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). 27% of people in Laos are illiterate, with even higher illiteracy rates amongst ethnic minorities (World Bank 2014).
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 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.
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.
PHON SA-AT
 |
With a population of around 2,300, this farming community is located within the Nam Bak district. Phon Sa-at currently serves 178 students, spread throughout six grades. The Hmong, Khmu and Lao languages are spoken here. |
Josh and Nitzan’s Impact in Phon Sa-at
A number of primary grades in Phon Sa-at were learning in a community-built, wooden structure with bamboo walls, a tin roof and dirt floor. This structure was overcrowded by children from multiple grades and left students exposed to extreme weather conditions throughout the year.
PoP has partnered with the Phon Sa-at community to build a new three-unit classroom block! The community is committed to providing higher-quality education to its students, and has contribute 20% of the resources and labor required for construction. Community involvement ensures that the school will be sustainable and remain a high-quality learning environment for generations to come. The school has broken ground in early June of 2019 and was completed in September of 2019.