The aims of this project are to strengthen the capacity of nonprofit organizations and responsible government officials in Laos to promote the development of the NPO sector by using the experiences of the nonprofit sector in Vietnam and China, which face similar social and political conditions, and by providing a platform to support networking between the government and nonprofit sectors in Laos.
This year, under the self-operated component of this project, SPF, Health Education Volunteers, and Lao's Union of Science and Engineering Associations met four times to discuss the direction and content of the project. Under the grant component of the project, seven top officials from the Lao government and Lao People's Revolutionary Party were dispatched to Vietnam July 2-8, 2006, where they exchanged views with such organizations as the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations, and the Vietnam Lawyers Association on policies and legal issues related to the nonprofit sector. High-ranking officials from the Vietnamese Ministry of Home Affairs and professors from Vietnam National University in Hanoi were invited to attend a National Conference on NPO Issues held in Vientiane on October 28 to discuss the legal infrastructure necessary for promoting nonprofit activities. In addition, a training workshop on organizational management and project management methods was held March 19-24, 2007 in Vientiane for 25 NPO managers.