Dong Na Kham village in southern Laos is a 100-year-old village with 1,032 residents and 384 families. The vast majority of this population depends on subsistence agriculture for their survival and, as a result, can afford little time for much else. Because of this, many rural and remote areas in Laos, including Dong Na Kham, have trouble accessing a quality education.
The Dong Na Kham Primary School was built in 1994 and before the new construction period started almost half of the classrooms were no longer useable due to structural collapse risks. The village’s new school, built by the Acronis Foundation and Child’s Dream, emphasizes the importance of education to the community and provides an incentive for the children to complete their primary-school education. The new standardized school building features five fully-furnished classrooms and four new toilets to help improve the sanitation standards at the school and prevent hygiene-related illnesses, a measure that helps reduce dropout rates.