Joshua Archibald, Economic and Commercial Officer at the U.S. Embassy to Laos, prepares to hand over the shipment to the Laotian government at the ceremony

Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) is one of the least developed countries in Southeast Asia. Although there has been a significant decline in poverty in the last decade, socio-economic conditions remain poor. Laos is a low-income food-deficit country with per capita gross national income of $340; thirty-nine percent of the population lives in poverty. The country is ranked 135th out of the 175 poorest countries on the UNDP’s Human Development Index. In particular, more than 20 percent of children below the age of five are stunted while 40 percent are underweight, and less than 50% of students complete primary school. The government of Laos has placed a high priority on improving education and child nutrition but funding for these sectors, including primary education, is less than two percent of GDP.

In October 2006, IRD received a $1 million grant to implement a USDA program in Laos aimed at improving educational opportunities of primary school children. The award is a sub-contract of the Humpty Dumpty Institute.  In March 2007 the government of Laos signed a Memorandum of Understanding which allowed IRD to begin working on the program.

Program activities include:
- Expanding opportunities to learn for children, especially girls, by serving nutritious mid-morning snacks and providing take-home rations for the families of girls
- Improving learning resources through the provision of education supplies and equipment, development of school gardens, and improvement to school facilities; and
- Clearing plots of land that can be used for food production, forage plots, school vegetable gardens and hygiene and sanitation systems.

Programs
- Safe Educational Opportunities
- Community-Based Solar Disinfection System

Stories
- IRD's Child Survival Program Helps Save Lives
- Happier, Healthier, and Staying in School
- First Food Shipments to Primary Schoolchildren Arrive in Laos
- Giving a Gift of Wheelchairs Worldwide

Contact
Todd Bruce
Country Director
Vientiane, Laos
E-mail: irdlaos@gmail.com

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