Breaking free from poverty
Photo: Timothy Herbert/OxfamAUS
Mr Chongxua and his family were one of the poorest families in his village in Laos, before Oxfam came. His field couldn't produce enough rice for the year and he faced up to two months of food shortages. But Oxfam's poverty reduction program has helped people like Mr Chongxua to break free from poverty.
Improved farming techniques
Oxfam has helped Mr Chongxua by training him in a farming method called SRI (system of rice intensification), which has helped him to produce more rice. Our savings scheme helped him buy a cow which he uses to plough the fields. He has now managed to tripled his rice productivity and has enough to feed his family for an entire year.
I received a loan to buy cows & I have four cows now & my family can get clean, safe water & my children can go to school here in the village.
– Mr Chongxua
More children in school
Oxfam assisted the community to build a new school, utilising natural energy through solar power. Better resourced, the school now attracts more teachers and provides 5 levels of primary education.
We have radically improved the quality of life in other communities and empowered villagers like Mr Chongxua to improve their ability to earn a living and break free from poverty.
With your support we can provide
Photo: Timothy Herbert/OxfamAus
$30 can provide enough seeds for a family to grow a better yielding rice crop using SRI.
Photo: Timothy Herbert/OxfamAus
$50 can provide new books and pens to children in some of the poorest regions of the world.
Photo: Timothy Herbert/OxfamAus
$100 can train a vet, to ensure villagers’ livestock stay healthy.
Help support programs like these, by donating to our general fund.
The facts
- 30% of people in Laos live below the poverty line. Through Oxfam's poverty reduction program in Nong Por, the number of extremely poor families was reduced from 13 to 1.
- Every second rural child under five years of age is stunted, 38% are underweight and 8% are wasted. Oxfam is training farmers in SRI techniques and setting up rice banks, providing sustainable sources of food and income.
- In rural parts of Laos, more than 80% of villages have no school. Oxfam is helping communities build schools, increasing school attendance and literacy levels.
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