2 Home news Friday February 14, 2020 Times Poverty Reduction Fund targets Xaysomboun for development Sangkhomsay economic development. Bubphanouvong To address this, the government established a The Poverty Reduction Fund policy in 2019 to develop the (PRF), under the Ministry of province’s economy through Agriculture and Forestry, cooperation between various joined other ministries on government and private Thursday to discuss plans to sectors. address poverty eradication In the past, the PRF in Xaysomboun province organised 442 groups to this year. assist communities in 73 Officials attend a weeklong education workshop to discuss a new project. During the meeting at villages of Nong, Xepon and the Office of the Central Thapangthong districts in Experts partner to strengthen Committee in Vientiane, Savannakhet province. the Fund detailed efforts Mr Chanthaboun Activities included the education in local communities in developing Ome and Ao Lattanavong addresses Ministry of Agriculture and villages in Xaysomboun the meeting at the Office of Forestry conducting training Keoviengkhone SEAMEO Regional Centre educational innovation province’s Anouvong the Central Committee in courses to boost crop Bounviseth for Community Education and the improvement of district and improving Vientiane on Thursday. production and livestock Development (SEAMEO quality education and people’s living standards. rearing to improve residents’ Lao education officials CED). lifelong learning in , Deputy Head of Office for local volunteers and on incomes. and overseas development SEAMEO CED and in collaboration with of the Central Committee of finance at the district level Researchers from the partners are joining forces development partners, SEAMEO CED. ’s Revolutionary from March 31 to April 3. National University of to strengthen school including SEAMEO The components of the Party, Mr Chanthaboun Mr Chanthaboun said Laos (NUOL) and other communities in a bid to INNOTECH Philippines, the 21-month project relate to Lattanavong, Executive the project was part of institutions in the region improve the quality of Australian RMIT University building the institutional Director of the PRF, Mr Chit overall efforts to upgrade gathered from January education and lifelong and DVV international, capacity of village education Thavisay, as well as senior Xaysomboun province’s 30-31 to discuss poverty learning. are currently holding a development committees as officials from ministries and industry and put the eradication and efforts to They are collaborating in workshop in Vientiane from a mechanism for promoting state organisations attended economy on a sustainable achieve the Sustainable the “Strengthening School- February 10-14. and improving school- the meeting. footing. Development Goals by Community Partnership Representatives of line community partnerships. The project involves Xaysomboun was 2030. for Quality Education and sectors along with education Project components officials drafting the established as the 18th The Poverty Reduction Lifelong Learning” project officials from five provinces include participatory necessary work plans province of Laos in 2013 and Fund under the Ministry of by developing institutional are attending the workshop action research to develop and documentation from is of strategic importance to Agriculture and Forestry capacity-building tools to discuss the project. capacity building tools February 14 to March 15 so national defence and public hosted the first meeting for village education The workshop is and knowledge products, that advice can be dispensed security. of the Joint Research development committees. highlighting the project and prototyping and pilot- in the communities to The province’s lack of Programme on the Impact The project will run objectives, which are testing of capacity-building improve crop and livestock economic infrastructure, of Community Driven for 21 months and involve to develop tools and tools. production. and the local population’s Development Approach inter-centre collaborative resources designed to The project will monitor This will be followed by reliance on nature for to Rural Development action research through strengthen village education and evaluate the use of the organising of volunteer survival and lack of of Lancang- the Regional Centre for development committees capacity building tools, and groups in the villages from capabilities in commercial Cooperation Countries at Educational Innovation as an important school scale-up and sustainability March 16-29 to assist the production were cited the Confucius Institute, and Technology (SEAMEO community partnership planning for the tools’ project and training courses as challenges to socio- NUOL. INNOTECH) and structure that supports development with the Ministry of Education and Sports and SEAMEO CED. Medics get lessons in diagnosis, management of mental illness The project aims to develop a set of tools and Viengdavanh professionals in the fields The opening ceremony Bolla. The training course resources that can be used by Banphahaksa of psychiatry and mental was chaired by the hospital’s The 46 participants come is the second for mental the ministry and SEAMEO health through a three-day Director General, Dr Phisith from the Mental Health health specialists following CED to build the capacity of village education training course taking place Phoutsavath, and Head of Department at Mahosot a three-day session that The Swiss Laos Hospital development committees as Project is building from February 12-14 at Unit, Public Psychiatry Hospital, Children’s was delivered in October an important structure for the knowledge of Lao Mahosot Hospital. Clinic Lugano, Dr Emilio Hospital and Mittaphab last year and funded by promoting and supporting Hospital, as well as students the Swiss Laos Hospital school-community from the University of Project. partnerships that espouse Health Sciences. This week course educational innovation and Addressing the course participants are learning improvement of quality and participants, Dr Phisith said about the recognition lifelong learning. the Swiss Laos Hospital and management of early In addition, village Project had provided psychosis, and substance education development specialists in psychiatry to abuse, and will engage in committees will help broaden the knowledge of discussions with Swiss develop a set of institutional capacity building tools medical professionals at specialists in these fields. designed to help them Mahosot and other hospitals In addition to Dr Emilio perform their roles and on the treatment of mental Bolla, the Medical Director responsibilities as a conduit health disorders. of the Public Psychiatry for improving the quality of He urged participants Clinic Lugano, Dr Rafael learning in school, as well to make the most of the Traber, and former Deputy as addressing the learning occasion and to learn from Medical Director of the needs of other community the Swiss psychiatrists for Public Psychiatry Clinic members, including out-of- school children, youth, and Doctors and medical students on Wednesday gather with Swiss instructors at the opening the benefit of the mental Winterthur, Dr Toni Berthel of a course on mental health. health profession in Laos. are delivering lectures. adult learners.

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