LOGEZ

Three levels of assistance

Based on the documentations I gather about the stateless Vietnamese in Cambodia, I understand how dire their situation can be. In this case, I feel that they would need three levels of assistance:

1. 1. The humanity aspect with donations for basic sustenance, through associations such as the ViDan Foundation and many others listed in the last relief efforts.

2. 2. The political and diplomatic aspects through associations such as the MIRO, the NGOs, and others (UNESCO, UNICEF, WHO, RED CROSS...).

3. 3. The improvement of their everyday life aspect regarding cleanliness, safety, sustainability...

The first two aspects have been carrying out these last 8 years by ViDan Foundation and others. The MIRO is trying hard to provide schools for children and fights for legal documentation for the stateless Vietnamese.

I just wonder if anybody could reach out to high profile personality such as the actress Angelina Jolie since she is very much involved in charity work around the world including in Asia. In February of 2017, she and her six children went to Cambodia, in a region near Siem Reap for a movie premiere. The trip was mentioned in the link below: 

https://people.com/parents/angelina-jolie-kids-charity-trips-around-the-world/?slide=5848663#5848663

She may be interested in helping the Vietnamese of Tonle sap. I am not a politician but maybe somebody in ViDan Foundation could take care of this. Awareness will be key to helping these Vietnamese.

The third aspect listed above is more about having some graduate students or young investigators getting a grant to develop ideas on how to improve the living conditions of the villagers. The inventors could think about making a cheap device to filter water to drink, invent some cheap body lotions to help soothe the children with eczema or rashes, or using microbes to do bio-remediation...

These projects with grant money could hire local villagers to do some small tasks than pay them. It is hard to beg for money or food. If they feel that they get paid because of the work done, it is better for their pride.

Grants can be solicited via several organizations such as those listed below: https://www.unhcr.org/innovation/10-funding-resources-for-humanitarian-innovators-2/ https://www.elrha.org/what-we-fund/

(Humanitarian Innovation Fund)

This is what caught my eyes:

Humanitarian Innovation Fund

The Humanitarian Innovation Fund supports organizations and individuals to identify, nurture, and share innovative and scalable solutions to the challenges facing effective humanitarian assistance. The Humanitarian Innovation Fund supports core grants related to humanitarian aid. In addition to these core grants, they offer funding for themed initiatives focused on Water Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH) and Gender-Based Violence in emergency settings. You can view their current funded projects. here.

I am new to these charity efforts, and this is what I think about a long-term plan for the Vietnamese of Bien Ho. I understand the worries of Su Thay conveyed in “Nguoi an xin tu thien”, and I agree that it is very challenging to provide long-term helps since their situation is utterly hopeless and has been that way for so long.

 

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