Sombath Somphone
| Sombath Somphone | |
|---|---|
Sombath Somphone (right) with Desmond Tutu in 2006.
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| Native name | ສົມບັດ ສົມພອນ |
| Born |
February 17, 1952 Khammouane Province, Laos |
| Disappeared | December 15, 2012 (aged 60) Vientiane, Laos |
| Status | Missing for 4 years, 7 months and 10 days |
| Occupation | Community development worker, activist |
Sombath Somphone (Lao: ສົມບັດ ສົມພອນ, born 17 February 1952 in Khammouane Province, Laos) is an internationally acclaimed community development worker and prominent member of Lao civil society. Sombath was abducted from a Vientiane street in 2012 and has not been seen since.
Sombath Somphone was born into a poor farming family, the eldest of eight brothers and sisters. He attended some high school in Wisconsin, USA. In the early 1970s he received a scholarship to study at the University of Hawaii where he received a bachelor's degree in Education (1974) and a master's degree in Agriculture (1978).
Returning to his home country after the Vietnam War and the establishment of the Lao People's Democratic Republic, Sombath’s earliest work was to demonstrate methods of sustainable farming that contribute to food security. He also pioneered the use of participatory rural appraisal techniques in Laos. In 1996 he was given permission by the Ministry of Education to establish the Participatory Development Training Center, PADETC, to provide training for young people and local government officials in community-based development. For some years, this was the only civil society organisation of this kind in Laos.
According to a biography of Sombath Somphone published in 2005, PADETC has undertaken numerous initiatives in promoting eco-friendly technologies and micro-enterprises, including the introduction of organic fertilizers, garbage recycling, fuel-efficient stoves, and new processing techniques for small agribusiness enterprises. These initiatives are undertaken as part of a learning program for teams of young volunteers and trainees (high school, college, and graduate levels). Through PADETC, the youth are afforded opportunities for learning leadership, teamwork, project management, and a diverse range of life-based, locally grounded knowledge in areas like environmental awareness, good farming practices, entrepreneurship, and urgent social issues like drug-abuse prevention.
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