Friendship Foundation of American-Vietnamese, Inc. Project Description

1. How long has your project been in existence?
   11 years formally
2. How did it start?
   Luong Thi Gia Hoa Ryan, a woman from Viet Nam, returned to see her family in 1993 after they had been split for over twenty years because of the war and its aftermath. She was so shocked by what she saw, including in her own family, that she decided something had to be done to help the poor and the children of Viet Nam. She returned to the United States and spoke to a group of people from Northern Ohio in December 1993. She asked them to help to establish the Friendship Foundation of American-Vietnamese, Inc. The mission of the Foundation, she said, was "to build bridges of friendship between the people of Viet Nam and people of other countries." They agreed and the Friendship Foundation was born.
3. Is your project religious?
   We are not religious in terms of being connected to any formal religious group. We have had people of all faiths—and of no faith—join our Projects. We do think that spirituality is a very important part of volunteerism. Also the spiritual dimension is a very important part of the Vietnamese culture. In order to fully understand Vietnamese history and traditions, it is important that an individual appreciate this spiritual dimension and be open to its expressions in Viet Nam, such as weddings, funerals, pagodas, churches, the Cao Dai Temples, the Hoa Hao, the Buddhist places, the religions of the minority groups, and other spiritual parts of the culture.
4. What do you need volunteers to do? (It is important to have outlined duties for volunteers who come to your project).
   Each of our Projects has three phases:
   1. Preparation. We assist our participants before they travel to Viet Nam in learning about and appreciating Vietnamese history, culture, society, and traditions. Also our volunteers generally involve their friends, their work-place, their schools, their communities, and their neighborhoods in the Project. For example, JETs have collected (used but usable) school supplies, books, art materials, toys, clothing, and other items for Children in Viet Nam. They have also conducted fund-raisers for moneys that we use to help various charitable institutions in Viet Nam.
   2. Humanitarian Activities in Viet Nam, This can include various activities: teaching English in grade, high school, and colleges; teaching about other cultures; visiting and working with orphans; visiting hospitals, especially the children's wards; setting up a choir to sing at orphanages, senior citizen homes, homes for the handicapped and mentally retarded; visiting rural villages and meeting the people; distribution of foods to the poor, distribution of school supplies; distributing scholarships to good students from low-income families; assisting with Health Fair Days in rural areas including helping with the doctors as they examine and prescribe for patients; visiting women's groups and discussing their projects and how to help them; clothes distribution to children from poor families; and helping in local development projects.
   3. Activities after returning from Viet Nam: Our participants bring back to their schools, families, and communities all that they have experienced. They share their impressions as well as what they accomplished. All volunteers write articles on their experiences which are published by the Foundation. Participants can set up exhibits of what they have seen and done; give speeches; give interviews for local publications; continue to gather school supplies and other items for Viet Nam; write articles; set up "pen-pal" systems; and help with recruiting volunteers for the next Project in Viet Nam.
5. Have you ever had volunteers at your project?
   Yes, we have sponsored some 500 volunteer participants in the past ten years to join our Projects in Viet Nam.
6. Do you currently receive volunteers through a program (ex. Peace Corps, Etc.)?
   We recruit volunteers. They apply, generally on-line, and submit their resumes. They also respond to a questionnaire. All of these materials are reviewed by our Application's Committee which then selects the final participants for a particular project. Our Application Form is available on line at our website: www.ffavn.org
7. How many volunteers would you like and can handle at the same time?
   Our Projects have included from 14 to 42 volunteers on any one project. Usually we have between 20 and 30 volunteers. All volunteers have their own set of duties to help the Project succeed, for example, project coordinator; assistant coordinator; treasurer; recording secretary; Editors of Friendship Foundation journal; Supply Coordinators; and so on.
8. When could you receive your first volunteers?
   We are already recruiting for this year's Project which goes to Viet Nam on December 20th. See our website for full details and the application Forms.
9. What time of year (or year round) would you like volunteers?
   This Year's Project begins on December 20th. The Formal part lasts for approximately two weeks. The second part of the Project begins after January 1, 2005. This all is explained on our website.
10. How long would you like volunteers to stay?
    We will be in Viet Nam from about December 15, 2004, for at least five weeks until the middle of January, 2005. Many of our JET participants join us about December 20th. They then in January return to their schools and communities based upon their particular schedules.
11. How much would you like volunteers to donate to the project?
    Our website explains the funding. First, each individual is responsible for their own travel to and from Viet Nam. Second, during the formal part of the Project which lasts almost two weeks, participants pay $825 which covers all food, hotel accommodations, travel, interpreter and guide fees, in-country personnel who assist us, admission fees, tips, in-country administrative expenses, and other necessities. We should stress that our Staff from the United States, pay all of their own expenses. We, including staff and participants, are all volunteers. Third, participants as well as our Foundation often raise funds for the charitable work we do in Viet Nam. All funds raised go toward the charitable activities and the people of Viet Nam. We assist the participants in any fund-raising they choose to do. There is no requirement to raise any particular amount of funds. Similarly, the volunteers often gather up schools supplies, books, student materials, toys, clothes, and other items. Again there is no requirement to do this.
12. Would you accept a volunteer who cannot afford to donate or to donate the entire amount?
    No donations are required.
13. Would you provide the volunteer with simple food and accommodation?
    See above and our website.
14. Who can volunteer?
    Anyone. We have had senior citizens as well as students. One JET volunteer brought along three of her teenage minor students whose families consented to them participating. We have had people of some fifteen different nationalities who have joined our Projects.
15. How far in advance will a volunteer have to contact you before they can come and volunteer at your project?
    Because of travel concerns including obtaining airline reservations, we advise people to join the project as soon as they have made their choice. Most participants usually sign up in late August to early November for the December 20th starting date of the Project in Viet Nam.
16. Do you have any language requirements?
    No. Many of our participants speak some English, but we have had participants who spoke very little English. During the Project, participants do learn some Vietnamese.
17. Additional comments?
    If you think you may be interested in volunteer work in Viet Nam, go to our website, review what is there, and review what part participants have written about the Project. Let us know if you have any questions. Viet Nam is a very special place for our Staff and the Vietnamese people are wonderful, open-hearted, gracious, and hard-working. The goal of our Foundation is to "build bridges of friendship between the people of Viet Nam and people of other countries." We would like to invite you to meet us in Viet Nam and help us build these bridges.