How legal awareness is reshaping land rights and family dynamics in the community

Across the 20 target villages led by the People with Disabilities Development Association of Xieng Khouang Province (PDDA), land is not just a place to live for many rural communities; it is the sole source of survival for villagers who are primarily farmers. However, in Keoleuk village – one of the target villages- the rules governing such a vital resource are sometimes influenced by informal customs, leaving visible gaps in tenure security, including for women.

Before the introduction of the Public Information and Awareness Services for Vulnerable Communities (PIASVC) project, land claims were frequently based on subjective beliefs rather than official boundaries. “People didn’t really pay attention to the law,” one community member recalled. “When a dispute happened, it was very difficult to talk it out. People would just claim land based on what they wanted, without any official surveys, state allocation, or the agreement of the village chief.”