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A new initiative focused on empowering market women and promoting a plastic-free environment, titled “Strengthening the Economic Autonomy of Market Women and their Commitment to the Environment (REAVMEE),” launched on November 11
(KPL) – A new initiative focused on empowering market women and promoting a plastic-free environment, titled “Strengthening the Economic Autonomy of Market Women and their Commitment to the Environment (REAVMEE),” launched on November 11, 2024, at Nonkho Market in Xaysettha District. This project, aiming to tackle plastic pollution, carries the message: “Without plastic, it’s more chic!”
The launch ceremony saw the presence of Mr. Kent Vachon, Chargé d'affaires and Head of the Canadian Embassy in Laos; Ms. Marieke Charlet, representative of the Agence universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF) in Laos; Mrs. Palom Soydala, owner of Nonkho Market; Mr. Serge Doussantousse, Director of the NGO Green Vientiane; local village authorities; and project participants.
Funded by the Canadian Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI) and led by AUF, this project receives additional support from the Green Vientiane organization, Nonkho Market, and filmmaker Kiyé Simon Luang. The initiative aims to reduce plastic bag distribution at markets, suggesting that saleswomen may increase their revenue by limiting plastic bag use, while raising customer awareness of the impact of single-use plastic.
Laos faces significant challenges from plastic pollution. A 2008 study found that Vientiane’s 600,000 residents used approximately 144 million plastic bags annually — a number that has since risen to over a billion. A 2020 World Bank study across six Lao cities indicated that 95% of plastic pollution comes from just 10 single-use plastic items.
To address these issues, the project will conduct activities in three areas:
1. Market Vendor Training: Teaching vendors to manage profitable, eco-friendly businesses that reduce plastic bag distribution.
2. Student Engagement: Training students from UNL and USS in video production, allowing them to create documentaries on pressing issues like plastic pollution.
3. Public Awareness Campaigns: Using traditional music performances and posters within the market to promote eco-conscious behavior among customers, blending entertainment with environmental education.
Through these activities, the REAVMEE project hopes to drive meaningful behavioral change and reduce the environmental toll of plastic in Laos.
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