Per the popular demand for an elegant evening with dinner and dance, VNHelp once again offers KIND Gala to our supporters and friends. Please mark your calendar. See photos of the last year KIND Gala here .

Six orphanages in Saigon, Dong Nai, Can Tho, and Kontum continue to receive support from VNHelp. Among 450 children living in these orphanages, VNHelp was able to find sponsors for 224 children. Four health clinics funded by VNHelp effectively serve patients every day (Lien Minh Clinic in Nam Dinh, Chan Ly Clinic in Ha Nam, Phu Thuong Clinic in Da Nang, and Song Nguyen Clinic in Dong Nai). The VNHelp’s Cafeteria at the Vocational College in Kien Giang subsidizes daily lunch for 300 low-income students. Clean water systems built by VNHelp in various cities operate well to produce safe water for 50,000 villagers. Over 10,000 kindergartners and elementary school students happily go to 49 schools built by VNHelp. The Housing for the Poor Program gained new sponsors in 2016 who funded the construction of three new houses for extremely poor families with children and elders.

 

Nghia Dong Kindergarten – Nam Dinh Province                     Students’ Cafeteria – Kien Giang Province

New Water System – Thanh Hoa Province 

 

The house of Mr. Nguyen Van Viet before and after VNHelp’s construction 

New Equipment to Chan Ly Health Clinic – Ha Nam Province

VNHELP would like to thank all the volunteers, individuals, businesses and corporations who contributed to KIND Gala in November 2016. This Black Tie Benefit Night was also VNHelp’s 25th Anniversary. We especially acknowledge the generosity of the following sponsors:

$10,000

Thinh Tran – The Tran’s Family Charity Foundation (Saratoga, CA)

$5,000

A.C.C., Inc.  (Milpitas, CA)

Kim Le – A2Q2 (Redwood City, CA)

Van-Hanh Nguyen, CPA  (Oakland, CA)

$3,000

Huong Le – Lee’s Laundromat (Hayward, CA)

Kim Phuong Tran  (Saratoga, CA)

Suzanna Lam, CPA – Transamerica Financial (Sunnyvale, CA)

$2,500

Chieu Le & Yen Le – Lee’s Sandwiches (San Jose, CA)

David Behring – Wheelchair Foundation (Danville, CA)

Trinh & Tam Nguyen, Phuong Pham (San Francisco, CA)

$2,000 Bánh Cuốn Tây Hồ (San Jose, CA)

Julien Nguyen (Saratoga, CA)

Thanh K. Tran (Saratoga, CA)

$1,000

Annie Le – Lee’s Sandwiches Mc Kee (San Jose, CA)

Jill Nguyen (San Francisco, CA)

Marie Le  –  Fresh & Natural, Inc. (Milpitas, CA)

Toan Tran – Adaptive Digital Power (San Jose, CA)

Cake Sponsor  

Viet Ngo – Silicon Valley Elite Mfg. (Santa Clara, CA)

Dessert Sponsor  

Rong Biển Restaurant (San Jose, CA)

Cheese Sponsor  

Milk Pail Market (Mt. View, CA)

Merchandise for Sale  

Thanh Tin Jewelry, TuongAnh Nguyen (San Jose, CA)

Wine Sponsor  

Oanh & Duc Le (San Jose, CA)

 

“Mùa Thu Cho Em” is back! This year the VNHelp’s annual concert will take place on Saturday September 23rd in Santa Clara, CA, and Saturday September 30th in Fountain Valley, CA. Please mark your calendar. VNHelp begins to accept sponsorship for the concerts now, please contact us if you would like to become a sponsor (VNHelp: 408-586-8100 or concert@vnhelp.org). Tickets will be available for sale in July. Please stay tune for more details.

With the purpose of helping the poor in Vietnam overcome hardship and become financially independent, in the past ten years VNHelp has been partnering with the Center for Women and Community Development (CWCD) in Vinh Phuc Province to lend money to women for starting a new business or scaling existing ones. The program has succeeded greatly with 100% capital returned. These women not only earn extra income but also improve their role in the family as well as in the society. In 2015, VNHelp ran a pilot program for a new initiative – Lending money to farmers to plant Gấc trees – based on the following potential benefits:

– Jobs will be created and local economy can be improved with an inexpensive capital investment. Farmers can maximize the use of their land to grow Gấc trees such as the front yard and the narrow areas around their house.

– Gấc fruits are high in vitamin and nutrition, and they have great export potential. Gấc trees continue to yield fruits in the span of 10 to 20 years.

The initial investment involves buying seedlings, building the supporting trellis, and setting up the sprinkle and drainage system. From the second year on, the plants are mature so they yield more fruits and the cost will reduce significantly to mainly the cost of fertilizers and labor.

After the successful trial program in 2015, we officially launched the program in 2016 with 52 selected farmer households in 3 villages: Dao Tu, Hop Hoa, and Duy Phien of Tam Duong District, Vinh Phuc Province. We provided training in soil preparation, planting, building trellis, and setting up sprinkler and dripping irrigation systems, etc. We also organized field trips to a large scale Gấc plantation in Bac Giang so the participants can learn directly from experienced farmers. VNHelp provided 1,000 seedlings and technical support to the participants. We also contributed 30% of the investment capital and lent the rest (70%) to the farmers.

Each Gấc crop takes around a year. Seedlings are planted in February or March and will yield fruits in October or November. After fruits are harvested, branches are trimmed and pruned. The roots are cared for and trees will grow again in the next crop season. In 2016, the farmers had a very good harvest and easily sold Gấc fruits in the local markets. Therefore, they were elated and very motivated; they wished to expand their farm to larger scale in order to generate more income. As for the future of this program, VNHelp will continue to assist the participating farmers as well as to recruit more farmers to the program. We hope with our financial and technical assistance the farmers will be able to produce a variety of Gấc products for export such as dried Gac fruit, Gac powder, Gac oil, and frozen Gac, which have high market value. VNHelp has a plan to connect the farmers to buying vendors.

As the program is entering its second year, we wish to thank the Center for Encouragement and Self Reliance (CESR) for co-funding the program in 2016. We earnestly call upon our donors and friends to provide financial support for this Gac program to increase its impact on the local economy and the lives of the hard-working farmers.

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Dự Án Trồng Gấc

Với chủ trương giúp người nghèo tại Việt Nam vượt khó và có thể tự lập về kinh tế, trong 10 năm qua VNHelp đã cùng hợp tác với Trung tâm Vì Phụ nữ  và Phát triển Cộng đồng (CWCD) thực hiện chương trình cho phụ nữ nông thôn vay vốn làm ăn tại tỉnh Vĩnh Phúc. Chương trình đã rất thành công, 100% vốn cho vay luôn được thu hồi đầy đủ.  Các phụ nữ không những có thêm nguồn thu nhập cho gia đình mà vai trò người phụ nữ cũng được nâng cao trong gia đình và xã hội. Chúng tôi bắt đầu xây dựng ý tưởng về dự án trồng Gấc từ năm 2015, bắt nguồn từ những lợi ích thiết thực sau đây:

– Tạo việc làm, phát triển kinh tế cho các hộ gia đình nghèo tại nông thôn.  Các hộ có thể sử dụng được tối đa đất vườn để trồng Gấc như những khoảng sân trống trước nhà hoặc những dải đất hẹp xung quanh nhà, vừa cho thu hoạch quả vừa làm bóng mát quanh nhà.

– Quả Gấc mang tính dược liệu quý, chứa nhiều dinh dưỡng cho sức khỏe con người do đó nó có giá trị kinh tế cao và có thị trường xuất khẩu rộng.

– Một gốc Gấc có thể cho ra quả từ 10 đến 20 năm.  Chỉ mất chi phí đầu tư ban đầu cho việc mua cây giống, làm giàn và lắp đặt hệ thống tưới nước. Từ năm thứ 2 trở đi cây sẽ cho năng suất quả cao hơn, nhưng với chi phí lại thấp hơn nhiều, chủ yếu  là chi phí về phân bón và công chăm sóc.

Sau dự án thử nghiệm 2015, dự án trồng Gấc được chính thức thực hiện vào năm 2016 với 52 hộ nông dân được chọn từ 3 xã Đạo Tú, Hợp Hòa, Duy Phiên, huyện Tam Dương, tỉnh Vĩnh Phúc. Các thành viên tham gia được dự các buổi tập huấn và đi tham quan công trường trồng gấc quy mô tại Bắc Giang để nhìn thấy tận mắt và học hỏi trực tiếp. VNHelp đã tài trợ 1.000 cây giống tốt, hỗ trợ và tư vấn các thành viên từ các khâu làm giàn, tưới nước, phân bón, chăm sóc phòng tránh sâu bệnh, cho đến khâu cuối là hỗ trợ kết nối thành viên với thị trường tiêu thụ sản phẩm. VNHelp hỗ trợ 30% vốn dựng giàn và cho vay 70%.

Quá trình trồng gấc trên dưới 1 năm. Cây giống được trồng trong khoảng tháng 2, 3 và ra quả khoảng  tháng 10, 11. Sau khi hái quả, nhánh cây được chặt tỉa, gốc được tiếp tục chăm sóc và sẽ lại ra hoa kết trái trong mùa sau. Trong mùa vụ 2016, các thành viên đã hái gấc đem bán ngay tại địa phương. Với số lượng gấc trong đợt vụ đầu tiên này, việc tiêu thụ gấc tươi  ngay tại địa phương rất dễ dàng. Do đó các hộ nông dân rất phấn khởi và ao ước được mở rộng đất canh tác trong đợt trồng gấc 2017 với hy vọng dự án sẽ quy mô hơn, mùa vụ sẽ lớn hơn để có đủ Gấc chế biến ra các sản phẩm Gấc có giá trị xuất khẩu cao vào các thị trường tại Châu Âu, Mỹ, Nhật, Hàn Quốc, v.v. Các sản phẩm gồm thịt màng gấc sấy khô, bột gấc sấy khô, dầu gấc, bột gấc tươi đông lạnh, v.v.

Với triển vọng tốt đẹp của dự án, VNHelp sẽ tiếp tục tài trợ dự án để nhân rộng mô hình trồng Gấc đến nhiều hộ gia đình và tăng số lượng cây Gấc cho mỗi gia đình.  Chúng tôi trân trọng cám ơn Quỹ Center for Encouragement and Self-Reliance (CESR) đã đồng tài trợ dự án trồng Gấc năm 2016. VNHelp tha thiết kêu gọi các mạnh thường quân và thân hưũ hỗ trợ tài chính để phát triển dự án trồng Gấc 2017 và các năm kế tiếp.

The letter below is written in English by Nghi Nguyen, a scholarship recipient. VNHelp recognizes many English errors in the writing, but we intentionally leave it as is to show readers the student’s effort in learning and practicing English, which should be encouraged. We hope you understand its true meaning.

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Jim Orton and To Nga Orton!

I’m very glad when receiving your help. It is a great money and meaningful gift to me. This will help me to solve difficulties in my life and studying. I will use it to cure my illness and pay for tuition fee to reduce the burden for my family. There are five members in my family. My grandfather is over 80 years old, my parents work as gardeners with low income, my brother is sophomore studying Nursing at Ben Tre College. My major is biomedical engineering, I studying this major because I’m interested in engineering and electronics, especially in medical field. Besides, there is a private reason is that I want to invent the equipment which can treat my eyes cancer. I’m really grateful for your help. This is a strong motivation helping me strive for mastery myself in life. I have reached a cumulative score of 6.66 for the past semester. The score not higher than the efforts and goals which were proposed but I did not feel disappointed because of what I learned very valuable and helpful in my knowledge, and in this semester, my determination and effort must be performed more and more strongly to get a high score and learn more new and wide knowledge. I will try my best to make my dream come true to reciprocate your kindness. I wish you good health and success in life.

Love!

Nghi

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Chú Jim và cô Tố Nga mến,

Em rất vui mừng nhận được sự giúp đỡ của chú và cô. Đây là một số tiền lớn và rất có ý nghĩa đối với em vì nó giúp em giải quyết những khó khăn trong cuộc sống và học tập. Em sẽ dùng nó để chữa bệnh mắt của mình và đóng tiền học phí nhằm làm giảm bớt gánh nặng cho gia đình. Gia đình em gồm năm người. Ông em đã ngoài 80. Ba mẹ em làm nghề chăm sóc vườn tược, lương thấp. Còn em trai em hiện đang học y tá tại Bến Tre. Em đang theo học ngành kỹ thuật y sinh. Em muốn trở thành một kỹ sư y sinh giỏi sau này vì ngoài ý thích ra em mong rằng mình sẽ có những phát minh mới có thể chữa bệnh ung thư mắt của chính mình. Em chân thành cảm ơn chú và cô! Sự giúp đỡ của chú và cô là một động lực lớn giúp em phấn đấu trong cuộc sống. Khóa học vừa qua em đạt được điểm trung bình 6.66. Tuy điểm không cao nhưng em cũng không nản lòng vì em học được nhiều kiến thức quý giá trong mùa này. Em tin rằng lòng quyết tâm và sự cố gắng sẽ giúp em đạt được điểm tốt hơn và sẽ học được nhiều kiến thức mới và rộng hơn. Em sẽ cố gắng hết khả năng mình để thực hiện được ước mơ và đền đáp lòng tốt của cô chú. Kính chúc chú và cô được dồi dào sức khỏe và thành công trong cuộc sống.

Kính mến,

Nguyễn Hữu Nghi

(Translated to Vietnamese by LeVan Tran)

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Dear Mrs. BichTien,

My name is Nguyễn Thị Lai. I’m a student at Sai Gon University of Engineering. I major in Printing Technology, Department of Printing and Communication. I just recently received your scholarship. I would like to express my deepest gratitude for your support. Currently my dad has Schizophrenia Disorder, and my mom has poor health with low blood pressure. My family faces financial difficulties and other hardships. My GPA in the last semester was 7.13/10; it was not as high as I expected. I did well with most subjects, except one and I failed it. I am telling you honestly about my studying result. I hope you are not upset about the failed course. I will try my best in the next semester. In order to retake the failed course, I will work a part time job to pay for it because it was my fault when I failed the class. I promise I will try my best for myself, my family and for you who support me. I hope to meet you in person in the future. Once again, thanks so much for your support. Sincerely yours, Nguyễn Thị Lai

(Translated to English by Ngọt Hoàng)

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Em chào cô Bich Tien,

Em tên Nguyễn Thị Lai, là sinh viên của trường Đại học Sư Phạm Kỹ Thuật Sài Gòn, học ngành Công Nghệ In thuộc Khoa In và Truyền Thông của trường. Em vừa mới nhận được học bổng từ VNHelp do cô bảo trợ. Em rất cảm ơn cô đã tài trợ học bổng cho nhiều sinh viên khó khăn và học tốt. Hiện nay ba em vẫn còn mắc bệnh chưa khỏi (bệnh tâm thần phân liệt thể không biệt định), mẹ thì hay đau ốm,hay bị tụt huyết áp, nên nhà em còn nhiều khó khăn. Học kỳ vừa qua, em đạt điểm trung bình 7.13, nó không được cao như em mong muốn. Các môn học của em vẫn ổn, nhưng có 1 môn duy nhất bị thấp điểm và rớt (em nói thật, cô đừng buồn). Em sẽ cố gắng để học kỳ sau được tốt hơn. Phần học phí môn em rớt sẽ do em tự đi làm để trả vì đó là lỗi của em. Em sẽ gắng học vì gia đình, vì em và những người đã giúp đỡ em. Em chỉ biết nói như vậy. Hy vọng em sẽ gặp cô trong một tương lai không xa. Một lần nữa em xin cảm ơn cô.

Nguyễn Thị Lai

PRESS RELEASE

VNHelp, Milpitas CA:  In Februrary 2017, VNHelp received a gift of over $115,000 from family and friends of the late Mrs. Cuong Thi Phan of Oakland, California. Mrs. Phan passed away on February 9. She was 92 years old and survived by 10 children, their spouses, 24 grandchildren, and 13 great grandchildren.  She was preceded in death by her eldest son and a daughter. According to the wish of Mrs. Phan, her family requested donations to be made to VNHelp or IRCC/Viet Museum in San Jose to commemorate her life.  As the result, donors have contributed over $115,000 to VNHelp and $101,000 to IRCC/VietMuseum.

VNHelp has received in memoriam donations in the past, but never this large. The donations were welcomed gifts to the receiving charities and a great surprise to the family, including Mrs. Phan’s daughter Thu Anh Do, VNHelp’s Executive Director.  “My entire family was surprised and tremendously moved by the outpouring of love from our friends and community. We especially thank Mr. De Huynh and Mrs. Chanh Que On, our family friends who donated $200,000 in memory of our Mother.  We are very pleased to be able to direct this gift to the charities of my mother’s choice,” said Ms. Do.

An immigrant from Vietnam who survived decades of war and hardship, Mrs. Phan arrived in the U.S. in 1991.  After the Vietnam war ended in 1975, her husband spent ten years in a reeducation camp. During this period, Mrs. Phan dedicatedly supported her husband and twelve children through the difficult times and separation until the family reunited in the USA. Family members recalled that she led a frugal but generous life, preferring to give what she had for others, particularly those in need. Mrs. Phan promoted charity work throughout her life and encouraged her children to do the same. “My mother is a true role model for me in her commitment to charity.  The donations  are a wonderful    way to honor her kindness,” said Ms. Do. She hopes that the gifts demonstrate the power of giving when a community comes together to celebrate the life of a loved one.

VNHelp is non-profit that assists disadvantaged people in Vietnam to achieve self-sufficiency through sustainable solutions in the areas of education, health, children and economic development.  The organization is based in Milpitas with branches in Vietnam. Contact VNHelp at: (408) 586-8100, thu@vnhelp.org

We recently visited three families who received a new house from VNHelp in October 2016. The house construction was sponsored by Mr. Huong Le (Lee’s Laundromat) and Mrs. Mai Ngoc Ly, both live in San Jose. These “poorest of the poor” families in Kien Giang Province used to live in a dilapidated thatch house which could collapse anytime. Please find below some photos of the three houses before and after construction and a video of a beneficiary.

Unsafe housing condition is a common problem for the poor in the country side of Vietnam. Each new house as you see in the photos cost about $2,000. Whenever VNHelp can find a sponsor, we will build a house for a family. In order to qualify for our housing program, the applicants must be from poor families with children or elders. In 2015, we built five houses by the sponsorship of Mr. Mike Fulton, San Jose.

Vietnamese people are saying goodbye to the Monkey and welcome Year of the Rooster, which will begin on January 28. In Year of the Monkey VNHelp exceeded our goals and expanded our services to the needy thanks for your generosity and commitment. May Year of the Rooster bring you abundance of joy and prosperity.

Dear Friends,

As we say farewell to 2016, we are sending you one more message on the last working day of this wonderful year. Thank you for your support in the past year that made our programs possible. Together, we have made lives better for many thousands people in Vietnam. And once again, thank you for accompanying us on the 25-year journey to provide humanitarian and development assistance to Vietnam (1991-2016).

We invite you to view the highlights of our achievements and to meet some of our beneficiaries in a 9 minute video, please click on this link.

It’s not too late to make your 2016 donation today. Every dollar you give will go a long way to help those in need.

Happy New Year!

Sincerely,

Thu Anh Do
President & Executive Director

VNHelp (Milpitas, CA) and Compassionate Service Society (Garden Grove, CA) co-funded a disaster relief trip to Ha Tinh, Phu Yen and Quang Binh Provinces in Vietnam from the 3rd to the 6th November, 2016. Combining with the contributions from other sponsors in Vietnam through Thien Tam Red Cross (Saigon), we handed 2,000 gift packages to the victims of these flood-damaged provinces. Each gift package includes a blanket, a jacket, clothes, note books, pens, instant noodles, milk, medicines, and cash. We focused on helping students return to schools. Providing direct assistance to people affected by natural disasters has been a VNHelp’s yearly activity. We are dedicated to helping the survivals rebuild their lives after the disaster.

 

Every year, disastrous hurricanes hit central Vietnam and it costs so many lives and properties. This October, it is reported that 42 people were killed, 30,000 houses were flooded, 1,598 hectares of agricultural land became useless, 60,000 students had to stay at home. People’ lives and livelihood were devastated by the event.

In the last two weeks, many people called VNHelp and expressed their willingness to help the flood victims. While many organizations quickly provided immediate relief such as food and water to the victims, VNHelp plans to provide assistance to schools in the effected areas. In most of these schools, text books were destroyed, furniture was broken, and classrooms were damaged. Kids had to stay home. Our relief trip to Ha Tinh is planned for November 3rd to November 5th. We will directly hand school supplies (notebooks, textbooks,..), sweaters, and blankets to 2,000 students. And if budget allows, we will help repair some schools. VNHelp will be glad to accept your donation and hope to help the children return to school as soon as possible. Please make check payable to VNHelp, or you can make donation online at this link. http://www.vnhelp.org/donate/. Your contribution is 100% tax-deductible.

 

The Mua Thu Cho Em 22nd annual concert took place on September 17 in Santa Clara and on September 24 in Fountain Valley, CA. Both events were a complete success! VNHelp is thankful for the generous support from our sponsors and donors, the dedicated volunteers, and all the wonderful audience. Please view the list of the concert sponsors here, the photo album of the concert in Santa Clara here, and in Fountain Valley here.

“Vision For The Poor”, started in 2007, is one of VNHElp’s most successful initiatives. This program provides free cataract surgery for low-income people in Vietnam and has an almost immediate, very significant impact on their lives. With their sight restored, many of the program’s beneficiaries regain a sense of self-sufficiency. Elderly patients are less of a burden on their family and can even become fully independent, while younger patients can work towards new life goals again. Take a look at the video below to see how such a “Journey to regain vision” played out for 3 of our cataract patients (an English version will be available at a later date).

 

VNHelp aims for rapid growth in the next few years and is looking for talented individuals with a passion for public service. We currently have three openings for Communication & Public Relations Director (USA), Vietnam Program Development Director (VN), and Executive Assistant (USA). Salaries are negotiable depending on the experience of the candidates. We also welcome volunteers for the positions.

Position: Communication and Public Relations Director

JobDescription-PR Director

Position: Program Development Director

JobDescription-Program Director

Position: Executive Assistant

JobDescription-Executive Assistant

On Feb 24, VNHelp’s Executive Director, Thu Do, visited Vinh Phuc Province to check out the VNHelp’s micro-finance project in Hop Hoa Village, Tam Duong District. In the last five years, this project lends money to women who have a good investment plan and have demonstrated the ability to execute their plan to generate incomes. The loan amounts range from $100 to $500. During the visit, Thu Do met with a group of borrowers and listened to their stories. She also visited the candidates for the Trồng Gấc Program in An Hoa and Dao Tu villages. Trồng Gấc Program is planned to begin this Spring (March-April 2016) for the first harvest in October -November 2016.

            Discussing about Trồng Gấc Program                                          Handing money to the Loan Officer

           Meeting with micro-loan recipients                                   Group pictures with micro-loan recipients

 

For a person with a physical disability, Vietnam’s traffic is immobilizing. The lack of basic infrastructure can make commuting a daily struggle for those with disabilities, and public and private facilities have no accommodations for those who need it. We distribute free wheelchairs to disabled individuals so they can get their lives going. In 2014, VNHELP and ABS Foundation distributed wheelchairs to 20 disabled individuals in Hue Province and offered 3 months of vocational training in sewing, embroidery and carpentry. See photos here

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Last week, we reported on the wrap-up of our second cycle of vocational training. As we await the final results of the students’ job placements, we took time to review how the program is going and how we can improve it.

During these discussions, our volunteer project coordinators shared a story about one very special student named Truong Van Ni.

We’d like to share his inspiring story with you today too.

 

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During the course of participating in our Sponsor a Child program, many sponsors form a special bond to the children they support. Many even ask us if they can adopt the child, to give him or her a new life and formally make the child part of the family. VNHELP is not an adoption agency, so we can’t advise on the matter, but in recent years, we’ve often had to play the bearer of bad news. Since 2008, U.S.-Vietnam adoption has been banned due to allegations of baby-selling and kidnapping for profit following  U.S. investigations.

Yes, it pained us to think that there were people who could engage in a form of child trafficking for their own monetary gain. And it also pained us to see the crestfallen faces on sponsors when their hopes of forming or adding to their family was immediately quashed.

But now there may be some silver lining. According to the Associated Press, “Vietnam and the United States are close to an agreement allowing Americans to adopt Vietnamese children again.”

US Senators and adoption lobby groups have been urging the Vietnamese government to develop tighter regulations and monitoring of adoptions to avoid profiteering. Speaking from Hanoi, U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu, a Democrat from Louisiana, said, “The government of Vietnam seems to be willing to restart, and there are just some final details to be worked out with the government of the United States…We hope that it will be in the near future.”

It’s impossible to tell what “near future” actually means; it could be six months from now, a year, three years or later. But we will do our best to keep you updated.

Meanwhile, an agreement to resume adoptions between Vietnam and Ireland was signed in September last year, ending the adoption ban enacted in 2009.

Source: Associated Press (via ABC News)

 

Our latest newsletter is up and ready for your viewing! In it, we’ve compiled highlights of the work you helped us accomplish in the last year. Check it out in the viewer below:

 

Today, the U.S. Labor Department released its annual assessment on forced labor and child labor across the world. For Vietnam, the results are grim. Along with South Sudan and Suriname, Vietnam has been added to a list of 74 countries that have serious child labor issues.

According to the report, products that could likely involve child labor in Vietnam include bricks and garments. Garment production may also involve forced labor.

Nearly all of the Southeast Asian countries, including Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, are included on the list, although the number of products with the risk of child labor production ranges in number.

The report is released in the midst of increased discussions on human trafficking following President Barack Obama affirmation that he would help clamp down on trafficking at the UN summit on Tuesday. Evoking the harshest of terms, Obama said:

It is a debasement of our common humanity. It ought to concern every community, because it tears at our social fabric. It ought to concern every business, because it distorts markets. It ought to concern every nation, because it endangers public health and fuels violence and organized crime. I’m talking about the injustice, the outrage of human trafficking, which must be called by its true name – modern slavery.

 

 

As the new president of the World Bank, Dr. Jim Yong Kim has been asking, “What will it take?”

That is, what will it take to end poverty when 1.3 billion people are living on less than $1.25/day. As Dr. Kim notes in this new video released by the World Bank, that’s 1 our of every 5 people in this world barely scraping by.

Vietnam fares slightly better with 17% percent of the population (a little under 1 in every 5 people) living at $1.25/day, according to the latest World Bank figures available. But when you inch that number up to $2/day, the proportion of the population living in poverty is nearly half at 43%.

So we’re just as curious as Dr. Kim. What do you think it takes to end poverty? Will it be in collective action and people combining resources for a common good? Will it be private sector growth and new job openings? Is it a world where everyone is an entrepreneur? How does the environment fit into the equation? Is it a combination of everything?

Watch Dr. Kim’s video below after the jump.

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