This is the second post on a two-part series on HIV/AIDS in Vietnam. Our first post focused on the current HIV/AIDS situation in Vietnam. As the International AIDS conference in Washington D.C. rolls on, this second post will focus on the history and stigma associated with HIV/AIDS in the country.
Read More “What You Should Know About HIV/AIDS in Vietnam, Part 2”
Hey VNHELPers, will you be in Madison, Wisconsin anytime between now and September 30?
If you are, please stop by the Tamarack Studio & Gallery on Washington Avenue to see “Soul of Vietnam,” a photo exhibition by photographer, musician and aviator Lawrence D’Attillio. Lawrence has spent an extensive amount of time capturing Vietnam’s transition from a country recovering from war to a country entering the global economic and cultural landscape. Included in Lawrence’s exhibit will be photos he’s taken of various microfinance projects in Vietnam. Lawrence and the Elmsbrook Rotary Club were instrumental in getting the VNHELP microfinance program on its feet, so we’re thrilled he’ll be able to showcase the positive impact of microfinance on women’s live to a national audience.
Lawrence’s photo exhibition will begin a national museum tour in 2013, but will stay in Madison till the end of September. If you’re unable to make it to Wisconsin this time, cross your fingers and hope the exhibition will make a stop at a museum near you.
Best of luck to you and your photo exhibition Lawrence!
Here are some articles of interest for the second week of July.
How innovative is Vietnam? This is a simple question that can be difficult to answer.
On the one hand, Vietnamese people can be incredibly resourceful. How often do you see parts of a presumably out-of-commission truck strapped to an ox to create a new mobile contraption? (The efficiency of this invention, though, seems questionable.)
On the other hand, Vietnam has lax intellectual property right laws that end up promoting brand imitation rather than innovation. Case in point: Google-branded toilet paper. Probably not what the tech giant had in mind when it wanted to expand to new markets.
Here’s the second installment of our international development and Vietnam weekly news roundup. This week, we’ve combed through the internet to bring you articles on English teachers in Vietnam, civil conflicts, obesity, macroeconomics and foreign policy. Please check them out below.
A Prologue
Between July 22 – 27, researchers, policymakers, activists and people living with HIV/AIDS will convene at the 2012 International AIDS Conference in Washington D.C.
This is the first time in 22 years that the world’s largest HIV/AIDS conference will be held in the US. Although the conference hosted its 1985 inaugural meeting in the U.S. and two additional meetings in 1987 and 1990, a controversial decision to ban travelers with HIV/AIDS from entering the US sparked enough outrage that the conference had to be held outside of its first home for over two decades. The decision to return stateside only came after President Barack Obama’s 2009 pledge to remove travel restrictions on people living with HIV/AIDS, which came into effect early 2010.
The theme of this year’s conference is “Turning the Tide’s Together,” a recognition that the HIV/AIDS epidemic has reached a defining moment where new medical advancements could lead to large-scale prevention and treatment. The theme also reflects the cross-sector response needed to effectively stem the spread of the disease and the misconceptions associated with it. Governments, the private sector, NGOs and private individuals all have a role in reversing the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
As the conference date approaches, VNHELP will bring you a two-part post on HIV/AIDS in Vietnam. The first will be an overview of the current state of HIV/AIDS in Vietnam and what’s being done about it. The second part will take a closer look at the history of the disease in Vietnam.
Read More “What You Should Know About HIV/AIDS in Vietnam, Part 1”
Welcome to VNHELP’s new blog feature: a weekly news roundup of the latest events in Vietnam’s social and economic development. There is always a ton of stuff going on in Vietnam and in the international development world, and sometimes it can be hard to keep track of what the latest innovation in water technology is or why inflation in Vietnam is sinking or cresting. We’ve prepared the weekly round up to help you stay posted with interesting and informative articles around the web. The weekly round up is curated by our staff, with an emphasis on global news that directly and indirectly affects Vietnam.
Read More “The Weekly News Roundup: Vietnam and International Development News, Fourth Week of June”
Thanks to donors who go above and beyond the usual amount of support we request for the kids in our Sponsor A Child program, the Dieu Giac Orphanage’s staff were able to save up enough money to take the children for a summer trip to Vũng Tàu!
Vũng Tàu is famous for it’s beaches, and it’s about 130 kilometers (80 miles or so) away from Saigon, where the Dieu Giac Orphanage is located. Imagine how much fun it must have been for the kids. They shared with us a few snapshots, which we’ve put together below.
Seeing the kids smile so brightly really makes us feel like everything we do is worth it. What a way to open the weekend!
If you’re interested in becoming a sponsor, please feel free to contact us at VNHELP.
You’ve been asking and we’ve been keeping coy about it, but now we can final announce it: This year’s Mua Tho Cho Em concert will be on Sunday, October 7 in Northern California and Sunday, October 14 in Southern California! Headlining the show will be singers Thu Phuong, Ha Anh Tuan, and Quang Linh. More details after the jump.
Read More “Save the Date! The 18th Annual Mua Thu Cho Em Concert is Coming Up”
On June 19, the U.S. State Department released its findings for the 2012 Trafficking in Persons Report. Released annually, the Trafficking in Persons report provides a comprehensive understanding on the state of human trafficking–both sex and exploitative labor–throughout the world.
Human trafficking is often referred to as 21st century slavery. Presently, an estimated 27 million people around the world are victims of human trafficking. But overall, there seems to be progress. As more people become aware of the issue, more is being done by governments, international organizations, grassroot organizations and individuals to combat human trafficking. Compared to last year, 29 countries, including Vietnam, were upgraded on the Trafficking in Persons report’s tiered list.
