2005 Programs and Events

Lao American Project Assists Bountay Lao Women's Union (Feb. 22, 2005)

Narcotics Affairs Section director Dave Wise dedicates the new handicrafts shop in Bountay.

During a February 22-26 visit to the Lao American Project (LAP) in Phongsali province, Narcotics Affairs Section director Dave Wise dedicated a new handicrafts shop jointly supported by the European Union and the LAP. The shop, located in Bountay town, opposite the LAP headquarters, has been operating for about a month.

According to the Women's Union representatives, the shop is doing "modest, but steady business," mainly from tourists and others who stop in Bountay, which is a normal stopping point for those traveling between Oudomxay and Phongsali town. Eco-tourism is beginning to pick up in the area and local officials expect that the handicrafts business will also continue to grow. The Women's Union representatives said that, the cash income from the textiles “is helping our families buy rice and other necessary items.