Bound by a vicious cycle of poverty,
many young Laotians from rural villages do not get the same opportunities as
they would in the city. They may have to leave school at a young age to help
the family earn an income, marry young into another poor family, or worse,
be caught up in the sex trafficking industry.
SEDA is currently developing a
project to assist young people
gain access to education and vocational
training, helping to break
the poverty cycle and remove gender barriers for
girls in small communities. Targeting low-income families in rural villages,
SEDA plans to create a scholarship program that will allow disadvantaged youth
the opportunity to reveive a high school education, university
and training colleges.
Crossing into other projects within
the organization, SEDA also hopes to create employment opportunities for
young people in the areas of HIV/AIDS education as well as in the
manufacture of traditional medicine and organic beauty products.
