Akarath Soukhaphon

Akarath Soukhaphon is a member of St. Michael Parish in Milwaukee. A doctoral candidate in geography at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, he is currently conducting fieldwork research in Southeast Asia. He is interested in the intersections of hydropower development, international borders, and gender and ethnicity.

By this Author

Lovers of the Holy Cross Sr. Hill Pen leads choir practice on a Saturday evening at the Catholic church in Stung Treng, Cambodia, earlier this year. (Akarath Soukhaphon)

Lovers of the Holy Cross help sustain church in remote area of Cambodia

Under COVID-19 lockdown, Srs. Sokny Nheb and Hill Pen say they miss their normal ministries — like teaching catechism, holding singing practice, visiting and teaching basic life skills to village children in Stung Treng.

Students Phonexay Phomvihan, left, and Vanhny Sinsomboun, right, say they are grateful for the opportunity to live at the Nazareth Center and pursue vocational training in Vientiane, Laos. (Akarath Soukhaphon)

Nazareth Center houses Lao youth in need as they study in Vientiane

In Laos' bustling capital city, the Sisters of Charity of St. Jeanne-Antide Thouret provide poor young people from across the country with a place of refuge and opportunities to seek a better life.