The Government of Japan has decided to provide grant assistance worth USD640,000 for nine projects on education, health, infrastructure and agriculture through its Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP).
The development projects include five education projects in Phongsaly, Luang Prabang, Xayaboury, Vientiane (province) and Xekong, two health projects in Phongsaly and Oudomxay, one infrastructure project in Luang Prabang and one agriculture project in Savannakhet.
The grant contract was signed on Dec 17 between Ambassador of Japan to the Lao PDR Kobayashi Kenichi and representatives of the respective provincial authorities where the projects are implemented.
The education projects are for the construction of new buildings at Somsavart Primary School in Xayaboury, Huaidam-Mai Primary School in Xekong, Lahang-nyai Lower Secondary School in Phongsaly, Kasi Lower Secondary School in Vientiane and Muang-Khay Secondary School in Luang Prabang to improve the educational environment.
The health projects for the construction of water supply systems will be implemented in Longnya and Senlat villages in Oudomxay where safe water is not sufficiently available due to aging water supply facilities and a shortage of water station, and Sapa village in Phongsaly where there are difficulties with access to safe water due to water pollution in the area.
The infrastructure project is to construct a bridge and a rural road in Done-ngeun village in Luang Prabang to improve the transportation access in the neighboring areas since heavy rains has washed away existing bridges and made road conditions worse in every wet-season.
The agriculture project is to construct an irrigation channel in Kengkok-Nua Village in Savannakhet Province to improve the agricultural system since the wet-season rice crop is extremely unstable and low-yielding in this area due to the frequent large-scale floods in recent years.
Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP) provides necessary funds for relatively small-scaled projects that directly benefit local residents and are aimed at economic and social development in developing countries, based on the principle of human security. In order to ensure “no-one left behind” through rectification of regional disparity, Japan will continue to support and improve the basic standard of living at grassroots level in the Lao PDR.
Source: Lao News Agency