Galen Beery Legacy Exhibit

Schools

The International Voluntary Services (IVS), along with two other groups, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Royal Lao Government (RLG), worked together to try and make life better for people in Laos. They focused on improving schools, health, and farming. Charles W. Yost, who was about to become a very important representative (ambassador) from the United States to Laos, arrived and started a new chapter of working together and developing the country. This was especially important after 1954 when Laos became independent, and they had to figure out how to run their government and pay for everything without help from France, which had controlled it before (Benson, 2016).

In the late 1950s, a project called the Xieng Khouang Development Project was started to help develop Laos, focusing a lot on education. The project, which was supposed to be a model farm and a training project for community workers, was a team effort between IVS and the Lao Ministry of Education. But even though it started with a lot of promise, the project ran into problems and had to stop its first activities in 1957 because of issues with location and government preferences. IVS volunteers played a key role in various projects, and by 1962, many volunteers were placed in big cities in Laos to help as much as possible with the projects (Benson, 2016).

The RLG, with help from USAID, started a test program to help develop rural areas in Laos. The program, which was mostly staffed by IVS volunteers, aimed to help develop these areas. By the middle of 1964, about 31 people from IVS/VARDA were fully committed to this work, making sure to be directly involved in the development activities. In conclusion, the IVS projects in Laos, especially those focusing on education and rural development, went through a series of working together, facing challenges, and achieving goals (Benson, 2016).