Photo: Ms Sammi Cheung (left) and Ms Gigi Leung have fun with children in Pakxeng district.

Hong Kong singing stars Ms GiGi Leung and Ms Sammi Cheung visited Pakxeng district in Luang Prabang province as Child Sponsorship Ambassadors for World Vision last week.

The purpose of their visit was to meet sponsored children and learn more about poverty stricken communities so that World Vision can improve its services.

Upon their return to Hong Kong, Ms Leung and Ms Cheung said they will share their experiences and raise awareness amongst their fans and the people of Hong Kong to help those less fortunate around the world...more info>>

They hope to take home the message that there are many people still suffering from hunger and who have little opportunity to study or lift themselves out of poverty.

Ms Leung said there were three main things she wanted to share. “The first is to cherish all life, second is to be thankful for what you have, and third is to give generously.”

They said that they were deeply touched by the generosity and hospitality of the people in Laos , especially in the rural areas.

They added that people received them with smiles and treated them warmly, especially during baci ceremonies. “Lao people are very friendly, helpful and very honest,” said Ms Leung.

Ms Leung and Ms Cheung each shared one of their many memorable moments from their visit to Pakxeng district.

“My special moment was when I met my sponsored child, Yong. We went with him to fetch some water from down the hill. He was holding my hand, I think because he had presumed that we didn't know the place very well.”

“He is a really good boy and hardworking too; I was so glad to spend some time with him and his family,” Ms Leung added.

Ms Cheung said that her special moment was having lunch with her 10 sponsored children.

“I realised that education is really important as it can give children the confidence to face the future. I would like to continue to help people and have good relationships with my sponsored children in the rural communities,” she said.

This was Ms Cheung's first visit to a developing country and her time in Laos had a great impact on her.

She knew that this opportunity had taught her many lessons and transformed her life. She said she would give a helping hand to more people in the years to come.

The two women also visited some of the projects sponsored by World Vision and learnt about its combined work with the government of Laos in poverty alleviation projects for the diverse population of the country.

World Vision is an international NGO working in 31 districts across 6 provinces, whose goal is to uplift the living standards of the poorest people in society.

World Vision is implementing a number of projects in areas such as mother and child health, water and sanitation, education, food and child sponsorship that focus mainly on the well being of children.

By Ms Vanhlee Lattana, Communication Associate, World Vision Lao PDR

Road No. 1: highway to progress

Road No.1 officially opened this month, bringing both economic and health benefits to Vientiane residents; it is also a symbol of the cooperation between Laos and Japan .

Road users enjoy travelling in comfort on the new road financed by Japan .
The upgrade of the road includes a drainage system that the Ministry of Public Works and Transport believes will prevent flooding in the rainy season.

The installation of streetlights has also made a great difference to driving conditions in the city...more

The Lao government and people, especially Vientiane residents, are thankful the road has finally been completed, and travel around the city is now more comfortable and safer.

This project was of great importance, said the Project Coordinator of the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, Mr Dedsongkham Thammavong.

He said the reconstruction of the road with Japanese assistance was a significant contribution to the improvement of communication and transportation in Vientiane and in the region.

Mr Dedsongkham said the new road would provide both direct and indirect benefits to Laos . It would certainly improve conditions for people operating businesses along the road.

The road is 29 kilometres long and runs from the Sikhay junction to the Thanalaeng warehouse. Its reconstruction cost more than US$366 billion kip (about 4.645 billion yen).

The smooth, black-topped road has helped to improve the capital's image, especially as it is such a central part of the city, Mr Dedsongkham said.

It will enable Laos to become a more efficient transit country and provide more opportunities for people in the sub-region to engage in trade and tourism.

“As you know, the road will also support our efforts to reduce poverty. Better road access is central to realising the government's goal to eradicate basic poverty by 2010. With more roads, people living in the rural areas will be better able to improve their standard of living,” he said.

Japan has been a major donor to the development of road and bridge infrastructure in Laos .

Before the road was rebuilt, it regularly flooded outside Ongteu and Inpeng temples during the wet season.

“I am confident we will not have to suffer from flooding any more now that engineers have installed drains on either side of the road, leading to Hongxaeng and Hongpasak canals,” Mr Dedsongkham said.

It is anticipated that business along the road will boom and contribute to the country's socio-economic development.

According to Ministry of Public Works and Transport statistics for 2004, Laos has 31,209 km of roads, 8.6 percent more than in 2001.

The data shows that in 2005 there were 4,497 km of tarred roads, an increase of 4 percent. There were also 10,097 km of gravel roads, up 8.8 percent up, and 16,616 km of dirt roads, 11 percent less than previously.

The expansion of the road network has boosted the economy and helped to improve people's living conditions all around the country.

Roads enable the transport of farmers' crops and other goods to markets, and in this respect Road No. 13 is considered to be the backbone of the country.

All corners of the country are now being linked, with Roads 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12, 16, 18 and others becoming a part of this network.

All provinces have road access and there are now 125 roads accessing districts nationwide.

River communication has also improved, with the building of ports and embankments along the Mekong River in the north of the country, to facilitate river transportation through Laos , Thailand , Myanmar and China .

Vientiane residents believe that the good condition of the newly-finished road will also bring health benefits.

A resident of Saphanthong village in Sisattanak district, Mr Khamsone, said he was pleased to be able to travel on a smooth and clean road. He believed it would bring an end to flooding and would reduce the amount of dust blowing around.

The Deputy Director of the Ophthalmology Centre, Dr Siphetthavong Sisaleumsak, said that dust was a significant contributing factor to respiratory problems and eye diseases each year, especially conjunctivitis.

“Now that the road is properly surfaced, it should help to alleviate the problem,” he said.


By Xayxana Leukai
Vientianetimes

Atsaphone district in Savannakhet province is an area
of extreme poverty and receives few holidaymakers, but popular Taiwanese celebrity, Mr Wang Lee Hom, saw the area differently when he visited last week.

Although the district is without any modern facilities, Mr Lee, a World Vision Sponsorship Ambassador, found the area beautiful, rich in nature and memorable. He also said he would like to return to Laos one day with his family.

“I met many children, whose lives are different from other places such as Taiwan and New York ,” he said during an interview with Vientiane Times on Friday, after spending almost a week in Savannakhet province...more info>>

He travelled with a World Vision team to the province from November 24 to 28 to inspect development projects and meet local children and communities; the trip aimed to raise funds and encourage others to sponsor needy children in Laos .


Photo: Mr Wang Lee Hom runs with children in Atsaphone district, Savannakhet province.

In the villages he visited, the people did not scream out when he approached like in Taiwan and other countries in Asia where he is considered a popular star.

He said that because of poverty, the children he met had a difficult lifestyle. They live in a rural area where they are always working in the rice fields.However, he said that he really enjoyed his time with the children.

“I followed them into the rice fields and experienced first-hand how they live,” he said.



Mr Lee said that the Lao children had wonderful personalities and generous hearts. “But they need help from groups like World Vision.”

He said that he personally sponsored 10 children by donating 188,000 kip (US$20) per month for each child, adding that he will continue his assistance until it is no longer needed.

He explained that he had decided to support the children when he saw a media campaign about Lao children in need and he knew he could trust the organisation so he started making donations.

“World Vision has a good plan for the way that it helps to develop these villages, not only giving them food but working towards long term sustainability.”

He said that he likes to help the poor; he wants to make them smile, which makes him smile too.

After experiencing the rural lifestyle, he said he feels changed, adding that he had travelled to many places around the world that were poor. But this was the first time he felt that he had a good emotional connection with the people he met.

He shared their home and daily life, eating sticky rice with them.

He said that he was happy to help Lao people, because in helping others he was also helping himself.

His philosophy holds that a donor should not provide the poor with only food and money but also teach them how to make a better living because, if one day the help stops, they can manage on their own.

He added that World Vision Laos shares this philosophy.

By Ekaphone Phouthonesy
Vientianetimes
Photos: BluemarkTW

MORE Photos>>
http://www.activeboard.com/forum.spark?forumID=98894&p=3&topicID=14341883



wang lee hom
Laos, Savannakhet

Booyoung Co Ltd donates US$2.5 million for the construction of 100 primary schools.

A South Korean company presented more than US$2.5 million to the Foundation for Promoting Education on Monday for the construction of 100 primary schools nationwide.

The Booyoung Co Ltd wants to help raise the standard of education in Laos as well as encourage the development of Lao children...more

The donation was handed over by the company's adviser, Mr Chang Myung-Kwan, and received by Standing Deputy Prime Minister Mr Somsavat Lengsavad, witnessed by officials, the Minister of Education Dr Somkot Mangnomek, and the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Laos , Mr Park Jae-hyun.

It is anticipated that the first 50 schools will be completed by the start of the next academic year in September, and the remainder should be constructed by March 2008.

The first primary school will be built in Thami village, Hinboun district, Khammuan province, by the DM Construction Company.

In addition, a number of other construction companies are also preparing the groundwork for school buildings in other provinces. Each school will have five classrooms, a teachers' room, and a toilet.

During the presentation ceremony, Mr Chang Myung-Kwan took the opportunity to read out a greeting from the Chairman of Booyoung Co Ltd, Mr Lee Joong-keun, who unfortunately was unable to be in Laos on this occasion.

The message said: “The company's present donation is a follow-up to the past donation of 28,000 blackboards aimed at promoting Lao children's education across the country.”

The Booyoung Co Ltd reaffirmed the provision of future assistance for education related activities in Laos . The company has also expressed its willingness to explore investment opportunities in various economic sectors of the country.

Mr Chang Myung-Kwan said this kind of effort would help to strengthen relations between Laos and the Republic of Korea .

Mr Somsavat expressed his profound appreciation for the generous donation and hoped that the company would continue assisting Laos , not only in the field of education, but also in rural development and poverty reduction.

He said Mr Lee was a generous man who wanted to help poor children get access to education. The government would create favourable conditions for the company to invest in Laos in various sectors.

The company pledged its assistance in building 100 primary schools during a visit by Mr Somsavat to the Republic of Korea in March.

So far, the company has donated more than US$20 million to buy blackboards for primary schools in Laos , Vietnam and Cambodia , and an additional US$2 million to develop various public facilities.

During the ceremony, Mr Somsavat, who is also the Honorary Chairman of the Foundation for Promoting Education, handed over a cheque worth US$7,500, the equivalent of 30 percent of the total construction cost of US$25,000 to the General Manager of the DM Construction Company, Mrs Douangta Matmanisone, who was awarded the contract to build the first primary school in Khammuan province.

By vientiane times

(KPL) AEON, the Japan’s single-largest shopping mall developer and operator, has completed its funded construction of primary school ThinXom in Luang Prabang district of the same name province.
The opening ceremony for the newly built AEON Sakura (Cherry Blossom) School was held on 27 March and was attended by Minister of Education Somkot Mangnormek, governors of Luang Prabang and Xiengkhuang provinces, UNICEF Country Representative Ms Olivia Yambi and the representatives of AEON Club... more

“Children are the future of any society. Good schools help providing the children better education, and therefore, building schools is building future of our own society,” said Mr Somkot Mangnormek, Minister of Education.

“This school will not only make the current students happy, but will also allow future generation of children to enjoy a better education in Laos,” said Mr Somkot.
Nationwide, there are 85% of children enroll in 9,000 primary schools.

AEON is implementing the Laos school Construction Fundraising Campaign in partnership with the Japan Committee for UNICEF.

Donations are being collected over a three-year period at some 8,000 AEON locations including JUSCO stores throughout Japan and other retail outlets and offices operated by 64 AEON companies in order to build 100 schools in Laos.

AEON plans to complete 30 elementary schools by the end of March, including 15 in two districts Nan and Luang Prabang of the same name province and other 15 in two districts Kham and Pek in Xiengkhuang province.

It is funding this work with donations collected from customers and additional funds from the AEON 1% Club and Japan Committee for UNICEF.

To date, the AEON has built 206 schools including 149 in Cambodia and 57 in Nepal as a way of giving children opportunities to learn.

Source: kpl.net.la