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 101 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 benefiting from access to both educational infrastructure and quality instruction.
Before the PoP School Build
When our team first visited the school in Phou Nor Wanh, Laos, they found students being taught in an aging school structure. Classrooms were heavily congested due to overcrowding, making it difficult for students to focus and concentrate. Classroom space was so limited at the Phou Nor Wanh Pre and Primary School that teachers resorted to using the village meeting hall as a learning space. These overcrowded conditions posed a distraction and created an unsafe environment for effective student learning and engagement.
Your Impact with the New PoP School
You recognized and responded to the needs of Phou Nor Wanh by helping PoP and the community build a new three-classroom school, the Phou Nor Wanh Pre and Primary School. Teachers, parents and community members remained dedicated to the project, and contributed up to 20% of resources and labor. After a few months of tireless work, we completed construction in 2017. The community is eager knowing that now all of their students will have access to formal classrooms and an overall higher quality learning environment.