Improving Livelihoods in the Highland Area of Northern Laos

Project Number: 22-0510-16

Project Period: 2007-2011

Project Holder: Norwegian Church Aid -Bokeo (NCA)

NCA Bokeo has been helping communities decrease poverty and drug dependence since 1993.  NCA has worked with several organizations, including the UNDCP and the World Food Program.  While NCA and many other organizations have helped to eradicate opium dependence and poverty through rural integrated farming, many of the opium addictions and poverty problems are still present in certain areas of Laos.  Huaonamkha and Mueng districts still have major problems with drug abuse.
NCA Bokeo has more 13 years of experience in participatory rural community development in Lao PDR. NCA’s main focus areas are improving food security; increasing household incomes; improving education and health service, eradicating opium cultivation and addiction; environmental management; improving rural infrastructures (schools, health centers, irrigation systems, village water supply, bridges, roads and others); and increasing capacities of partners and villagers for sustainable development.

Project Profile:

This project will provide 240 cattle, 60 pigs, 180 goats, 3,600 kg of seeds and 40,000 seedlings for 250 original and 300 pass-on families from seven villages in the Phonxai and Ban Kang area. The project will support the communities through technical trainings include livestock management, water monitoring, bio-gas production and agroforestry. Additional trainings in Heifer Thailand’s values-based holistic community development approach will focus on Heifer Cornerstones, self-help group formation and management, group savings, gender equity and integrated organic farming. 

Project areas: Phonxai and Phaoudom districts, Bokeo province, Lao PDR

Local Conditions:

Phaoudom district is one of three poorest districts in Bokeo Province. The district has a population of 35,443 with 94 villages (57 being very poor). There are many of ethnic groups such as Hmong, Khamu, Thai dam, Yao, Leu and Lameath.  All of these groups are very different in culture and language. Most of villages in Phaoudom district are located in the mountainous areas where close to 80% of the population lives under the poverty line. The main occupation of the people is traditional agriculture that involves forest products collection, rice production, and some livestock production. Most of population practices slash and burn agriculture every year, and consequently one hectare of forested land per family is destroyed.

In Phonxai and Ban Kang areas there are very poor families that live on less than $1 a day. According to the social economy survey (2/2004), the average of family income is about 341,550 kip/month/family ($32.9/month/family) or 11,385 kip/day/family (1.1$/day/family) or $0.16/day/person. These districts are the poorest districts when compared with others in Bokeo Province. These districts have low agricultural productivity, low livestock raising, and very poor transportation and social services.

In general the government health facilities in these areas are extremely limited due to a lack of funds, a shortage of qualified staff, and the inaccessibility of many villages. The  problems faced related to the health with indicators were shown that the morbidity rate malaria 19%, diarrhea 17%, pneumonia 8% and others 56% (figures form social economy survey 2/2004). Although the government has resources to operate a provincial hospital, it still lacks qualified staff.  Moreover, many villagers cannot access these health services because of the cost, roads, and distance.

The rates of literacy in these areas are low. The rate of literacy for males is 16.0% and females 8.7%. The rates of school attendance are 63 % for boys and 29% for girls. Many parents in remote mountain areas are not often convinced that the school curriculum is relevant to the needs of daily village life. In the target areas there are 7 temporary schools with simple bamboo structures in 7 villages. The government has limited funds and unqualified teachers to teach in remote mountain areas.

Project Goal:

The qualities of life of target population have been improved and the balance of environment will be maintained and sustainable used of natural resources.

Objectives:

• To have increased their income through livestock, integrated agriculture and other income generating activities.
• To form inclusive self-help groups and implement Values-based Holistic Community Development activities through these SHGs.
• Inclusive Community Self-Help groups will monitor and evaluate group and individual progress through PSRP every four to six months

 Passing on the Gifts:

The project partners and community groups will use Heifer Thailand’s systems of passing on the gifts. Participating families will pass on a 1:1 ratio for animals and other inputs to farm families.

Each participating family will pass on the first female offspring (1:1 ratio) of equal value to another family. If the first offspring is male, then it will be sold for a female animal for passing on.

Participants will also pass on the skills and knowledge learned from the project to new recipients through group discussion and individual interaction. In addition, other inputs such as seeds will also be passed on.

The project partners agree to pass on funds and animals to other groups or projects at the end of the original project, as directed by Heifer Thailand.  The aim of this is to increase the number of beneficiaries.  The Letter of Agreement (LOA) will be signed between Heifer Thailand and the project partners. This will ensure accountability and the proper use of money.

Funding source: Heifer Project International