MINE VICTIMS AND CLEARANCE

FINAL COMPLETION REPORT

CONSTRUCTION OF A SCHOOL DORMITORY AT BAN XAI PRIMARY SCHOOL

PHOUKOOD DISTRICT, XIENG KHOUANG PROVINCE

A PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT AND THE MiVAC TRUST (AN AUSTRALIAN NGO)

FUNDED BY AN AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT DAP GRANT 2014/15

ADMINISTERED BY THE AUSTRALIAN EMBASSY, VIENTIANE PROJECT MANAGED BY MiVAC TRUST

BUILT BY LOCAL VILLAGERS FROM BAN XAI AND PONG HOR

FINAL COMPLETION REPORT

25 OCTOBER 2015 Introduction In November 2014 MiVAC Trust signed Phase 3 of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Lao PDR Ministry of Health, to carry out several projects aimed at poverty reduction and village development in the Phoukood District of Xieng Khouang Province. One of those projects was the construction of a School Dormitory in Ban Xai. Ban Xai is located approximately 35 km west of Phonsavan, on the Route 7 road to Vientiane. Because of its central location, the Ban Xai School caters for students from a number of surrounding communities. Background Information The Australian Government through its Direct Aid Programme (DAP) invites applications each year for funding for a wide range of projects throughout all provinces of the Lao PDR. For some years, MiVAC had been aware of the need for a new Dormitory, and had previously carried out some preliminary planning. In October 2014 they seized the opportunity to apply for a DAP Grant in which their submission included the following statement:

Ban Xai includes a primary school which provides education services to Ban Xai and surrounding communities. The student catchment for the school covers a large area and some students are required to travel many kilometers each day to get to their classes. Where the distances from remote villages are too large to enable daily travel, the students must board at or near the school and return home at weekends. One such remote village is Hinmou Peung which is some 8 kilometers from Ban Xai and can only be accessed via a “dry weather” track that is not trafficable during the wet season. The primary school children from this village in particular are forced to board at Ban Xai. There is an existing rudimentary dormitory for these students. It consists of an earthen floor, thatch walls and roof, no water supply, no furniture, no sanitation or electricity and provides the most basic of living conditions for the young students. This very substandard accommodation leads to absenteeism and illness because of poor hygiene and does not provide a suitable learning environment for the students. This project will establish an acceptable standard of accommodation and hygiene for these students while they board at school. In so doing, more students can be expected to attend school more regularly.

In November 2014, MiVAC were advised that there submission had met with the approval of the Australian Government. As a result, construction commenced on site in July 2015 and despite having to work through the wet season, the Project was completed on time and on budget at the end of September 2015. The New Dormitory The initial planning was carried out in consultation with the School Principal, the village Naiban and the local community. An area for the proposed Dormitory was made available within the School grounds. The design of the building incorporates two separate sleeping areas for up to 12 students in each, and additional accommodation for an adult supervisor(s). There is also a separate kitchen/eating room for each of the three accommodation areas. Other facilities include electricity supply, an ablution block with separate showers and toilets for boys and girls, and an external water point.

A bed, mattress, blanket, pillow and mosquito net have also been provided for each student and the Supervisor, as well as work and storage benches in the kitchen areas. The Project Participants MiVAC’s involvement in the Project included provision of the following services: 

Overall project and construction management (other than site supervision) 

architectural design and drafting services 

site construction office at the nearby MiVAC farm 

concrete batching equipment and other construction equipment and tools 

Secure storage of construction materials and equipment. 

The local community was also a valued participant and provided the following: 

allocation of land required for the dormitory, within the school grounds 

security for building materials and equipment during construction 

discounted prices for supply of local timber 

Ongoing maintenance costs and electricity will be paid for by the Ban Xai School.  

It should also be noted that all construction work was performed by local Villagers from both Ban Xai and nearby Pong Hor. Apart from a core group of six employees, on some days up to ten additional casual workers were required to assist. As a result, the local community benefited from the payment of a total of over 41,000,000Kip in wages to these employees during the construction phase. 

Expenditure Final Expenditure on this project was approximately 195,000,000Kip which includes MiVAC operating costs. Of this total, the Australian Government DAP Grant contributed 151,973,808 Kip. Conclusion This Project has been an outstanding success for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the vastly improved facilities for those young students that are required to live some distance from their homes and families. This fact alone will contribute to better education opportunities and the obvious benefits that brings. It has also provided the opportunity for the local community to be fully involved not only in the initial consultations, but also by the provision of labour and services during the construction phase. The Project also highlights the benefits of the Australian Government’s Direct Aid Programme. By targeting these low budget Projects and utilizing the valuable resources of both NGO’s and local expertise, profound changes can be accomplished in a very short period of time. MiVAC feel privileged to have been involved in this Project and look forward to future opportunities that will benefit the Lao community. Terry Moore Lao Operations Project Manager 25 October 2015

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