Mr. Sompheth story
Hello, my name is Mr. Somphet,
I am 34 years old and I am from Khammouan Province, I started working with HPP (Humana People to People Laos) in the middle of 2021. My work in the past was as an agriculture facilitator in the Farmers' Clubs project. I had responsibility for Farmers' Clubs in 5 villages in the Kounkham district. I am currently in charge of the forest planting project in Nakham village, Kounkham District. The project started on March 2023 and is supported by The McConnell Foundation through IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature).
Throughout the past period of work in the area, the result of the project starts to show improved reforestation in Phu Hai Forest Reserve. The area is now green forest and will be a habitat for endangered wildlife. It’s also an area giving improved livelihood for nearby villagers. Before the project came to Nakham village, the people in Nakham and surrounding villages were still living traditionally and deforested around the Phouhai protected area. After the project came in, the protected forest area became more abundant and beautiful than before, and the people of Nakham village had increased income from selling rattan shoots and vegetables. The farmers were training on how to produce rattan and native tree saplings. The training included nursery propagating and planting, managing a nursery, and monitoring the growth and survival rates. They also learned to sustainably harvest rattan while maximizing the yields of edible shoots and canes. The farmers have increased their craft skills such as using rattan to make baskets and also brought the lessons learned from the project to be used and disseminated to other farmers surrounding Nakham Village.
Finally, I would like to express my gratitude to the HPP Laos’ project for allowing me to participate in this project. I may not be as skilled and educated as other people, but I will try to make it the best I can. Thank you for the project's trust and for allowing me to share the knowledge and experience that I have to share and develop the farmers' group. Working with the organization this time made me learn how to plan the work system. These are all new experiences and the most challenging. I believe that these experiences will be a driving force in developing myself in the future.
