The story of Mi and her brother
  As told by a Peuan Mit Social worker

Mi is a 11 year old girl, she is studying in grade 5 at a public school in Vientiane. She is a good student, particularly at mathematics. In the evening she goes home. She lives with her uncle and his family, not with her parents. Her father died while she was still a baby and her mother is using so many drugs that she s continuously in and out of a Government rehabilitation center.

When she walks around the city, she sometimes sees her brother. He is 14 years old. He used to beg on the streets, but now he is too old so people won’t give him anything anymore. He works at nights washing dishes in street restaurants and doing some illegal work as well. He sleeps along the river with a group of his friends most nights.

Mi knows her brother is not happy. He acts as if he is but Mi has been a beggar before too and she knows it is a difficult life because you face a lot of people who look down at you and sometimes want to hit you.

Two years ago, Mi made the choice to join remedial classes and stay at the temporary shelter at Peuan Mit. Today she goes to school. And after visiting her uncle very often with the Peuan Mit staff she has decided to go and live with him. It’s great because her uncle has a son that her age and they play a lot together.

Mi is worried about her mum. Everytime she comes out of rehab she looks healthy, but then within a few weeks she gets so skinny again. Each time she gets even skinnier.

Peuan Mit has been working with Mi for 4 years now (the street team used to work with her before she came to the Peuan Mit center). Today we are:

• Ensuring Mi is able to see her mum regularly and under good conditions
• Meeting regularly with Mi’s uncle to make sure all is going well
• Together with the uncle we also visit Mi’s teacher in school once every quarter or more often if the teacher requests it.
• Working on the streets with Mi’s brother and trying to develop a future plan with him. He says has started joining arts classes (Hip Hop dance mostly). He comes irregularly but it s a start…