A report from the National Leading Committee for Rural Development and Poverty Eradication (NLCRDPE) shows that the number of poor families nationwide has fallen, as provincial officials back government efforts to elevate Laos above least developed country status by 2020.
Children in a remote village hope their quality of life will soon improve.
The number of poor families nationwide has now fallen from 20.4 percent in 2002-2003 to 18.77 percent in 2011, out of a total 1,053,337 families nationwide, according to the report.
The latest NLCRDPE survey shows there are now 198,678 poor families and 3,175 poor villages nationwide, and the number of poor districts has dropped to 45. This means that all provinces are on track to alleviate poverty before 2015, in line with the Millennium Development Goals.
Officials nationwide are helping local people to expand agricultural production and animal husbandry to guarantee they have sufficient food for sale and consumption, as this is vital to boosting their living conditions.
The government has also set up the Poverty Reduction Fund to help improve villagers’ living standards nationwide. In addition the Nayobay Bank issues low interest loans to villagers so they can boost productivity and the government has allocated 500 million kip for districts to set up village development funds.
The aim is to reduce the number of poor families from 198,678 to 99,000, or 9.4 percent of total families, and reduce the number of poor villages from 3,175 to 960.
Next fiscal year, the government must to work harder to move Laos out of least developed country status and will focus on guaranteeing sufficient food supplies by further increasing productivity.
The government will also work to improve infrastructure in rural areas, particularly the construction and maintenance of roads, expansion of telecommunications, and access to electricity for the 3,966 villages that still go without.
In impoverished Xekong province, officials are having to work especially hard to alleviate poverty. Their efforts are paying off and the number of poor families is falling year by year, dropping from 6,114 in 2009 down to 5,625 in 2011.
Infrastructure improvement, especially good road access to remote villages, is vital for rural communities so that they can transport their crops to sell at nearby markets.
People in Xekong province grow a variety of cash crops, including rice, and are increasingly involved in animal husbandry.
Head of the Xekong province Rural Development and Poverty Eradication Unit, Mr Somvang Khammavong, said that without access roads it is very difficult to improve living conditions.
He added that poor families are waiting for help from the government and international organisations to provide them with the stimulus and support to raise them out of poverty.
Meanwhile, officials are encouraging villagers to grow rice, coffee and vegetables and to raise livestock.
The Poverty Reduction Fund is also helping the province to build roads to provide access to markets and help increase incomes for people in remote areas.
At present, many villages in Xekong province have no roads, making it difficult for officials to access remote areas for the purposes of poverty alleviation activities, especially in the wet season.
The Lao government defines poverty as not having enough food, lacking adequate clothing, not having permanent housing and lacking access to health, education and transportation services.
