Laos

Overview

The only landlocked country in Southeast Asia, Laos sits between the between Thailand on the west and Vietnam on the east. In 1975, the Pathet Lao (Lao Nation) ended six centuries of monarchical rule when they triumphed in the revolution that established the Lao People's Democratic Republic. Since the revolution, isolation and economic deprivation have plagued the country, which is now one of the poorest and least developed in the world.

Despite its dramatic mountain ranges and unspoiled tropical forests, little of the land in Laos is arable and only 5% is used for the subsistence farming that employs 80% of the population. Dominant crops include rice, corn, tobacco and coffee.

In 1986, the the Lao government began to allow privatization, which has yielded slow but steady economic development. Despite recent attempts by the government to attract foreign investment however, more than three quarters of Lao people live on less than US$2 per day. In rural areas, electricity and drinkable water are all but nonexistent—signs of an extremely fragile national infrastructure.

Programs & Results

Infrastructure improvements and access to quality learning materials are at the heart of Room to Read’s work in Laos, as the lack of adequate resources and facilities continues to plague the country's most underserved areas.

Our local team began in 2005 by implementing three programs—School Construction, School Libraries and Book Publishing, and have since grown our operations there to include Girls’ Education and Reading & Writing Instruction.

In 2011, Room to Read Laos signed a new, five-year Memorandum of Understanding with the Lao government, outlining our plans to continue operations in the country and expand our programs.

Key partners of Room to Read in Laos include: Action with Lao Children (ALC), District Education Bureau and Sports, Villager Communities, Participatory Development Center (PADECT), Provincial Education Service and Shanti Volunteer Association (SVA).