EDC has been commissioned by the SME Promotion and Development Office (SMEPDO) and the Lao-German Human Resource Development in Market Economy Programme (HRD-ME) to draft the first ever SME Annual Report (White Paper) in Lao PDR. The paper follows the issuance of the Prime Minister’s Decree No. 43/PM dated 20 April 2004, the SME Promotion and Development Committee (SMEPDC) and its secretariat, as well as the SMEPDO. These institutions have been mandated to to coordinate implementation of the policies of the government on SME promotion and development.

The paper will use the White Papers in Thailand and Japan as guides, the draft report assembled all the available statistics and survey data in Laos today. It provided an overview of the of the situation and development trends of the SMEs during the year. Both EDC and SMEPDO hope that the paper will provide decision makers and the general public with vital information that can broaden the understanding of the role of SMEs in the national economy, specially in terms of employment, income generation and poverty alleviation. The report uses existing surveys and studies as main sources. It complemented these secondary sources with actual surveys and interviews of the existing and future SME- and private sector promotion agncues activities of several donor agencies. Among others, it featured interviews with GTZ, EU, ADB, IFC, ILO and the World Bank-International Finance Company.

The EDC’s consultant team consisted of Thiphaphone, Dr. Vivath and Phoukong are working on the SME Annual Report 2008. EDC has officially submitted the draft of the white paper to SMEPDO last month.

In a recent meeting, the digital media has started to itemize its web-based and internet engineering services for the SMEs and institutional clients. Visay reported to the EDC partners that EDC Media Service will facilitate the dissemination of technical information, case studies, research results, statistics, and other important EDC announcements and events. As planned, the site will be hosted by a UK based server and will employ the latest web 2.0 technologies (e.g., WordPress, Moodle, and Joomla) in spinning highly interactive and content driven sites. Digital media will team up with K+e Ventures, Asia in the Philippines to insure continuous flow of content and media elements.

The web services will include: Website set-up and hosting (up to 12 months at a time), installation (e.g.1. Word Press setup, theme selection and installation, banner design, logo and customization, first four articles with content management training, widgets as well as plugin consultation and installation). EDC is now working on Creative Common license, Adsense and merchant account for the installation of e-Commerce plugins.

One of the most important functions of the unit is capacity building. For every web installation, EDC hopes to train and develop young IT paraprofessionals who will work within the SME client or NGOs, development projects and government installations in both rural and urban internet serviced areas. EDC will develop two types of IT paraprofessionals: web administrators and web content makers. With this unit, EDC hopes to expand the possibilities for the Lao private sector to participate in the expanding internet opportunities worldwide.

Denise Tomecko’s Buddhist Healing in Laos: Plants of the Fragrant Forest book was officially launched in the Monument’s Bookshop in early evening of Feb. 17, 2009. The event was hosted and organized by the Women International Group (WIG) in Vientiane. The book enriches the Laos tradition of using herbs and sauna for improving health, medicinal application and healing sickness in natural and less obtrusive ways.

More than 30 guests attended the event. The EDC partners (Thip, Buakhai and Tui) attended the event ang got a personally signed copy of the book. Denny as her friends call her answered many questions raised by the guests.

Denise was born and raised in Central Africa. She spent the past 30 years traveling and living with her family in Africa and in South and South East Asia. Throughout, she explored her passions for yoga, holistic healing, aromatheraphy and Buddhism. While in Laos with her husband Jim, she studied the Lao Forest Tradition of Buddhism. Here, she met an elder Buddhist nun, experienced meditation teacher and lifelong healer, Mae Khaao Keo—considered as a living treasure of the ancient art of Lao herbal lore. Read the rest of this entry »

Vientiane. EDC Conference Room. Time: 16:00 pm. The EDC has successfully implemented the Timber Game (adapted from John Sterman’s famous Beer Game) for its forthcoming supply chain courses for several sectors in Laos. The Game can be played by as many as ten teams with each team representing Read the rest of this entry »