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 124 communities in Laos to ensure that students overcome these, and other, barriers to accessing a quality education. Currently, PoP is supporting more than 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.
Phon Savath
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With a population of around 447, this community is located within the Luang Prabang district. Here, members of the community engage in agricultural- related activities such as planting rice and corn. The Khmu and Hmong languages are spoken here. |
Nader’s Impact in Phon Savath
First through fifth grade students enrolled in the Phon Savath Primary School attended class in a permanent school structure. The preschoolers, however, were learning in a wooden structure with bamboo walls and a tin roof. These poor conditions of the preschool hindered learning and posed a hazard to the safety and engagement of the young children.
PoP partnered with the Phon Savath community to build a new one-classroom structure. The community was committed to providing higher-quality education to its students, and has contributed 20% of the resources and labor required for construction. The school broke ground in May 2019 and was completed the following July. The new Phon Savath Preschool and Primary School will now provide a high-quality learning environment where every child can reach his or her unique potential.