Our community engagement work is intentionally multi-disciplinary, integrating not only history and politics but also food, art, fashion, and cultural heritage. In addition to educating and mobilizing community members from the U.S. about the UXO issue in Laos, our work aims to help the diaspora from Laos to embrace the shared history of war and refuge it once shunned, turning shame and pain into a narrative of resiliency, cultural pride and healing.   

This is why we return to Laos every year.   

Unpack with our team for this very special two part- episode, listen to the voices of our Board Members Pajouablai Monica Lee and Renee Ya as well as Aleena Inthaly, Danae Hendrickson, and Anna Phommachanthone as we revisit our most recent trip and what it means to a be a child of the diaspora and engaging with the communities impacted by the lasting effects of war. 

Retrace our steps with us as we take you all on a journey back to Southeast Asia.  We wrap up this year with our take on the future ahead and what we can all look forward to ahead in 2023 and beyond.

Rats and dogs aren’t usually the first things that come to mind when we talk about demining and bomb detection. But what if we told you that there were actual rats out in the world who are trained to detect bombs?  

Sit down for this one of a kind episode where we get to chat with the APOPO team including Michael Heiman, Head of Programmes, all the way from Siem Reap, Cambodia to discuss the skills of life-saving rats, dogs,  and other creative methods for demining and UXO clearance.   

Michael was appointed as the Head of Programs in August 2022, after previously serving as a Regional Manager and leading the Cambodia Mine Action Program since April 2018. APOPO’s Program in Cambodia is the largest mine action program in the organization, operating with 70+ rats and dogs in several locations in Cambodia in partnership withNational and International organizations. One of Michael’s main roles is to develop APOPO’s Technical Survey Dog methodology and implement it within APOPO programs and partners in Cambodia, South Sudan, Angola, Turkey and Azerbaijan. Michael represents APOPO on the IMAS Review Board, contributing to the development of IMAS Animal Detection chapters and Technical Notes. Prior to joining APOPO, Michael spent 10+ years leading various survey and clearance tasks, writing national standards and SOP’s, building training and accreditation areas, testing equipment, machines and animals. Michael also served 10 years in the Military Engineering Corps.

Art can bring people together and create healing and transformation out of the wreckage of war. We know what that is like first-hand through the incredible work of Ova Saopeng and Leilani Chan, co-founders of Teada productions.   

Since 2005 collaborators Leilani Chan and Ova Saopeng have been collecting oral histories from Laotian families and community members across the country to create an interdisciplinary theater performance that explores the impact of war, refugees, global politics, and U.S. citizenship.  Through the collection of oral histories, the show reveals connections between American and Southeast Asian history and the unique challenges faced by political refugees and their American children.  It gives voice to the Laotian Diaspora—yet to be included in the American experience. Refugee Nation continues to grow with the certainty of new refugee arrivals coming from the Middle East, Africa, and Eastern Europe.   The question remains what can we learn from the wounds of a war 50 years ago that are still yet to be healed?   

Find out by listening!

This Thip Khao Talk, we had the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Erin Lin.

Dr. Erin Lin is an Assistant Professor of Political Science and Global Food Politics at the Ohio State University and a member of the MAG America Board. Her research interests lie in the areas of post-conflict reconstruction, political geography, food security, and legacies of war, with a regional focus on Southeast Asia.

Get ready to go back to school with us for this special episode as we dive into discussing Erin’s research on the long-term effects of UXO and other explosive remnants of war on the environment and agriculture in Cambodia.

Don't forget to check out Erin's recent published article, How War Changes Land: Soil Fertility, Unexploded Bombs, and the Underdevelopment of Cambodia 

This Thip Khao Talk, we had the pleasure of speaking with Souksaveuy Keotiamchanh, founder of Zero Waste Laos based out of Vientiane.

As we celebrated Mother’s Day and continue to celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage month, in today’s Thip Khao Talk, we are reflecting on the stories of matriarchs in the Laotian community.

In this special episode, we are joined by our Chief of Staff, Aleena Inthaly’s Mother Vienxay Inthaly as she opens up about the past and shares her hopes for the future. During this talk, we also hear from another matriarch and past Thip Khao Talk special guest, Pa Bounthanh Phommasathit who serves as the inspiring voice that brings together generations and provides comfort to other mothers in the community to open up and amplify their voices too.

Join us for this emotional episode, as we listen to the stories of Lao Americans and how reslience, love, and loss can help us build a brighter future for generations to come.

Bios of the moms:

Bounthanh Phommasathit is a bombing survivor, a former refugee originating from Laos, and a community-minded entrepreneur. Her past experiences continue to resonate with her and have driven her to become the woman she is today. She earned a B.A. in social work from Capital University and received a Master of Human Services Management from Franklin University in Columbus, Ohio.

Vienxay Inthaly is a known as a Lao dessert extraordinaire, community aunty for all, and serves on the Board of Directors of the newly formed Jai Dee Organization of Virginia. She remains one of Legacies of War’s longest serving volunteers and community caterers and has shared that one of the best ways she continues to serve the community is through cooking and sharing her love of food with the neighborhood.

Prior to our recording, Elaine Russell, Author and former member of Legacies of War’s Board of Directors sat down with us to uncover an archive of over 3,000 photos captured from the very first trips with Legacies. This Thip Khao, we will be flipping through the various photos of the special faces and places we will always remember as part of our mission’s tapestry of hope.

Elaine first traveled to Laos in 2006 to research her novel, Across the Mekong River, the story of a Hmong family fleeing Laos after the Vietnam War-era civil war. On this trip she learned about the terrible tragedy of unexploded ordnance (UXO), remaining from U.S. bombing campaigns in Laos during the Vietnam War. On returning home, Elaine connected Legacies of War.

She volunteered with the group, assisting at many Legacies’ events around the U.S., and serving on the Legacies’ Board of Directors for five years. She traveled with the organization to Laos in 2008 and 2010, and remains an ardent supporter of the groups important mission.

Elaine has written two essays on the civil war in Laos and its aftermath. The first essay, “Legacies of War: Cluster Bombs in Laos,” was coauthored with Channapha Khamvongsa, previously Director of Legacies of War. The article was first published in the Critical Asian Studies Journal in June of 2009. It has since been updated to reflect current information on the situation and the progress made in UXO clearance in Laos. This article is included in the book: The United States, Southeast Asia, and Historical Memory, Edited by Mark Pavlick with Caroline Luft. Chicago, Illinois, Haymarket Books, June 2019.

Elaine also wrote the essay, “Living with Unexploded Ordnance: Past Memories and Present Realities in Laos,” published in the book: Interactions with a Violent Past: Reading Post-Conflict Landscapes in Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. Edited by Vatthana Pholsena & Oliver Tappe. Singapore: NUS Press, 2013.

In this episode, retrace the steps of Linda Gehman Peachey, Former Co-Director Peace and Justice Ministries of the Mennonite Central Committee in Laos, as she shares her story.

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Linda Gehman Peachey is a freelance writer living in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  Previously, Linda worked for Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) on women’s concerns and also served with her husband, Titus, as co-director of Peace and Justice Ministries. From 1980-1985, they also worked in Laos with MCC, with humanitarian assistance focused on post-war recovery. She and Titus have two adult daughters and enjoy visiting them in Chicago and Guatemala.