ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳

When he was aged 10, Xayphone Sengdalalath dreamed of wearing a blue jacket ¨C just like the humanitarians visiting his home village of Thin in the Oudomxay province of  Lao People's Democratic Republic. 

¡°Then don¡¯t drop out of school,¡± a ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳ operative wearing told him, he recalls. ¡°One day, you will have your own blue jacket.¡±

Xayphone was a student at a school where ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳provided school meals; now, as an adult, he is helping to run such projects wearing one of those blue jackets. 

After high school, Xayphone was awarded a scholarship to study in Vientiane, the capital of Laos, majoring in social work and community development. 

¡°Not all my friends made it this far,¡± he says, having grown up in an area where access to food and clean water was limited ¨C as were job opportunities.

¡°When I was younger, I did not fully understand what poverty was. Not having anything to compare the living conditions of my village to, I had thought that we were doing okay. But when I landed in the capital, wow¡­ I realized there was a huge difference ¨C especially when it comes to access to services such as education or health, or job opportunities.¡±

Today, Xayphone is a ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳district community facilitator, empowering village communities to run their own school lunch programmes.

Na Meung School in Oudomxay province school has been receiving support from ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳since 2002, first in the form of nutritious biscuits or porridge in the morning, later as cooked lunch. Contributions from ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳and the community are providing children with a nutritious meal that keep them at school and motivate many like Xayphone. The initiative stems from the Lao Government¡¯s objective to enhance school enrolment and attendance rates, while ensuring a healthy future for schoolchildren. Aiming for sustainability through full national ownership and community management, the government is gradually incorporating the WFP-run programs into a national school meals program.

Learn more about WFP's work in the Lao PDR