You’re Making a Difference Here
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 104 communities in Laos to ensure that our students overcome these, and other, barriers to accessing a quality education. To date, PoP has impacted over 13,000 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 104 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 the PoP School Build
When our team first visited the school in Houay Khong, Laos, they found students being taught in a temporary wooden structure built by the community. The structure was in such poor condition that it had to be rebuilt each year by the community to help students feel more safe when entering. The structure lacked formal doors, windows and a properly constructed floor. In addition to the issues with the physical structure, the space was not large enough for all students to attend classes, further prohibiting student growth and development.
Your Impact with the New PoP School
You recognized and responded to the needs of Houay Khong by helping PoP and the community build a new three-classroom school, the Houay Khong Primary School. All primary students now have access to safe and dedicated spaces to foster learning. Teachers, parents and community members were committed to the project, contributing up to 20 percent of resources and labor. We broke ground on the new school in March and completed construction in June.