Lao PDR - Ban Naphia - War spoon village

Ms Vanthone, a metalworker prepares a wooden mould with ash to make bracelets from recycled aluminium sourced from Vietnam War debris and melted in an earthen kiln in Ban Naphia, a remote Tai Phouan village in mountainous Xieng Khouang Province in Northern Laos. Laos is the most bombed country, per capita, in the world with more than two million tons of ordnance dropped on it during the Vietnam War from 1963 to 1974. 12 artisan families began transforming war scrap into spoons (150,000 per year) in the 1970s to supplement subsistence farming activities. Supported by the Swiss NGO Helvetas, the project works to make the scrap metal supply chain safer for artisans and scrap collectors by collaborating with organisations such as Mines Advisory Group (MAG) that specialise in unexploded ordnance removal and education. More recently the villagers have started making bracelets and other items.

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Filename: A0018236cc_1.jpg
Copyright: Tessa Bunney
Image Size: 4000x3000 / 1.1MB; Asia Ban Naphia Bunney Laos. Lao Naphia PDR Southeast Southeast Asia Tessa UXO Vietnam Vietnam War Xieng Khouang aircraft aluminium bangle bangles bracelet bracelets conflict countryside creating creative dangerous environment female handmade isolated making metal recycled recycling remote rural scrap unique village war woman work working Mines Advisory Group MAG NGO non-government organisation Helvetas metalworker artisan craftsman earthen kiln charity wooden wood ash mould villager villagers
Contained in galleries: Tessa Bunney - All pics

Ms Vanthone, a metalworker prepares a wooden mould with ash to make bracelets from recycled aluminium sourced from Vietnam War debris and melted in an earthen kiln in Ban Naphia, a remote Tai Phouan village in mountainous Xieng Khouang Province in Northern Laos. Laos is the most bombed country, per capita, in the world with more than two million tons of ordnance dropped on it during the Vietnam War from 1963 to 1974. 12 artisan families began transforming war scrap into spoons (150,000 per year) in the 1970s to supplement subsistence farming activities. Supported by the Swiss NGO Helvetas, the project works to make the scrap metal supply chain safer for artisans and scrap collectors by collaborating with organisations such as Mines Advisory Group (MAG) that specialise in unexploded ordnance removal and education. More recently the villagers have started making bracelets and other items.