Thateng – Participative Community Development Project

Participative Community Development Project
Sekong province, Thateng district, Laos

2016 – 2019

Project description of the present phase (PDF)

2013-2016

Situation

With a population of under 7 million people, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic remains one of the Least Developed Countries in the world. 73% of its population still live with less than 2$ per day.
SFE have been working in this context since 1998. Willing to help those who are the most in need, SFE chose to set up a Community Agriculture and Development Project in one of the poorest provinces in the country: Sekong province.

Overall objective

Contribute to improve food security and living conditions of people in Thateng district’s 14 poorest villages.
Based on a community participative approach, this project’s specific objectives are to strengthen local capacities in agriculture and improve access to water of the population, in respect of gender equality and sustainable development by 2016.

Main planned activities :

  1. Agriculture :
    • Train the villagers in vegetable, fruit, cash crops farming and diversify productions.
    • Train the villagers in small livestock, poultry and fish farming. Vaccinate animals. Special training for model families in each village.
    • Train the villagers in the maintenance and use of small-scale irrigation systems, as well as water management.
    • In the Testing and Training Center, welcome and train the students in agriculture of the region, experiment agricultural productions and techniques that can be taught in the target villages if results are good.
  2. Access to water – Toilets
    • Train the villagers in the construction and/or maintenance of water supply systems (wells, spring water channeling, etc.), purification of water (water filters) and toilets, as well as water management.
  3. Primary health, nutrition, hygiene
    • Train health volunteers, also as trainers, in prevention of common diseases, nutrition, hygiene and birth control. Inform and train villagers in educational sessions on these subjects.

In order to set up these activities during the next 3 years, SFE will work in close cooperation with its local partners (authorities, Women’s Union, model families, health volunteers, etc.) to allow a good appropriation of activities by target villages and also the project’s durability.
To train the villagers and complete successfully the activities, the project’s team will be made up of around 10 qualified lao people in the required domains and 2 expatriates.