Hamburger Gesellschaft für Thaiistik e.V.

Their aid is concentrated on the hill tribes, especially the Akha tribes and has the following goals:

• Ability of the agricultural services is improved (agricultural extension workers ...)
• Farmers are enabled to practise improved farming methods (irrigation, improved farming methods ...)
• Health services are improved (nurses, health-workers ...)
• Villagers have better access to properly functioning community services (education, food for work, clean water sources ...)
• Social and economic status of women is improved (women's groups ...)

The hill tribe villages are scattered over the mountains and can often be reached only via footpaths after several days’ march.

The opium consumption of hill tribe people is a particular difficulty. It leads to social and health problems.

It is not possible to delimit the tasks of the GTZ exactly. For example some time ago they had to organize a distribution of rice in North Laos to avoid famine at the hill tribes.