Nearly two hundred young students of Houay Hia Primary School in Xieng Nguen District have reason to celebrate. Beginning December 2008, they will be able to storm into new classrooms and use a fresh set of benches and tables.

On 5 December, a ceremony was held at the primary school to officially handover the facility from World Vision to Xieng Ngeun District Government and the Houay Hia community.

?We trust that this school will provide a good environment for children to learn in and for teachers to teach in,? said Mr. Somdy Douangphasit, Xieng Nguen District Governor during his keynote address.

Mr. Somdy continued to say that this new school is contributing to the Lao government?s plan of making education more accessible to the children of Lao PDR.

Construction of the school commenced in August 2008 and has taken about four months to complete. Houay Hia Primary School boasts five classrooms and will serve all primary grades 1-5. Toilet facilities were also constructed near the school.

?Not only is this a great new school with all of the advantages it offers the village, but equally, it is a wellspring of hope. It moves people one giant step toward building a better future for their children,? said Mr. Grant Power, World Vision Luang Prabang Team Leader at the ceremony.

Funding for the school was provided by World Vision Foundation of Thailand (WVFT) and the Executives for the Extraordinary (E4E), a group of corporate executives from companies such as Proctor & Gamble ad British Petroleum who banded together to help the less fortunate.

Eleven members of E4E even made the trek to Luang Prabang from all corners of the globe to help prepare the primary school for the handover ceremony. These dedicated volunteers worked alongside the community to put the finishing touches on the school by doing tasks such as painting, fencing, laying cement, and building the foundation for the school?s flagpole.

?Our thanks go to World Vision Laos, World Vision Thailand, the Xieng Ngeun District Government, Provincial and District Dignitaries, the Xieng Ngeun District Education Service, the Parent?s Association, the Teachers, the 6 year old to 10 year old Students and the Local Community who have helped E4E make this new Primary School Project extraordinarily successful - who have been with us this week and who are here today?We, E4E, are INSPIRED!,? said William Peace, Jr., the E4E Team Leader for the Houay Hia Primary School project during his remarks at the handover ceremony.

E4E has partnered with WVFT since 2003 to support numerous other education projects throughout South East Asia.