Advocacy and Livelihoods

TAEC’s mission is to facilitate pride in Laos’ ethnic diversity and to help visitors and locals to understand and value the changing lifestyles of Laos’ ethnic groups. The Centre pursues this through its museum exhibits and education activities, but instilling pride within ethnic communities and empowering them to actively manage their cultural heritage is crucial to ensuring cultural vitality and sustainable development.

Ethnic minority communities living in rural areas make up the poorest sector of the Lao population. Recognising the unique obligations of a museum working with these communities, TAEC runs a livelihoods development programme based on traditional handicraft skills. The overwhelming majority of handicraft producers in the programme are ethnic minority women, who studies have shown spend their income on their family’s food, health, and education needs. 50% of each sale from the Museum Shop, TAEC Boutique, and online shop goes directly back to our handicraft producers and their families. Meet the artisans.