During the COVID-19 pandemic, social isolation and online classes have harmed many students’ learning performance and physical and emotional well-being. On-award Laos Australia National Scholarships (LANS) student currently in COVID-19 lockdown are at risk of mirroring those statistics. The Laos Australia Institute (LAI) team organised an online meetup to help our LANS students reduce their stress and provide a venue where they could share their experiences and tips on how to survive and thrive during the lockdown.

More than 125 enthusiastic LANS students from the National University of Laos and Souphanouvong University joined Mairi Robertson from our Embassy team, Emily Serong, the LAI Director, and the LAI Scholarships team – eagerly participating in a Q&A session and playing games. Prizes of takeout dinner valued 100,000Kip were awarded to 25 of winners.