Akkhasone Vilivong
Growing up in central Vientiane, Akkhasone Vilivong’s father was a civil servant and his mother a freelance launderer with barely enough income to support seven children. His three older brothers dropped out of school and abused drugs. In his third year of university, a friend told him about Digital Divide Data. He realized studying textbooks in the library wasn't enough; it provided a basic foundation but didn't teach essential skills for real jobs and earning money. He joined DDD with almost no digital skills.
At DDD, he also worked on typing up old documents, online product catalogs, uploading news stories to websites, and editing videos, all while building listening, communication, and teamwork skills. He rose from volunteer to employee to team leader to assistant project manager to assistant operations manager. "When I was about to leave DDD, the typing work was phased out and replaced with new projects," he says. "I didn't understand why they had to change so much back then, but when I worked in management, I realized what would happen if we didn't adapt." At his first post-DDD job, colleagues were impressed with his computer skills, professionality, and ability to work under pressure and handle deadlines. He now works as a finance assistant for Wildlife Conservation Society Laos. He's confident recommending jobs to DDD alumni, because he knows they have diverse skills and experience, and he stays in contact with his own cohort through group chats where they talk about life, work, and job tips.
