On May 25th-26th, SEDA staff members attended a two day workshop on the National Renewable Energy Strategy at the Lao Plaza Hotel. The workshop included presentations of the Decree on small scale hydropower and bio-fuels. It also included group discussions about renewable energy strategy and a training session for technical staff on data collection and analysis. It was a very interesting and productive workshop where the staff learnt many new skills and received important information about renewable energy options in Laos.

SEDA works with giving micro-credit to women and farmers. A pilot project was implemented in January 2010 which involved planting rice and growing livestock. This is the second village which SEDA has tested the effectiveness of giving fish baits as a micro-credit. For example, each household is given 500 fish baits, trained how to breed fish, and when they have successfully bred many fish, they repay 1000 fish baits as interest. Those 1000 fish baits are then lent to other villages, and the cycle continues, allowing farmers to create their own sustainable livelihoods and helping victims of the typhoon. Currently this is a pilot project and SEDA will provide 137 families with micro-credits which has created 137 fish ponds. Each family will receive 500 baits to breed fish stocks. We will begin this micro-credit scheme in July 2010.

Please support our micro-credit program by visiting:

http://www.globalgiving.org/projects/micro-credit-for-disadvantaged-farmers-in-laos/

Women searching for fish baits in man-made ponds