Friendship Village is a living, health, and educational center for children living with the
affects of dioxins from the herbicide “Agent Orange”. The Village provides as well health-
care and therapies for war-veterans staying for a period of 1 to 2 months. At the same time, the
Friendship Village is also a symbol of international solidarity, reconciliation, and the continued efforts to heal the pains of war caused by Agent Orange.
Founded in 1992 by George Mizo, an American veteran who was interested in helping to repair
the damage done to the Vietnamese people and to Vietnam-US relations by the war, the
Friendship Village’s main mission is to provide residents with a variety of alternative health
treatments, food grown in an on-site garden, and education in trades and crafts. The Friendship Village complex is composed of two living quarters, two classroom buildings, a health centre, and a few other buildings used by the staff for cooking and general administration. It also has an assortment of vegetable gardens that help to meet its need for vegetables.
Hanoï
Volunteers should be : open minded and flexible, patient, proactive and creative
The minimum duration is 2 weeks and the amount of the participation fee is 400€ for 2 weeks. Each additional week is 100€ more.
The Friendship is willing to work with volunteers with background and/ or solid experience in special education, childcare, teaching, physical therapy.
Tasks volunteers & interns could support such as:
- Sharing with the teachers about teaching methods.
- Help the teachers to structure their class, share with them about the improvement of each student, and update the students’ profiles.
- Support and develop the physical and speech therapy programs.
- Exchange with the staff about new medical therapies/treatments and/or special education
methods.
- Supporting and accompanying the children during the class (help them to focus, do the exercises with them, encourage them, etc.).
- Cleaning the classrooms/houses and support the staff with the house-works in general.
- Helping the teachers to prepare teaching material.
- Organizing games and activities in the movement class which suitable for the
children, based on their intellectual abilities, personal and social development.
- Teaching English for the staff/teachers and the residents.
Monday to Friday, working hours : Morning: 9:00 – 11:00
Afternoon: 14:00 – 16:00
Volunteers will stay in a shared house/apartment for the volunteers. They will share their meals and the food will be provided by the hosting organisation.
The project is over 6km away from accommodation (01 hour in total on foot and 02 buses). The volunteers will need to pay the local transportation by themselves.
Volunteers are free on week-ends wan they can travel and explore Vietnam alone or together with the other volunteers.
