Our entry into Laos
For quite some time we have been assessing opportunities in other parts of Indochina. After a meeting with one of the founders of the Child’s Dream Foundation (CDF), a Swiss charitable organisation which shares very much our objectives and values, we concluded that we should join forces with them and it was agreed that we will start with one pilot project in Laos.
Education in the poor rural areas has low priority in Laos and as such hinders the sustainable development and poverty reduction. Insufficient classrooms, lack of textbooks, teaching material etc. are the main constraints to effective basic education. Upon CDF’s recommendation we agreed to support the Don Tan Secondary School through the construction of a new school building with five classrooms and the necessary hygienic facilities.
End of May 2011 we (Rolf Kuehne and Thomas Schelling) and a team from CDF visited the remote North of Laos where we inaugurated the new school which serves five villages. During our two days trip, we were able to witness the excellent professionalism of the Child’s Dream NGO and their high level of project management and implementation – a result of having a strong infrastructure on the ground. This confirmed our belief that a continuous partnership with them, initially in Laos, would be mutually beneficial, and we are working towards this end.
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