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 115 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 115 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
When our team first visited the Pha Yong community, they found that all of the classrooms in the community-built school were overcrowded. Due to this, students in grades four and five attended class in a thatched-roof, bamboo-walled structure that was prone to flooding during the rainy months. These conditions posed a hazard to student safety and well-being, and significantly hindered engagement and learning.
Your Impact with the New PoP School
You’ve recognized and responded to the needs of Pha Yong by helping PoP and the community complete a new school, the Pha Yong Preschool and Primary School. Teachers, parents and community members remained dedicated and committed to the project, and contributed 20 percent of the resources and labor required for construction. This new school is equipped with formal blackboards, benches, desks, doors, walls and windows, to provide students with a high-quality learning environment. You are making this school possible for the students of Pha Yong and have created a safe, strong foundation where each child will be able to learn and realize their full potential and promise.