You’re Making a Difference Here
WHY LAOS?
In Laos, a lack of educational infrastructure is one of the greatest barriers to accessing quality education (BBC News Asia). 15% of people in Laos are illiterate, with even higher illiteracy rates amongst ethnic minorities (World Bank 2015).
Pencils of Promise works with 126 communities in Laos to ensure that students overcome these, and other, barriers to accessing quality education. Currently, PoP is impacting over 38,000 students and teachers in Laos.
LUANG PRABANG
Luang Prabang Province, located in northern Laos, sits at the intersection of the Nam Khan and Mekong rivers.
PoP has built over 120 schools in Luang Prabang Province and is currently working in collaboration with communities to support teachers and provide quality infrastructure to ensure that students have access to quality education.
Nong Ien
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With a population of around 480, this community is located within the Ngoi district. The Hmong and Khmu languages are spoken here. |
Jill & Jake’s Impact in Nong Ien
Prior to the construction of the new school students enrolled at the Nong Ien Preschool and Primary School attended class in an old, cement structure. Kindergarteners and fifth graders shared a classroom, making the room smaller and tighter for students. The school structure was in poor condition, with leaking roofs, cracked floors, and broken walls, making it unsafe in harsh weather. These conditions hindered learning, posing a hazard to student safety and engagement.
PoP partnered with the Nong Ien community to build a new two-classroom structure. The community is committed to providing higher-quality education to its students, and contributed 20% of the resources and labor required for construction. We broke ground June 2019 and, following months of hard work completed the structure in the end of 2019. The new Nong Ien Preschool and Primary School will provide a high-quality learning environment where every child can reach his or her unique potential.