You’re Making a Difference Here
WHY LAOS?
In Laos, one of the poorest countries in Southeast Asia, a lack of educational infrastructure is one of the greatest barriers to accessing a quality education (BBC News Asia). 27% of people in Laos are illiterate, with even higher illiteracy rates amongst ethnic minorities (World Bank 2014).
Pencils of Promise works with 113 communities in Laos to ensure that our students overcome these, and other, barriers to accessing a quality education. Currently, PoP is impacting over 14,000 students in Laos.
LUANG PRABANG
Luang Prabang Province, located in northern Laos, sits at the intersection of the Nam Khan and Mekong rivers. Although a beautiful area, Luang Prabang lacks sufficient educational infrastructure.
PoP has built over 113 schools in Luang Prabang Province, working in collaboration with communities to couple school builds with teacher training, in order to ensure that our students are benefitting from access to both educational infrastructure and quality instruction.
Before a PoP School Build
Previously, the students of Na Nouan in first, second and third grades were experiencing severe overcrowding. There were no permanent classroom buildings for these grades; therefore, students were learning in wooden, temporary and provisional community-built classrooms. These conditions were posing a hazard to student safety and wellbeing, as well as to student learning and engagement.
Your Impact with the New PoP School
You recognized and responded to the needs of Na Nouan by helping PoP and the community complete a new three-classroom school in May of 2018. The new classrooms provide the kindergarten through third grade students with more space and light. The school now has formal blackboards, benches, desks, doors, walls and windows. Teachers, parents, and community members were dedicated and committed to the project, contributing up to 20 percent of resources and labor. The Ministry of Education was also supportive throughout the build. You made this school build for the students of Na Nouan possible by creating a safe, strong foundation where they’ll be able to learn and realize their full potential and promise. The students are so excited to have a school that will provide a safe and appropriate learning environment!