Poverty fund
extends scope of work
Poverty Reduction Fund
officials will be able to continue their work after
receiving further support from the World Bank and the
Switzerland Agency for Development and Cooperation.
This year the World Bank
provided more than 130 billion kip (US$15 million) to
the fund and the Switzerland Agency for Development and
Cooperation has provided an additional 43 billion kip
(about US$5 million).
Members of the fund's
administrative council met in Vientiane yesterday to
evaluate the work of the fund over the past five years.
Standing Deputy Prime
Minister Somsavat Lengsavad said at the meeting
officials would also discuss their poverty alleviation
plans from now until 2011.
The sharing of experiences
and ideas by all participants would enable the fund to
succeed in its work and reach government poverty
eradication targets, he said.
The Poverty Reduction Fund
was established in 2002 by a Prime Minister's decree.
Its aim is to support the goals of the national
socio-economic development plan and the government's
policy to eradicate poverty and move Laos off the UN's
least-developed country list by 2020.
The fund helps villages to
develop community infrastructure and gain access to
services. It strengthens local institutions to support
participatory decision-making and build capacity, by
empowering poorer communities to plan and manage their
development.
The fund's executive
officer, Mr Sivixay Saysanavongphet, reporte d projects
had been carried out in 21 districts in a total of 1,984
villages in Huaphan, Xieng Khuang, Savannakhet,
Champassak and Saravan provinces.
From 2009-2011, fund
officials will continue their work in 16 districts of
these provinces because all of these districts are on
the list of the country's 47 poorest districts, as
classified by the government.
In the future, officials
will work in three more districts in Luang Namtha
province to help alleviate poverty.
In fiscal year 2003-2004,
the fund operated in 10 districts, in 913 villages in
Huaphan, Savannakhet and Champassak provinces, spending
more than 10 billion kip on various projects.
Mr Sivixay said in fiscal
year 2004-2005 the fund expanded its work to cover about
1,400 villages in 14 districts and had disbursed more
than 40 billion kip.
In 2005-2006, the fund took
on six more districts in Xieng Khuang and Saravan
provinces as part of its countrywide poverty reduction
programme.
