OVERVIEW
Entrust is working with several other partners in a large, transformative project aimed to improve livelihoods and reduce poverty in 16 communities in Mai District through a range of activities. One of these activities is improving agricultural practices, and this is the aspect Entrust is focused on. We continue to support livestock revolving funds, training in improved animal husbandry including feed and vaccinations, training and demonstration of new cash crops such as coffee and cardamom, supporting home garden plots and fruit trees, improved cropping techniques and marketing skills.
WHAT WE LIKE ABOUT IT
Our partner has been working in this area for a number of years, and has already been able to exit a number of villages where they first started work. They are focused on ensuring that the local communities have the skills and knowledge in place to flourish on their own. We also really appreciate that our partner has chosen to work in one of the most remote parts of Laos, where the need is great, and the work is complicated by working with at least 7 different ethnic minorities, many of whom don’t speak Lao. This partner knows development, knows its beneficiaries, and knows their problems. We are excited to continue working with them.
BUDGET
$30,000 (Year 2 of a 3-year project)
The budget includes the cost of four agricultural workers working across the 16 villages, fruit tree/vegetable production, livestock and fish production training and support and marketing training.
THE NEED
This area of Laos suffers from rural poverty, which is multi-faceted and a result of its remoteness. Education levels are less than in other districts, many villages do not have access to skilled birth attendants or health workers and access to basic water and sanitation facilities is extremely limited. For example, very few people have access to toilets. Almost half the population suffer food insecurity. By working on a specific component of a broader project addressing the interlinked factors of poverty, Entrust will be able to have a much larger impact than if we were simply to try and address agricultural improvements on their own.
LIFE CHANGE
