A Nonprofit Leader’s Heroic Effort to Call Attention to Dangerous Remnants of War

Around the nation, more and more Americans have a better understanding of the origins and behind-the-scenes decisions of the Vietnam War because of the 10-part, 18-hour Ken Burns film that has been appearing on PBS stations this fall.

But for Channapha Khamvongsa, the lessons came much earlier, thanks to the help of a Ford Foundation fellowship that led to the creation of one of the nimblest and most powerful small organizations I have seen in my career. I first met her when she was a graduate student at Georgetown University’s Public Policy Institute and I was an adjunct professor.

Ms. Khamvongsa was born in Laos, but her family came to America when she was a young child. That’s why it wasn’t until she was an adult that she learned of the terrible destruction inflicted on Laos by American warplanes during the Vietnam War. For 11 years, American aircraft secretly dropped over 2 million tons of bombs on the country during some 580,000 missions, making Laos the most heavily bombed nation in world history. Thirty percent of the bombs failed to detonate, causing huge casualties among the population and leaving the land unfit for development projects.

While at Ford, Ms. Khamvongsa made a visit to the foundation’s grantee, the Public Policy Institute.

She met with the executive director, John Cavanaugh, who asked her about the origin of her name. He mentioned that he had worked to stop the bombings at a Washington advocacy group, and he had a collection of drawings by Laotian survivors that depicted the suffering they endured. Those drawings inspired Ms. Khamvongsa to found a nonprofit, called Legacies of War, whose goal is to eliminate the unexploded cluster bombs that litter the Laotian countryside.

With enormous determination, great persistence, and a budget of just $250,000 a year, Ms. Khamvongsa’s group seeks to put the public spotlight on the devastation in Laos. The group urges the U.S. government and nations around the world to spend more on efforts to remove the unexploded bombs, and it works to build grassroots leaders in Laos who can help manage bomb-removal efforts as well as community-development projects.

Credit From Obama

The nonprofit attained one of its biggest successes shortly before President Barack Obama left office.

Ms. Khamvongsa helped persuade Mr. Obama to visit Laos and aided the planning of his itinerary. During his visit, Mr. Obama pledged $90 million over three years from the U.S. government, an enormous increase in financial assistance to Laos, which had only received minimal amounts before 2016. In his speech in Laos, President Obama acknowledged Ms. Khamvongsa’s work “to fix the problem” of unexploded cluster bombs.

It was a well deserved tribute after working on a shoestring. Ms. Khamvongsa’s first step was to establish a national traveling exhibition of the drawings by the Laotian survivors that Mr. Cavanaugh showed her for the first time, accompanied by historical photos, maps, and other documents illustrating the impact of the secret war. The exhibit has appeared in many cities, building an increasingly large cadre of supporters for the movement to eradicate cluster bombs in Laos and elsewhere.

Ms. Khamvongsa has since mobilized hundreds of diplomats, public officials, Laotian ex-patriates, students, and others to become strong advocates of Legacies of War and its programs. In 2010, she testified before a Congressional House Committee, furthering her organization’s outreach and political influence. That testimony came exactly 39 years after a Senate hearing, chaired by Senator Edward M. Kennedy, first exposed the secret U.S. bombing of Laos.

Limited Budget

Raising money has been one of Ms. Khamvongsa’s major challenges. Her $250,000 annual budget, which supports 2.5 staff members, is cobbled together by small corporate and foundation grants and gifts from individuals. So far, she has not been able to secure large foundation support, despite the excellence of Legacies’ work and success. A small number of dedicated volunteers provide additional staff support.

For Ms. Khamvongsa and Legacies of War, this is only the beginning. She is determined to raise more money so the organization can accomplish more. She will not be satisfied, she says, until the last bomb has been removed from Laos. A human whirlwind, she is not an ego-driven individual. She is generous in giving credit to many people who have helped her along the way, not the least of whom is Mr. Cavanaugh. Without his assistance and encouragement, she says, Legacies of War might not have gotten off the ground.

Few people have accomplished so much in such a short period of time. She proves that a single individual can make an enormous difference on the world’s stage. Let’s hope more major donors discover the work she has done and help her expand her reach. We owe that to the people of Laos, but also as a way to inspire others to take on the causes that too often go unnoticed by our government and our citizens.

Pablo Eisenberg, a regular Chronicle contributor, is a senior fellow at the Center for Public & Nonprofit Leadership at Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy. His email address is pseisenberg@verizon.net.