Charities, NGO's & Humanitarian Agencies
Located or Assisting in Binh Thuan Province

Friends of Phan Thiet
P.O. Box 1076
Coventry RI 02827
email: Richardnguyen10@cox.net
contact: Holly Richard

The friends of Phan Thiet's main goal is to give necessary medical equipment - prosthesis, crutches, walkers, wheelchairs, xe lac (wheelchair - 3 wheels - looks similar to a go cart) and xe nam (reclining wheelchair for those unabe to sit. Agent Orange plays a huge factor here!). The hope is to give disabled people independence as well as help family members care for these people in a more comfortable manner. We have given these supplies to people in Phan Thiet as well as the surrounding area.

Last week I saw a 15 year girl carrying her 17 year old brother on her back, she had been doing it for 10 years and for the life of me I cannot figure out why no one purchased a wheelchair for her. She lives in Nha Trang - we ordered a xe nam and tomorrow my friend will ship it to her. I cannot get the image of this sweet child out of my head, we took her picture and she has a fantastic smile. She did not see the severity of her situation the same way I did. It is killing me.

As much tenderness and love that is given to the disabled people it has to be recognized that the problem also alters the life of the caretaker. Working and attending school is extremely difficult - it leads to begging and staying in the horrible cycle of poverty. The girl in Nha Trang does not attend school. The burden put upon the family is huge, imagine trying to care for someone in your family without the most basic medical equipment.

I hope in the future to be able to expand on what we are able to do, now - only a dream..

Orphanages
There are at least 2 orphanages in the province. More Information

Red Cross Society, Vietnam
Binh Thuan Red Cross
30-32 Ly Thuong Kiet, Phan Thiet
Phone: 062818550
Website: www.vnrc.org.vn

The Red Cross assists local communities on several levels, including training and education in disaster preparedness due to climate change; first aid and first aid training; assistance of agent orange victims; providing wheel chairs to the disabled; providing scholarships; and funding "mercy houses."

Save the Children, Australia
Level 3, 20 Council Street
HAWTHORN EAST VIC 3123
(PO Box 273, CAMBERWELL VIC 3124)
Phone: +61 3 9811 4999
Website: www.savethechildren.org.au
An active office is also located in Phan Thiet.

Exerpt from their website: "Save the Children Australia has been working closely with the Provincial Education Department in the Binh Thuan province, located in Vietnam's south, since 1995 to improve the quality of education."

"The AusAID funded project trains primary teachers in activity based, child-centered learning methodologies as opposed to traditional teacher-centred learning with a resultant change in students' attitudes and an increase in their confidence, enthusiasm, interest and learning."

"Teams of teacher trainers run workshops for primary school teachers in 42 schools across all eight districts of the province. Through workshops and child-centred training method promotion, more than 20,000 children are benefiting from this new way of learning." More Information

Socio-Economic Development Center for Coastal Areas (SEDEC) of Binh Thuan Province
Km 18, Ham Tien
Phan Thiet
Tel: + 84 – 62 – 847313/4
website sedec.onestop.net
and see sedec.f2g.net

SEDEC was established in 1997 as a local, non-governmental organization. SEDEC’s main aim is to reduce poverty among the rural population in Binh Thuan province. The project is aimed at supporting marginalized farmers of three communes to empower themselves to make optimum use of available physical, material and technical resources for socio-economic development in a manner that is environmentally sustainable and gender sensitive.The project concentrates on community development activities in the 3 mountainous communes of Ham Thuan Bac Distric (NW of Mui Ne and Phan Thiet) through diversified sustainable agriculture; appropriate knowledge and technology in agricultural production; women’s capacity building and their role in economic development; and credit for women and poor farmers.

SEDEC seeks to stimulate self-initiative and active participation in development processes among project participants through education and consultation. On the grounds of three SEDEC-owned centers in the province, SEDEC staff and short-term experts hold seminars, training, information, and consultation sessions.

Past Projects:

• Grape nursery. In 1998, SEDEC started to operate a grape nursery. In the initial stages, several types of grapes were researched for best suitability to the local climatic conditions. New varieties have been cultivated by a growing number of project households. As a result of the new varieties’ cultivation, income for the farmers has increased 2.5 times and about 6,000 project households will benefit.
• Prawn nursery. In 2001, SEDEC’s prawn hatchery began operation. Prawn larvae are produced and grown to a juvenile state. The juvenile prawns are sold to project households and then raised to adulthood. The cultivation of freshwater giant prawns constitutes a singular opportunity for many since the majority of the prawn ponds were built on otherwise low-yield rice fields.
• Micro enterprises. SEDEC’s pig project is an example for the Center’s activities in its focus area of micro enterprises. Initiated in 2001, SEDEC provided technical training and a small number of lean-breed pigs. The aim was to crossbreed those pigs with sows already owned by project households and to thus increase the profitability of pig breeding for the farmers. With little initial investment for the farmers, the results have been very satisfying.

Thien Chi (Good Will)
with Vietnam Plus & Mekong Plus
317 Bui Thi Xuan
Phuong Xuan An, Phan Thiet City
Binh Thuan Province, Vietnam
Phone: (84) (062) 839 147
Website: www.thienchi.org

Thien Chi works for community development in the poorest rural areas of Binh Thuan Province. Specifically, Thien Chi has programs West of Mui Ne in Duc Linh Distric and Thanh Linh Distric (location of Nui Ong Nature Reserve) and neighboring Long My in Hau Giang Province. Emphasis is on job creation and raising the living standards for the poor through community programs with a high level of local and government participation, and sustainability. Programs include loans to develop home businesses; agriculture and livestock assistance; marketing assistance; building libraries; healthcare and education; educational theater; computer training; and cleaning up the local environment. Specifically, Thien Chi has built roads in poor communities; created waste-recycling programs; developed a quilting program; and assisted with numerous agriculture and livestock programs for local families. See their video We Want to Work.

The Village School Foundation
PO Box 3086
Champaign, Illinois 61826
Phone: 217 386-2541
Website: www.vsfoundation.com

The Village School Foundation was formed in the fall of 2002. The Village School Foundation creates educational opportunities for poor families in Viet Nam by constructing new schools, providing tuition grants to underprivileged children and so much more. The Village School Foundation is committed to helping children realize their dreams and improve their quality of life. By ensuring education for the youth of Viet Nam, they assist in eliminating the cycle of hunger, illiteracy and homelessness – instead allowing children to have a chance to provide better lives for themselves, their families, and their communities. A volunteer team will be building another school this summer in Phan Thiet.

World Vision
4th Floor HEAC Building
14-16 Ham Long Street
Hanoi, Vietnam
phone: 844-9439920
website: www.worldvision.org.vn

World Vision operates in Bac Binh District (NE of Mui Ne), which encompases the White Sand Dunes and Kalon Song Mao Nature Reserve. From their website: "Bac Binh ADP is an integrated, long-term program working closely with local partners to directly support more than 35,994 people combat the effects of poverty and improve their standard of living. Interventions focusing on agriculture, income generation, education, health-care, childcare and protection, economic assistance and capacity building are tailored specifically to the communities needs. This holistic approach encourages community participation and ownership, builds a firm foundation for the program’s sustainability and addresses the root causes of poverty." More information.

Adendum

We do not monitor or regulate the organizations listed here. We have provided the information here as a free service and make no guarantee to its acuracy. If you wish to assist or donate funds to any of these organizations, you should contact them directly and personally verify their credibility.

If your organization currently operates or assists within Binh Thuan Province, please contact us for a free listing.

The Ngoc Center lists World Wildlife Fund as once having projects in Binh Thuan Province, but we have been unable to confirm this. Save The Children Sweden contributes funding to the Save The Children Australia project. The Catalyst Foundation had projects in Binh Thuan as recent as 2002, but is now involved in other areas of Vietnam. Their Book, "When You Were Born in Vietnam" includes photos and references to Phan Thiet and the orphanage in Ham Tan. In 2005 The Adoption Center was raising funds for the Ham Tan orphanage but we have not yet been able to confirm their continued/current involvement. UNESCO, the Italian Ministry for the Environment and Territory, and Jakarta ICSU (International Council for Science) are currently conducting an artificial aquifer recharge project in Bac Binh District.