Plan has approached the governments of Laos and Rwanda to ask for permission to begin working in their countries.

A formal application has already been submitted to the Laos government and a formal application will shortly be made to the Rwanda government.

The move would increase the number of developing countries that Plan works in to 48.

Improving children's lives

Plan has developed criteria to ensure we work where there is the greatest need and where we can have the greatest impact.

To determine need, Plan considers international development indicators such as infant and maternal mortality rates, the country's wealth, government stability and willingness to work in collaboration with us to improve children's lives.

Laos is one of the poorest countries in Asia. Some 80 per cent of the country's 2.5 million children live in poor rural communities, where issues include malnutrition, health, educational quality, limited primary school completion and low household income.

Rwanda still has major issues recovering from the 1994 genocide. Life expectancy is low and child mortality is the eleventh worst in the world. Some of the main issues facing the country's 3.9 million children are extremes of poverty, poor nutrition and HIV infection.

Knowledge and skills

Plan hopes to apply the knowledge and skills from our current programs in Vietnam and Cambodia to neighbouring Laos, and from Uganda to neighbouring Rwanda.

Plan International chief executive officer Tom Miller will be visiting Rwanda in October.