the COPE visitor's centre that I will remember many years from now and that I will tell people about, hopefully spreading the word on their good work and ways to help them in their quest to heal the wonderful country of Laos. I don't know if the U.S. ever made amends financially for the horrible aftermath of their presence in the Far East but it's up to the people of Laos to make their land safe again and thankfully there is a good task-force available, working hard to clear the territory of remaining cluster bombs and trip wires that pose a constant threat to children every day...

All in all, my trip to COPE was a good one and if you wish to donate, visit their website (http://www.copelaos.org/). It only cost $75 to give a brand new leg to a child so that they can walk again, and even less to give them physiotherapy once they have that leg.

Ciao for now,

Max