In partnership with ELONGATE, Pencils of Promise have built a school for underprivileged children in Laos. Located roughly 100km east of the Luang Prabang provincial capital, the school serves the remote agricultural community of Kang San.
Due to a lack of educational infrastructure, the barriers to accessing quality education in Laos are very high. Compounded by remoteness and poverty, communities such as Kang San are most affected by these barriers. As a result, literacy rates are as low as 15%.
The former school consisted of a dilapidated dirt-floored structure. The only educational opportunity for local students was in a low-quality learning environment. The new facility improves the quality and accessibility of education with the overall goal of increasing the enrollment rate. Construction efforts began in September 2021, but delays due to the pandemic led to a protracted development timeline, with the construction efforts wrapping up in March of this year.
The new school features four classrooms, a teacher’s office, three bathrooms, and a hand washing station. These new facilities are a massive upgrade to the previous school, which lacked everything but dilapidated classrooms. In addition, the building consists of high-quality, long-lasting materials to protect the students from the weather and provides a safe learning environment. A well built structure will be critical for the upcoming school year that has been extended to July during the region’s rainy season.
Pencils of Promise, the non-profit organization facilitating the project, creates schools, programs, and global communities around the common goal of quality education for everyone. They build schools from the inside out, providing safe and healthy learning environments and well-trained teachers. Elongate provided $50,000 in funding for this project; all made possible by the EG Community.
Evan Johnson
Alex G
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