Rice farming training keeps Atsaphone in school

His name is Atsaphone, just like the name of the District he lives in, study in first year of Secoundary School.  He is taller than most other 13-year-old boys, who are also his age, and he is a serious young man, used to working very hard for his family.   Though he does not often smile, he is a kind person. 

“I want to be a teacher in the future because I want teaches the children in my village” says Atsphone, 13 years-old boy. “Lao-subject and geography is my favorite subjects because make me have fun while studying” he adds.

Atsaphone is the oldest of four children.  His mom and dad are rice farmers and grew just enough rice to feed their family.  Their rice field is on the edge of their village, two kilometers away from their home.  Like many other rice farmers from their village, Mr. Phouphet, Atsaphone’s father, and Ms. Lounma, Atsaphone’s mother,didn’t have any other business either and very little money

Although Atsaphone was enrolled in school, his parents could not pay for school supplies, school uniform or even pencils and notebooks.   Many days they would ask Atsaphone to work in the field, instead of going to school.

Atsaphone would walk one hour to get to the rice field. It was very hot in the afternoon.

Though Atsaphone liked school he knew he had to help his family.  Atsaphone felt very sad when he missed school.  Some days he cried when he saw his friends go to school but he had to go work on the family rice field instead.

Last year, Atsaphone’s mom and dad were asked to participate in a training to learn about better rice farming practices.  

World Vision selected 15 poor families from Kouthin village to participate in this training.  They learned how to prepare the land, how to plant rice, how to manage the water and irrigation, how to deal with insects and other pests, and how to harvest the rice so that they could get a bigger crop.  In total World Vision trained more than 200 rice farmers from five poor villages. 

It was hard for Atsaphone’s parents to sit through the training –there were many new words and new rice farming techniques that they had never heard of before.  But when it was time to start in the rice field, they were very excited to try the new farming techniques.

Six months later they were thrilled with the results.  Before, they used to harvest about 2 tonnes or rice per hectare; but now, with the new rice farming technique they were able to harvest 2.5 tonnes of rice per hector.  This was an increase of 25 per cent. 

Atsaphone’s parents were able to sell the extra

rice –one kg of rice for 2500 kip, or 9.30 Taiwan Dollars.   In total they sold 500 kilograms of rice, which gave then more than 1 million kip new income, or 4650 Taiwan Dollars. 

“I am very happy that our family enough rice for a hold year and could sell some rice to make our family income” says sponsored child named Atsphone, 13.

“That may not seem like a lot for a family in Taiwan, but for Atsaphone’s family, this was a cause for big celebration,” says Amelia Merrick, World Vision Lao PDR’s national director.

With the new income, Atsaphone’s parents bought Atsaphone and his younger sister a new school uniform, school supplies, pencils and notebooks.   Atsaphone said he felt so proud to be able to wear his new school uniform, just like the other children in his village.  

“I am very happy that I got a chance to be a representative sponsored child in our community and involvement in the activity that World Vision provides to our community” says Atsphone.

Today he is in the first grade of lower secondary school (Grade 7) and is a very studious boy.  His little sister is now in Grade 4 of primary school.   Because of the new income, their parents are able to send them to school regularly.

“I am so encouraged because the story won’t end here.  This year, because of the generousity of Taiwanese people, World Vision was able to complete an irrigation canal in Atsaphone’s village,” Amelia Merrick says.“This means they will have more water for cash crops such as corn, chilly, long bean and watermelon.  Also, many families were able to buy ducks and chickens to expand the family home garden.  This will improve the nutrition of children and also give them an additional source of income.”

World Vision works in 31 villages in Atsaphone district.  In the last financial year, World Vision Lao PDR staff trained more than 1,000 farmers were trained on how to improve rice yields.