FACT-FINDING MISSION LEADS TO NEW WATER PROJECTS IN LAOS

WAUSAU, Wis., May 4, 2011 -- Representatives of The People to People Project, Inc. (PTPP), visited the villages of Nam Xang and Nam Thoum Tai, Laos, February 28, 2011- March 4, 2011. Tim Mero, Kathy Mero, and Bao Vang, all from Wausau, Wisconsin, met with PTPP’s project coordinator Ounprason Inthachith, as well as leaders, elders, educators and residents to assess the area’s ongoing needs and the organization’s progress in meeting those needs.

The villages are experiencing a marked increase in population. In 2008, PTPP completed construction of a new school in Nam Thoum. The school, which was the second school built in the village by PTPP, was built to hold 250 students. Today, it serves 580 students. To accommodate the influx classes are held in shifts, with some students attending in the morning, and some in the afternoon.

With the increased population comes the need for new wells to provide residents with safe, potable water for drinking, cooking and bathing. PTPP’s latest fundraising efforts netted $12,000 to expand the potable water systems in the two villages. On April 7, 2011, the contract for water projects at Xang Village and Name Thoum Tai, was signed, approved, and witnessed by the leaders of both villages, the Nam Bak District Department of Health and Sanitation office of Dr. Somephone, and was accepted by the contracting company of Sisana Co. LTD, located in Luang Prabang province.

PTPP works in cooperation with local leadership and district initiatives, using local laborers and materials. To date, PTPP has contributed more than $100,000 for the construction of schools and water systems in the region.