“Children, Youth are the most valuable resource for the Nation. Therefore, we need to teach them the dangers from UXO ” said the U.S. Ambassador, Dr. Peter M. Haymond.
On November 14, 2022 in Vientiane, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Silinthone Sacklokham, Director General of the Department of International Cooperation, Ministry of Education and Sports, and Ms. Rebecca Derry, Country Director of World Education (WEI) in Laos signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the project called LAWANG (“Beware”): Expanding the Scope of Explosive Ordnance Risk Education in Laos phase II, funded by U.S. Department of State. Also in attendance were the honorable Vice Minister of the Ministry of Education and Sports, Dr. Sisouk Vongvichit; U.S. Ambassador, Dr. Peter M. Haymond; Dr. James MacNeil, the Vice President of WEI’s Asia Division; and Mr. Chomyeang Phengthongsawat, the Director General of the National Regulatory Authority for the UXO/Mine Action. The representatives from the concerned departments of the Ministry of Education and Sports, the Department of International Organization, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and 10 provincial Departments of Education and Sports and Foreign Affairs witnessed the MOU signing via zoom conference along with WEI staff.
The goal of the LAWANG project is that children, youth, and people living in high-risk communities in Lao PDR will have the knowledge and skills to keep themselves and their families safe from explosive ordnance.