Taiwan TV star Wang Lee Hom leaves heart in Laos

Atsaphone district in Savannakhet province is an area
of extreme poverty and receives few holidaymakers, but popular Taiwanese celebrity, Mr Wang Lee Hom, saw the area differently when he visited last week.

Although the district is without any modern facilities, Mr Lee, a World Vision Sponsorship Ambassador, found the area beautiful, rich in nature and memorable. He also said he would like to return to Laos one day with his family.

“I met many children, whose lives are different from other places such as Taiwan and New York ,” he said during an interview with Vientiane Times on Friday, after spending almost a week in Savannakhet province...more info>>

He travelled with a World Vision team to the province from November 24 to 28 to inspect development projects and meet local children and communities; the trip aimed to raise funds and encourage others to sponsor needy children in Laos .


Photo: Mr Wang Lee Hom runs with children in Atsaphone district, Savannakhet province.

In the villages he visited, the people did not scream out when he approached like in Taiwan and other countries in Asia where he is considered a popular star.

He said that because of poverty, the children he met had a difficult lifestyle. They live in a rural area where they are always working in the rice fields.However, he said that he really enjoyed his time with the children.

“I followed them into the rice fields and experienced first-hand how they live,” he said.



Mr Lee said that the Lao children had wonderful personalities and generous hearts. “But they need help from groups like World Vision.”

He said that he personally sponsored 10 children by donating 188,000 kip (US$20) per month for each child, adding that he will continue his assistance until it is no longer needed.

He explained that he had decided to support the children when he saw a media campaign about Lao children in need and he knew he could trust the organisation so he started making donations.

“World Vision has a good plan for the way that it helps to develop these villages, not only giving them food but working towards long term sustainability.”

He said that he likes to help the poor; he wants to make them smile, which makes him smile too.

After experiencing the rural lifestyle, he said he feels changed, adding that he had travelled to many places around the world that were poor. But this was the first time he felt that he had a good emotional connection with the people he met.

He shared their home and daily life, eating sticky rice with them.

He said that he was happy to help Lao people, because in helping others he was also helping himself.

His philosophy holds that a donor should not provide the poor with only food and money but also teach them how to make a better living because, if one day the help stops, they can manage on their own.

He added that World Vision Laos shares this philosophy.

By Ekaphone Phouthonesy
Vientianetimes
Photos: BluemarkTW

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wang lee hom
Laos, Savannakhet

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