Who We Are
LEAD Vietnam is a global initiative driven by young college students and professionals committed to bringing innovative ideas and cost-effective approaches to traditional methods of global development. Our goal is to serve the poor in Southeast Asia by providing health care but also investing in physical and human capital to lessen disparities. More importantly, we strive to be role models and facilitators to inspire the next generation of leaders in Vietnam’s most rural and poorest areas.
Our approach is focused on identifying areas of need with no history of outside support and incorporating a community-based approach to understand the history of the place we serve, build reciprocal and responsible relationships, and generate sustainable interventions that properly address the communities’ stated needs. Most, if not all, of our communities consist of majorly ethnic minority groups who we walk alongside with in solidarity.
Our current and future outline is to:
Construct basic infrastructure including water and sanitation systems to prevent further childhood infectious disease transmission and death
Provide short-term food and basic medications to address acute illness and malnutrition
Train local community health workers to assess needs and provide community-based workshops and health education
Provide scholarships and post-grad training/internships for students to become healthcare workers with the contingency that they return to their communities and help serve
Apply for licenses for the students to build and open pharmacies and run community health stations with the goal for community health workers and scholarship students to independently operate long-term
Develop telemedicine and data management systems to support health workers provide individual-based care
Gain 501(c)(3) status and transition to an independent financial structure
Using data-based approaches and prioritizing long-term outcomes, our key indicators will be to:
Decrease the reported rate of preventable illness and premature death especially in children
Increase the attendance and completion rate in secondary schools and college
Increase self-reported knowledge of health and hygiene at home
Increase patient coverage and data in health care services at both the local and broader levels.
As LEAD Vietnam is currently not a 501(c)(3)-designated organization, we work closely with established American-based NGOs to develop, fund our work, and manage finances. These organizations include Hand-In-Hand Missions, based in Dallas, Texas, Love2Yêu, based in Los Angeles, CA, and Hope for Tomorrow, based in Rockville, MD. Our work on the ground is done through volunteers with local Vietnamese partners such as Thiện Nguyện Ra Khơi, Caritas Vietnam, the Sisters of Charity, and the Camillian Order.
It is our hope through strong relationships, innovative technology, and a community-oriented approach to development that we can break the cycle of extreme poverty for society’s forgotten voices.