US second lady Jill Biden wraps up first White House visit to Laos

U.S. Second lady Jill Biden, wife of U.S. Vice President Joe Biden was set to conclude the first visit by a contemporary representative of the White House to the South-East Asian nation of Laos Wednesday.

Biden was welcomed by Lao Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Phankham Viphavan in the capital to discuss the country' s ongoing progress in the development of education and gender issues including a 27-million-U.S. dollar U.S. sponsored school meals program and related educational support programs Wednesday morning.

Biden was joined by U.S. Ambassador-at-large for Global Women's Issues Catherine Russell and Ambassador of the U.S. to Laos Daniel Clune.

The meeting followed Tuesday's visit to NGO Lao Disabled Women' s Development Center where a grant for 230,000 U.S. dollars was presented to help expand employment opportunities and help provide its all-female graduate trainees greater personal and economic autonomy.

Biden was set to visit a World Vision educational project and cultural preservation works in Luang Prabang, the country's World- Heritage-Listed ancient capital Wednesday afternoon.