This project will provide micro-business development support for elderly people, by facilitating collaboration with youths from rural and urban areas.

The project team intends to harvest the enormous potential of existing traditional processing (agriculture products) and crafts techniques/skills of elderly men and women in Laos, to meet current market demands by modernizing the way their products are developed and marketed. To do this, youths that are passionate about financial management, product development or marketing, are matched with the skillful elderly to become intergenerational business teams. Youths, particularly from indigenous communities, who are interested in learning traditional processes and skills, may also be matched with elderly mentors in a mutually beneficial exchange between generations.

Technology and market trends are changing at all levels of production, processing, design, packaging, transportation, trading, communication, marketing, and even payment systems. The elderly are usually left out of these modernization processes, making them and their craft vulnerable. Furthermore, techniques, knowledge, and products that have traditionally generated income for entire communities are at risk of being lost forever if a new, passionate generation does not step in to take that learning into the modern world.

Therefore, the project aims to develop an economic empowerment platform for elderly people in ruralcommunities to generate income, while also building the capacity of youths in rural areas, especially of early married girls, on micro-business development in its three fundamental areas: (i) Marketing (ii) Product (iii) Finance Management. So, if on the one handproducts will be developed by elderly and youths together in rural communities, on the other, urban youths will support them with marketing, communication, and product design.

What is the change we want to see?

Short-term changes:
● Products from vulnerable elderly meet market demand and are distributed widely in the domestic market based on their business viability and not as charity products only.
● Vulnerable elderly have access to learning and market outlets to improve and sell their products to generate income towards financial stability.
● Vulnerable youth in rural areas have better entrepreneurship skills and access to traditional learning opportunities gained from the target elderly.
● The establishment of a new peer to peer platform for elderly and youths to interact, learn, and exchange.
● Increase awareness in Laos on the elderly as resourceful and innovative members of society who can generate employment opportunities for youths in rural and urban areas.

Long-term changes:
● There is a shift in perception by youths on the skills of the elderly, towards a renewed appreciation for traditional knowledge and its conservation as a cultural and economic asset for society.
● Local skills and knowledge are automatically conserved and renovated based on market trends
● A new approach to providing micro-business development support for the elderly is scaled/up and adapted for use in different contexts of society.

A persistent problem is the loss of local skills with the older generation while market demand for the product remains. We often hear statements like: “Grandpa could make new products, but he has passed away,” or “I am too old and can’t produce more,” or “I don’t know how to take pictures, use technology, look up information, or send products.”. 

We have partnered to run a business development project aimed at testing a new way of working to overcome challenges in promoting local skills and creating long-term careers or income for the elderly at the Dak Dae shop.  

From July 2022 to March 2024, we experimented with a new working model by fostering cooperation between the elderly group, the local youth group, and the urban youth group—a total of 117 people across three provinces: Luang Prabang, Khammouan, and Savannakhet. This collaboration aimed to overcome communication problems and enhance the products made by the elderly to meet current market demands. 

Therefore, we facilitated bringing urban youth with backgrounds in product development and basic training in market studies to the field, allowing them to collaborate with local elders and youth. This provided an opportunity to create a new product development plan together, utilizing the actual skills and resources of the community. Now, the problem of communicating with the elderly has been resolved, as local youth assist with online communication with the Dak Dae shop for ordering and delivering products. An elder remarked, “It’s more comfortable after the young people come to help because they’re faster.” 

We also introduced technology and equipment from urban areas into the new product development process. This experience taught us that: “Sometimes, an idea, information, or method that seems old and well-known to one group can be a new innovation or learning experience for another group.” For instance, the weaving group in Don Keo village, Luang Prabang province, transformed large-scale handicrafts into small-scale products. This approach helps reduce the use of locally limited bamboo and rattan by incorporating materials commonly found in the city to create jewelry and keychains. These products can now be sold to new customers, such as tourists. 

On the other hand, young people from urban areas have changed their perspective during the project, coming to see the value of local skills and understanding the reality of improving product designs using real skills and materials. They remarked, “I thought the model I drew would be practical, but the design is too fancy. they can’t produce it.” 

Organizing a market event where local youth and elderly groups were brought to Vientiane Capital to meet real customers helped change their ideas about market access for new products. It also built pride in the value of their skills and confirmed market demand for their products. Reflecting on the experience, producers shared their thoughts: “I am very happy that the product has been sold out since the first day. If we knew this, we would have made more products like this.” Another said, “I didn’t think our pineapple jam would sell so well. People praised our jam, said the box is beautiful, took my contact number, and promised to order more.” 

The main lesson learnt from the age-gap business development program is that change occurs when there is a factor of income and a sense of pride for the group entitled to benefit. This key factor drives enthusiasm and ownership, encouraging openness to new ideas and self-enhancing economic opportunities. Currently, the local youth and elderly groups continue to order additional production equipment on their own and sell the newly developed products to new customer groups. Therefore, Dak Dae Store will use this information to continue to develop Lao products to be more diverse together with the elderly and young people.