Feature: Investment for education important factor in elevating lives of Lao girls

"She is 10 years old. Capable of rapidly absorbing wisdom and knowledge from those around her, she is poised to one day become an inspiring leader, a productive worker, an innovator, a caring parent or any of the other roles that power a thriving, dynamic society."

So goes the story of "Noi" a 10-year-old girl whose social circumstances and aspirations were engineered to represent the ideals of adolescent girls in Laos goes.

Her story was jointly created by the Lao Youth Union (LYU), Lao Women's Union (LWU), Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) and United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and has been told recently at a campaign in the Southeast Asian country as part of efforts to promote investment for adolescent girl.

The 15-day media campaign has been held in Laos this month to generate more awareness about issues adolescent girls are facing and a call to everyone for more investments in young girls in order to ensure the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

"Ten is a pivotal age for girls everywhere, as puberty approaches. In some parts of the world, a girl at this age enjoys limitless possibilities and begins making choices that influences her education, and later, her work, and her life. But in other parts, a girl who goes through puberty is suddenly seen as a commodity that may be bought, sold or traded," the UNFPA's State of the World Population Report 2016 stated.

In Laos, there are 700,230 adolescent girls aged 10-19. More than 42,000 adolescent girls in the country have never attended school, while one in four girls drop out. One in 10 Lao girls aged 15-19 get married before the age of 15, and nearly one in five has become pregnant by this age, according to the statistics.

Speaking at the launch of UNFPA's State of the World Population Report 2016 in the Lao capital of Vientiane on Tuesday, Alounxay Sounalath, Deputy General Secretary of LYU said "'Noi' is a representative of all adolescent Lao girls."

"Her story is aimed to bring out issues that are relevant to adolescent girls and advocate for greater attention and investment for this important age group," Sounalath said.

"Laos needs to invest in adolescent girls so that more girls have the opportunity to decide their own future and fight for gender equality," Thoummaly Vongphachanh, LWU's Vice President told local media.

"Several years ago, the government made an attempt to address this issue and invested a significant amount, with the support of development partners, to improve education with a view to achieving the SDGs," Vongphachanh was quoted as saying Tuesday.

Sharing the same opinion, Syamphone Chaleunsouk, a teacher in Vientiane said "Laos must invest more in the education and health of adolescent girls in all provinces, particularly in remote areas. Support for education is vital for the development of Laos, as it would help to address several problems, especially the drop-out rate among girls. If this problem cannot be solved, girls will suffer, now and in the future."

"If they are uneducated they are vulnerable, and more likely to be victims of sexual violence. A large number of adolescent girls face various problems because they lack education. At present, investment in education mainly focuses on children who are already in school. But it's also crucial to persuade girls and their parents of the importance of a good education and we should provide more financial support for impoverished girls," the teacher added.

As an adolescent female herself, Manisone Xayasane, a student at a secondary school in Vientiane would welcome the investment by the government. "I would be very pleased to see the government making a greater investment in adolescent girls in all areas, as this would include them in the development effort," the student said.

"The government should invest more in education for disadvantaged girls because if they lack education it's like they are blind and they will find it hard to make progress in life and will lack job opportunities," Xayasane said.

She went on to explain that if young females, like herself, can receive a good education, they stand a better chance of getting a decent job and gaining independence. To solve this problem, the government must form partnerships with supporting entities she said, adding that it's important to carry out comprehensive surveys to find out what girls really need and how to motivate them to get an education.

"I think that what they need above all is financial support," concluded the teenager.

"What and how we invest in adolescent girls such as 'Noi' today, will determine how Laos will look in 2030," said Frederika Meijer, UNFPA Representative.

"She will shape the future of her community and our shared world. A flurry of life-changing events pulls her in many directions. Where she ends up depends on the support she receives and the power she has to shape her own future. In fact, a 10-year-old girl's life trajectory will be the true test of whether the 2030 agenda is a success or failure." Endit