Laos

Focusing on Laos...

Facts about Laos:

Capital: Vientiane

Currency: Lao Kip

Population: 6.646 million (2012)
Official Language: Lao Language

Laos, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and People's Republic of China to the northwest,Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south, and Thailand to the west. Its population was estimated to be around 6.5 million in 2012.

A third of the population of Laos live below the international poverty line which means living on less than US$1.25 per day. Laos is a low income economy, with one of the lowest annual incomes in the world. In 2013, Laos ranked the 138th place (tied with Cambodia) on the Human Development Index (HDI), indicating that Laos currently only has lower medium to low development. According to the Global Hunger Index, Laos currently ranks as the 25th hungriest nation in the world out of the list of the 56 nations with the worst hunger situation(s) in the world. Laos has had a poor human rights record most particularly dealing with the nation's acts of genocide being committed towards its Hmong population.

Laos traces its history to the kingdom of Lan Xang, which existed from the 14th to the 18th century when it split into three separate kingdoms. In 1893, it became a French protectorate, with the three kingdoms, Luang Phrabang, Vientiane and Champasak, uniting to form what is now known as Laos. It briefly gained independence in 1945 after Japanese occupation, but returned to French rule until it was granted autonomy in 1949. Laos became independent in 1953, with a constitutional monarchy under Sisavang

Vong. Shortly after independence, a long civil war ended the monarchy, when the Communist Pathet Lao movement came to power in 1975.

Laos is a single-party socialist republic. It espouses Marxism and is governed by a single party communist politburo dominated by military generals. The Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the Vietnam People's Armycontinue to have significant influence in Laos. The capital city is Vientiane. Other large Luang Prabang, Savannakhet, and Pakse. The official language is Lao. Laos is a multi-ethnic country with the politically and culturally dominant Lao people making up approximately 60% of the population, mostly in the lowlands. Various Mon-Khmer groups, the Hmong, and other indigenous hill tribes, accounting for 40% of the population, live in the foothills and

mountains. Laos' strategy for development is based on generating electricity from its rivers and selling the power to its neighbors, namely Thailand, China, and Vietnam. Its economy is accelerating rapidly with the demands for its metals.

It is a member of the Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement (APTA), Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), East Asia Summit and La Francophonie. Laos applied for membership of the World Trade Organization(WTO) in 1997, and on 2 February 2013, it was granted full membership.

Read more about Laos at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laos

ADRA Laos

ADRA Laos is situated in the capital Vientianne

ADRA Lao PDR is an independent office in the ADRA network, and currently employs over 20 people, working in both the country office located in Vientiane, as well as in their regional office in the Mok Mai district, Xiengkhouang province, Lao PDR. ADRA initially began working in Laos from Bangkok, where the ADRA Asia Regional Office is now located. An agreement of cooperation was signed with the Government of the Lao PRD on the 21st of July, 1992, and the ADRA Lao PDR Office was opened in Vientiane in April 1994.

Since then, ADRA Lao PDR has successfully implemented more than 60 rural and urban development and relief projects valued at in excess of $6.5million USD, with plans to continue partnering with communities, organisations and governments for future projects.

Projects:

Lao PDR is the 2nd poorest country in Southeast Asia and has some of the lowest development indicators in the region. The heartbreaking reality is that 29% of the population still lives below $1 USD per day and 74% below $2 USD per day leaving many poor households vulnerable to shocks that could push them back into extreme poverty.

The progress towards the Millennium Development Goals in Lao PDR is mixed, with major development challenges including a level of poverty that is increasingly defined by geography and ethnicity, which is evident despite the economic growth. This means that poverty in Lao PDR is predominantly a rural issue, with 80% of the country’s poor living in rural areas. On top of this, basic health and fundamental education services and facilities are still very poor, especially due to the weak state of government infrastructure and a highly dispersed population that is difficult to reach.

ADRA is supporting the government and people of Lao PDR in its efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals and their national development priorities. We do this by working to reduce poverty and achieve sustainable development, improved health, improved food security and land management, improved education and increased resilience to (and protection from) socio-economic risks that come with change and development.

ADRA Lao’s community partners are the most vulnerable communities. We promote an inclusive and sustainable development approach that supports communities to realise their full potential and achieve an enhanced quality of life that will change the future prospects for the generations to come.

Current projects

• Mok Mai Integrated Development Initiative (MMIDI)
• Gender Awareness Project (GAP)
• SEA: REACTi
  
  

Read more about ADRA Laos at http://www.adralaos.org/wp/