These bananas are carefully and slowly grown at very high altitude of over 900 meters in Laos.
Advantages of Laotian bananas
Super highland
Amami is classified as a “super highland” banana grown at the altitude of approximately 900 meters or higher. The average daytime temperature in the farm site is around 25°C, and the average nighttime temperature is around 15°C, with a temperature difference of about 10°C. This difference in temperature between day and night allows super highland bananas to take longer to grow than regular highland bananas and to store more starch, which is the source of sugar.
High quality soil
The soil is volcanic and fertile, suitable for growing crops. Quality coffee, fruit trees, and vegetables have been actively cultivated in the area since long ago.
New frontier
The banana industry in Laos is relatively new, and there are few soil diseases. Therefore, there is high potential for a stable supply over the medium to long term.
Grown in the fertile volcanic soil and the extreme temperature differences unique to the super highland, the bananas are sweet and tender.
Through Friends Without A Border JAPAN, we are supporting the provision of appropriate medical care to children in Laos.
In Laos, where Amami bananas are produced, sufficient medical care services are not available due to shortage of medical facilities and medical professional's lack of medical ethics and skills. In addition, the rate of malnutrition among children is high, and some parents choose not to treat their children because of poverty, even when they learn of their children's illnesses.
In order to contribute to the local community where Amami bananas are grown, we support the activities of Lao Friends Hospital for Children operated by JAPAN Friends Without A Border JAPAN in Laos.
About Friends Without A Border JAPAN
Protecting the lives of children. Continue to be compassionate
Friends Without A Border JAPAN (FWAB Japan) is an NGO that provides pediatric medical support to protect the health of children in Asia. The organization was named Friends Without A Border with the belief that "with love, anyone can help people across borders, even if they are not a doctor."
The mission of JAPAN Friends Without A Border JAPAN is to create an environment where Asian children who have difficulty accessing medical care can entrust their health with peace of mind.
With "treatment," "education," and "prevention" as the pillars of its activities, the NGO created a pediatric hospital, trained local health care workers,
and conducts disease prevention activities. Eventually, it helps guide the hospital to be managed by the local people.
Activities in Laos
In 2015, the NGO opened Lao Friends Hospital for Children in Luang Prabang, Laos. In addition to in-hospital care, disease follow-up and preventive activities are also conducted outside the hospital.
We are also focusing on human resource development so that the hospital can be operated by Laotians in the future.
The hospital is a 24-hour emergency hospital for children from infants to 15 years of age.
The hospital's Laotian staff, as well as domestic healthcare workers, patients and their families, are educated on medical care and hygiene.
Outreach (home nursing) staff regularly visit homes to provide follow-up care.
