Australia
Celebrating two decades of partnership in Lao PDR
2008 is a landmark year for Save the Children Australia when the organisation celebrates 20 years of a successful partnership with the government and people of the Lao PDR.
As part of our celebrations we shall be holding two events – in Vientiane and Sayaboury on 19 and 22 May, respectively.
“In recognition of our anniversary celebrations Save the Children Australia will award 20 scholarships to enable 20 children (including at least 10 girls) to attend secondary school,” said Save the Children Australia Chief Executive, Margaret Douglas.
Save the Children Australia was one of the first international NGOs invited to work in Lao PDR and the first Australian organisation to have a presence in the country.
Over the past 20 years Save the Children Australia has worked closely with many government partners such as the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Public Health, Education and Justice, the Lao Women’s Union and the Lao Youth Union.
During this time over 25 initiatives have been implemented in primary healthcare; rural livelihood development; education and training; child and youth participation and protection; anti child trafficking and HIV and AIDS.
Since 1988 Save the Children Australia has successfully implemented over 25 projects. One example is our flagship project – the Primary Healthcare Project in Sayaboury – where we supported the province to achieve two of the Millennium Development Goals. The maternal mortality rate stands at 77 per 100,000 live births compared with the national average of 430 per 100,000. The infant mortality rate is 14 per 1,000 live births compared to the national average of 70 per 1,000.
“Our success in Lao PDR has been largely due to the strong partnerships that we have developed with local communities and the Government of the Lao PDR. On behalf of Save the Children Australia, I would like to congratulate our staff, our partners and donors and the communities we work with for helping us to ensure that communities, particularly women and children, enjoy the benefits of improved living conditions and access to basic services,” says Margaret Douglas.
To read more about our partnership with Lao PDR, download the Celebrating 20 years of partnership in Lao PDR [Adobe PDF, 3620 Kb].