Laos
Vonemany Heuangphida
Vonemany believes in connecting local communities with health, education, and social services, especially indigenous women and girls in Laos. As a Deputy Director Division at the Lao Women’s Union (LWU), Vonemany works to support women, girls and children towards achieving gender equality and social inclusion.
Helping ethnic groups with limited access to public services is a key part of Vonemany’s work and efforts towards health equity. Under her guidance, significant initiatives have been launched, including a collaboration with Save the Children International in Laos on the "Preventing and Responding to Child, Early and Forced Marriage" project. This initiative, operational in Luang Prabang province, aimed to safeguard adolescent girls and young mothers, especially those who became mothers at an early age and have limited educational opportunities. The project emphasizes the importance of education in delaying early pregnancies and ensuring that women are physically and mentally prepared for motherhood, including the necessity of pre-natal care.
Through her fellowship with the EI, Vonemany looks forward to deepening her leadership skills while broadening her perspectives with regional and global working approaches towards addressing inequality and injustice. She hopes to apply this knowledge to her efforts on achieving LWU’s Strategic Plan 2030, towards promoting greater gender equality and social inclusion.