This is Pha, an 8 year old girl who is sponsored by Meriden Animal Health Ltd.  Her family are farmers and and she has four brothers and one sister and she lives in a small village in Lao People's Democratic Republic.

Lao People's Democratic Republic is a country South-East Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the North, Vietnam to the East, Cambodia to the South and Thailand to the West.  Most of the villages are in remote mountainous areas and do not have roads.  There are numerous rivers and abundant rains fall during the wet season from June to September.  It can also be quite cold in December and January with temperatures falling as low as 8^oC.

Most houses in Pha's village are made of bamboo with grass roofing, use of timber and locally made bricks are slowly becoming more common.  The piped spring water water system is not well maintained and during the rainy season it does not supply clean water.

Most people make a living by farming rice and corn.  Some fields are so far away from the village that people stay in makeshift huts for days or weeks at a time.  Local markets, selling fruit, vegtables and meat, start as early as 3am and finsh at 5 or 6am.  The farmers and traders at these markets are usually women and children so when the market finishes, the women return home to start their daily chores and the children prepare to go to school.  Few children complete their schooling as many are required to join their parents working in the fields.

In 2008, Plan UK started to work in Pha's village with focus on early childhood education and young children's development.  In future years, development projects in Pha's village will be expanded to include nutrition for young children, water and sanitation improvements and promotion of children's rights and protection.