Huam Jai Asasamak Association (“United in Volunteering”, or HJA) is a Lao Civil Society Organization, formed following a research project commissioned by the Canadian organization CUSO in 2003. In 2007 HJA established the Lao PDR’s first national youth volunteering programme, focusing on volunteers from rural areas and ethnic minorities aged between 15-35. The programme provides opportunities for Lao youth to work as volunteers for twelve months with selected partner organizations engaged in community work, and so gain skills and experience they can use for both their own and their communities growth and development.  To date, over 100 young people have successfully completed this volunteer internship programme.

In 2013 HJA then put in place a community volunteering programme, to support volunteers who have completed their placements to take forward development projects within their own and other rural communities, as a means of building the capacity of marginalized groups, and in particular ethnic minorities and women. HJA is a national organization. Over the past ten years HJA has actively supported over 100 volunteers working with some 30 partners in every province of the Lao PDR, and through these volunteers has improved the lives of over 1,000 Lao people living in rural or disadvantaged communities. Since 2007-currently, There have been more than 209 volunteers who have completed training, 114 women in 20 villages, 13 provinces.

Since 2014 HJA was formally registered as a Non-Profit Association (NPA) with the Lao Ministry of Home Affairs. Under HJA’s strategy plan 2022 – 2026, HJA has goal to develop youth people both in urban and rural areas to be leader, facilitator, and contribute volunteering to community development.  In the meantime, HJA have developed its strategy in order to build capacity and mission to achievement to be advantage and acknowledgement in all public under title: “Huam Jai Asasamak has standard administration, Services and is Central capacity building of Youth People”. HJA is strong organization and representative for youth people’s rights protection, promotion, and fulfill to all youth people in all community level and HJA has been develop programme in many area, including agriculture, public health, law and career building for better livelihood. (1. Agriculture including mushroom growing, vegetables growing in the green house, raising chickens, fish, pigs, goats, and handicraft as well. 2. Public health: support the information to community to have hygiene, stay clean and access to health service. 3. Community ownership promoting in natural resources and environment conservation, plastic waste reducing and publicize information about laws in the conservation of natural resource and environment. 4. Gender equality and civil rights promoting in community). Currently, HJA has implemented the project in 47 villages, 23 districts and 13 provinces in Lao PDR. Additionally, HJA performed an efforts In expanding the relationship with new partners both in the central and local government and Cooperate with domestic and foreign volunteer organizations such as: United Nations Volunteer Organization (UNV) and International Volunteer Network (NVDA: Nepal, Hongkong, Cambodia, Bangladesh, China, Belgium, Bahrain, Australia, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Macau, Mongolia, Myanmar, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand and Laos) to expand volunteer network and collaboration.

Vision:

Young people have the knowledge and skills to lead the development of a comprehensive community to reach justice and well-being.

Missions:

1. Support youth volunteers who are venerable groups in all ethnic groups to gain knowledge and skills through the learning process and practicum and apply them to participatory community development work.
2. Capacity building on knowledge and skills through training and disseminating crucial knowledge and skills to target communities nationwide.
3. Develop an effective organizational framework and have good management to assure the organization’s success.