Building the future: outcomes of the Infrastructure Development Fund in Bolikhamxay

In Bolikhamxay Province, Lao PDR, the Infrastructure Development Fund (IDF), under the Local development programme, embarked on an ambitious endeavour to deliver essential infrastructure between 2023 and 2025. These projects – including schools, water systems and community facilities – were designed to support the well-being and aspirations of children, families, and educators across four districts. The following overview presents each initiative in turn, illustrating how these investments are beginning to enhance daily life in the targeted communities.

In a small and ageing school building, 65 pupils and 2 teachers continue to face daily challenges in an environment that no longer meets basic learning requirements. The current structure, weakened by time and weather conditions, can no longer provide an adequate space for education.

Through the combined efforts of LuxDev – the Luxembourg Development Cooperation Agency – together with the Department of Finance and the District Education and Sports Office, the construction of a new three‑room primary school is now underway. This investment marks an important step towards improving learning conditions and ensuring a more conducive environment for the children and teachers of the community.

Nestled at the foot of a striking rock formation known locally as the “million dollar panoramic view”, a new nursery school has now been completed. Serving 280 children and staffed by 9 teachers, the school offers a safe and fully equipped learning environment. With appropriate furniture, electricity, clean water and sanitation facilities, it provides a supportive setting where young learners can thrive.

Construction of a six-room primary school is progressing steadily. The new layout separates primary students from secondary ones, creating a peaceful and spacious environment for 112 children. It is a space designed for focus, growth and safety.

In this village, nursery‑aged children previously shared cramped and noisy spaces with older students in a deteriorating wooden building. Today, a new three‑room nursery school has been completed, providing safe, furnished and well‑equipped facilities with access to clean water. For the 128 children and 6 teachers who will use it, the new school represents a significant improvement in learning conditions. LuxDev and its local partners continue to work closely together to ensure that every child has a place to learn with dignity.

In this mountainous area, where steep and winding roads make travel difficult, 122 young children and 6 teachers have long lacked appropriate classroom facilities. Despite the constraints of limited and overcrowded spaces, their commitment to learning has remained strong. A new four‑room nursery school is now under construction, designed to be safe, resilient and child‑friendly, and equipped with water supply and sanitation. This investment will provide a significantly improved environment for education in the community.

For decades, the 1,024 residents of Mexay village have returned from their farms to homes without a reliable water supply. Scarcity has shaped daily life, limiting comfort and health. Today, that is changing. A new water supply system is being built, bringing clean and safe water directly to kitchens, bathrooms, and toilets.

This initiative not only marks a vital step towards improving public health and hygiene but also promotes gender equity by reducing the burden of water collection, which often falls on women and girls. Ultimately, this project represents a quiet revolution in well-being, enhancing the quality of life for all community members, including boys, girls, and families.

Home to 1,576 people, these villages face significant challenges. Surrounded by steep mountains, their water sources, rivers and springs are unreliable and often disrupted by landslides and drought. LuxDev and its partners are conducting careful surveys to identify sustainable sources. Two gravity-fed water systems are being developed to deliver clean water to every household, easing burdens and restoring dignity.

Each water system will be supported by a trained and funded village water management committee. These teams will learn to operate, maintain and expand the systems, ensuring that the benefits endure and grow with the community.

These stories are not just about infrastructure. They are about resilience, hope and the quiet determination of communities and partners working together. From mountain villages to river valleys, the IDF’s work is helping to transform lives, one classroom, one water tap, one child at a time, ensuring that no one is left behind.

There is more to come from the IDF component of the Local development programme. The project anticipates completing 29 infrastructure projects and significant renovation works by the end of the 5th Indicative Cooperation Programme.

The Local development programme is co-financed by the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and Switzerland. It is jointly implemented by the Lao Ministry of Finance (formerly the Ministry of Planning and Investment) and LuxDev, the Luxembourg Development Cooperation Agency.