Piloted village development scheme improving living conditions

A piloted village development project is helping selected rural communities to earn higher incomes so they can alleviate their poverty.

The Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) yesterday held a Project Steering Committee (PSC) meeting in Vientiane as part of the Integrated Rural Development Project with Saemaul Undong Participatory Approach in Laos.

The rural development project is set for a five-year run from 2015 until 2019, and concentrates on the capital Vientiane as well as villages in the provinces of Vientiane and Savannakhet.

The project adopts the Korean model of Saemaul Undong, a participatory approach to rural community building introduced in the 1970s, with a grant of US$14 million.

Among the development components, the meeting focused on the ¡®30 pilot village¡¯ development project (for a 3-year span) which is now entering Phase 2.

The objective of the meeting was to share the performance results of Phase 1 (2016-2017) and to confirm Phase 2 (2017-2018) of the rural development project through self-help and cooperation.

Phase 1 consisted of village income generation, infrastructure development, environmental preservation, and public facility development, as well as the fostering of micro-credit and capacity building for villagers. Based on the Phase 1 evaluation, KOICA designed Phase 2 of the project to include school facility improvement, healthcare projects and continued support for selected Phase 1 projects.

The meeting was attended by Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, Mr Khambounnath Xayanone, Resident Representative of the KOICA Office in Laos, Mr Oh Sung Soo, and PSC members including the Department of Technical Extension and Agro-Processing, Department of Rural Development and Cooperation, the ministries of Finance, Education and Sports, Health, Home Affairs (which oversees the Sam Sang development directive), and the provinces of Vientiane and Savannakhet.

Through discussions and the sharing of opinions, all PSC members reached a full consensus regarding the project.

It is expected there will be successful project implementation though the 30 percent village contribution with a US$5.76 million investment effect.

President of the Korea Institute for Rural Development and Project Manager, Dr Chung Ki Whan, said Korea has focused much greater attention on rural development, considering that Korea¡¯s experience in rural development could prove to be an ideal development model for Laos.

He affirmed that ¡°KOICA will continue to work closely together for the sustainable growth of the provinces in terms of rural development.¡±

Mr Khambounnath said he strongly believed the project would help rural communities, especially those in the target villages, to achieve higher incomes and reduce their poverty levels.

By Times Reporters
(Latest Update November 1, 2017)