Background and Purpose: Griffith University have developed links with a community development project in rural Laos over an 8 year period. Nursing faculty and students work with Lao Local Health Workers (LHW) and interpreters to provide primary health care to families in these remote communities where an estimated 60% are living below the poverty line. Current research suggests that work that involves caring for others helps to build social cohesion and strengthens relationships with families and their communities. Discrimination of women in relation to education and employment opportunities in these communities has led to a shift in the teams’ to focus to empowering women.

Approach:

Working from an educational approach allows faculty and alumni to guide students’ provision of health education sessions for women with a focus on encouraging ante natal attendance, improving nutrition, and safe birthing practices. Having developed an ongoing relationship with three district high schools, the teams have been invited to work with adolescent students to provide relevant and appropriate reproductive health education. In 2016, this included provision of 200 Days for Girls kits to teenage girls and their teachers, with students providing education about the care and use of these re-usable feminine hygiene products.

Strategy: The strategy for the University has been to increase local capacity and build relationships with this vulnerable community. The teams work with and are inclusive of Lao LHWs through all stages of education and assessment. Working with communities includes living in local homestays, providing students with an authentic experience where they gain a deeper understanding of family life in Laos. Conclusions When students are immersed in an impoverished community and observe local lifestyles, they become more aware of the impact of social determinants of health on health outcomes. Being able to participate in caring for families helps students to become more responsive to the relevant contemporary social issues within that community.