Mr. Khamphou, 40, lives in Lao Ngam district, Saravane Province. Having enrolled into the Resilient Livelihoods for the Poor (RLP) project on the 16th of June 2015, he chose to raise goats. The Resilient Livelihoods for the Poor project seeks to increase the economic security and resilience
of the rural poor in Laos, a country where more than three quarters of the population lives in rural areas where poverty is particularly concentrated.
Before becoming an RLP beneficiary, Mr. Khamphou’s wife was unemployed, and he was the sole breadwinner for his family of two daughters and one son. Once enrolled, he received one pregnant female goat between August and September in 2015 that gave birth to two babies.
The only problem Mr. Khamphou has faced when raising goats has been foot and mouth disease, which the affected goats eventually recovered from. To feed the goats, he lets them roam free around the forest during the dry season and cuts leave for them himself during the raining season.
In the future, Mr. Khamphou would like to increase his land, rebuild his house, and acquire a motorbike as well as a two-wheel tractor. He would also like to try raising cows, as many others in his village do so. His happiest memory is when he received the goats, as previously he had little work.