Program and Event

Lao kids paint the U.S. Embassy walls…but it’s for a good cause!

paint the walls at the U.S. Embassy in Vientiane

From left Mr. Hongphphet Chanthavong, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Forestry, NUOL; Mr. Lytou Bouapao ,Vice Minister of Education; Ambassador Ravic Huso and Mrs. Barbara Huso, center; Mr. May Chandavong, Vice President of the Association of Fine Arts; Dr. Bountieng Siripaphanh , Head of the Fine Arts Section, Ministry of Information and Culture;  and Chittana Pompila, MCU project leader.

The U.S. Embassy in Vientiane, in association with the Mobile Conservation Unit (MCU) of the Faculty of Forestry, National University of Laos (NUOL), launched an art contest to promote environmental protection and anti-wildlife trafficking awareness in Lao schools.  The MCU student organizers travelled to 9 schools to conduct activities aimed at younger children, encouraging them to be active in protecting the natural heritage of Laos. Students at each level – primary, lower secondary, and upper secondary – then submitted artwork and slogans to a panel of judges who met at the Ambassador’s residence on March 31 to select the best pieces. The Embassy invited the winning student artists to paint their murals on the US Embassy walls in early April, with the able assistance of students from the National Academy of Fine Arts.

The outstanding displays of art and environmental awareness will remind students and passersby of the importance of protecting the natural beauty and wildlife of Laos. The winning pictures depicting the environment and wildlife were painted by students from Sikhottabong Upper Secondary School, Sikai Lower Secondary School, and Ban Danxang Primary School.