In our 10th year as a network, SUN CSA Laos organisations have directly helped over 2.2 million people in 18 provinces during 2024 to improve their nutrition relating to agriculture, climate change, health, education, WASH, gender, livelihoods, and governance. Together these civil society organisations are collectively implementing 110 nutrition projects in support of the National Plan of Action for Nutrition (NPAN) 2021-2025.
During 2024, SUN CSA Laos member organisations have conducted a record 101 joint activities through our SUN CSA network to promote nutrition (averaging eight per month), including 21 learning events, 50 coordination events and 30 advocacy events. This is 13% more joint activities than last year and 81% more than in 2021, making it the most active year by the network ever! Over the past 10 years we have conducted 500 activities together to promote improved nutrition across all sectors, while building a vibrant and impactful civil society network in Lao PDR.
Our joint advocacy campaigns have been particularly strong this year. We expanded our food security campaign to include climate change impacts, focusing on evidence-based research that highlights challenges and opportunities. We conducted a large SUN CSA Climate Change and Nutrition Conference in August 2024, which included 14 presentations and 109 participants. We also launched a Climate Change & Nutrition Resource page on our website, as well as a Nutrition Research & Evidence Portal, which are both regularly used by many members.
Our breastfeeding advocacy continued with increased awareness about the national Breastmilk Substitutes decree. We added more resources to our Breastfeeding resources webpage to centralise tools and information for practitioners. Through our workplace breastfeeding advocacy campaign there has been a 16% improvement in workplace breastfeeding policies and practices, a 21% increase in staff awareness of breastfeeding policies, and a 32% increase in breastfeeding at work. Our Workplace Breastfeeding Awards had 36 participating organisations in August 2024, an increase of 20%, including UN and businesses. We plan to involve even more workplaces in 2025.
SUN CSA member organisations are also conducting impactful advocacy relating to climate-smart agriculture innovations, nutrition research and increasing numbers of Open Defecation Free districts across Laos.
We have shared nutrition knowledge across the country to more people than ever before. Our website was visited 23,000 times this year and now has over 697 nutrition resources in our Lao Nutrition Resource Library, (490 in Lao, 440 in English), including 141new documents and 16 videos. We launched a Laos Nutrition Projects page that currently highlights resources from 4 projects and 5 advocacy campaigns. Our Facebook page reached over 390,000 people in Laos online during the past year with 180 posts (3 per week), including nutrition campaigns, activity updates, videos and information. In addition, our monthly newsletter is received by 500 stakeholders in Laos.
We want to thank our donors who supported us during this year – all 52 of you! We particularly want to thank our government donors from the European Union, USA, Australia, Germany, Switzerland, Canada, Luxemburg, Japan, Korea and Ireland, as well as multiple private donors and additionally, 15 of our organisation’s self-raised funds from the public. You have all contributed to this success and to the voice of civil society in Lao PDR.
We want to give a big thankyou to the Government of Lao PDR for their ongoing support and partnership, including the Ministries of Health, Agriculture and Forestry, Education and Sport, Labour and Social Welfare, Foreign Affairs, Home Affairs, Justice, Lao Women’s Union, Lao Youth Union and many others. Without their hard work and dedication, we could not have the same impacts.
Thanks also to the SUN CSA Management Committee and Secretariat for their work this year. Our collective efforts would be far less without their enthusiasm and support.
Together we have made a big difference this year. There is still much work to do, but at the closing of 2024, we want to thank everyone for their hard work and amazing results. Let’s keep sharing, learning and working for better nutrition across Laos in 2025!
Follow us on Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn and our website for sharing updates, skills and impacts over the coming year. Please also contact us via email if you need nutrition information or want to receive our regular email newsletter – info@suncsalaos.org.