SJ Vietnam in few words

The organization Solidarités Jeunesses Vietnam (SJ Vietnam) is a non-profit international youth volunteering organization in Hanoi, Vietnam. It is a small organization, set up for, and by young volunteers. In december 2007, 3207 young vietnamese volunters were official members of SJ Vietnam.Our volunteers are active in the organization as work camp leaders, project managers or as volunteer on our local projects.

The goals of SJ Vietnam are:
• Work towards a society of justice, peace and solidarity.
• Break cultural misunderstanding between peoples and nations.
• Improve local and global environment, provide non-formal education, reduce poverty and establish human rights.
• Encourage young people to participate actively in the society in which they live.

The SJ Vietnam slogan reads: "Tình nguyện để sẻ chia, học hỏi và trưởng thành", which can be translated as: "Volunteer for sharing, learning and being responsible". SJ Vietnam organizes short- and long-term work camps and projects, actions of social integration, training activities, international solidarity actions, and runs a small youth centre in Hanoi since 2006. All volunteers, both Vietnamese as well as international, are warmly welcomed to join and participate in the projects provided by SJV. Furthermore, Vietnamese volunteers are sent abroad to participate in volunteering projects by partner organizations all over the globe.

Our History

In December 2004, with the help of SJ France, NVDA and Un ETAI Pour Le Vietnam, SJ Vietnam was set up. The volunteering organization started as an informal cooperation between Miss. Do Thi Phuc of the Youth Volunteer Club and Mr Pierre De Hanscutter a Belgian UNV working for UNDP Vietnam. Since then, SJ has set up numerous workcamps mixing local and international volunteers to work together with the Vietnamese local communities. In June 2006, Ms. Do Thi Phuc has become official director of the organization SJ Vietnam and Mr Pierre De Hanscutter, official European representative. As of 2006, SJV is an official member of NDVA, and a full and active member of the Coordination Committee for the International Voluntary Service (CCVIS) at UNESCO. In January 2008, SJ Vietnam hosted the second NVDA meeting in Vietnam regrouping all the NVDA leaders in Asia and Europe. In 2008, 3207 young Vietnamese volunteers were official members of SJ Vietnam and around 360 youth international use to join our activities each year, becoming the biggest international workcamp organization in Vietnam.

Dec. 2004: - Informal set up in cooperation with Youth Volunteer Club (Miss Do Thi Phuc) and UNV (Mr Pierre De Hanscutter). First international workcamp in Vietnam on social activities in collaboration with United Nations and World 4 U (Russia).

July 2005: First Vietnamese workcamp volunteer goes abroad (Thailand) - First contact with the french student of ETAI.

August. 2005: - Inauguration of the SJ International Youth House, first international youth house of Hanoi. - 2nd International workcamp for poor children in Fisher Village. - Building of 15 water filters for the families living on the Red River with the support of “Un ETAI pour le Vietnam” - First vietnamese volunteers joining international workcamps in France and Belgium.

Sept 2005: - Presentation in Europe of SJ Vietnam to the workcamp network YAP in Spain.

Dec 2005: - first General Assembly of SJ - Participation to the ASEM meeting in China as youth organization. - Third workcamp for poor patients in hospital. - Free lunch for 300 children in the National Pediatric Hospital of Vietnam.

Jan 06: Miss Do Thi Phuc becomes the First paid staff in our Secretariat

Feb 06: SJV is official member of NVDA (http://www.nvda-asiapacific.org/)

March 06: -First Long Term Volunteer arrives from Canada. -SJ Viet Nam becomes full member of the Coordinating Committee for International Voluntary Service at UNESCO (http://www.unesco.org/ccivs/).

May 2006 : SJ Vietnam won two prices (20.000$) for two projects presented at the Innovation Day organized by the World Bank - Miss Tam became the First Vietnamese long term volunteer sent in France for 6 months - First workcamp leaders training with international trainers from IWO,NICE, IIWO, SJ,JAVVA.

June 06 : SJ Vietnam is invited as observant at the ASEF meeting “Networking Asian and European young volunteers” in Hanoi. Miss Do Thi Phuc becomes director of SJ Vietnam and Mr Pierre De Hanscutter, honorific president.

Summer 2006: - SJ vietnam launch an evening school for street children and the second international youth House in Long Bien district in Hanoi- 40 international workcamps organized and hosting 280 international volunteers - 6 International volunteers join SJV - First bilateral workcamp between SJV and IWO - Active collaboration on the field with the french students of ETAI.

Autumn 2006: Working visit of SJV staff to YAP-UK / UNA in Great Britain and SJ in France - Training for workcamp leaders - First internal general evaluation of SJV - SJV goes on Vietnamese TV. Staff working visit of ETAI in Toulouse, France.

Winter 2006: We welcome our new Staff Mrs Trieu Thi Thu Hoai - Official meeting between IWO Korea and SJV in Seoul - Participation to NDVA meeting in Korea - Second Christmas and New year workcamp.

February 2007: National Vietnamese TV came to record a small movie about SJV activities

March 2007: SJV participated to the CD meeting of YAP in London, UK.

Summer 2007: new workcamp season, 60 workcamps organized by SJV in Hanoi. Second visit of ETAI

November 2007: The belgian group "les anciens du Patro" join our first alternative tourism project. Miss Phuc joins the CCIVS General Assembly in Kiev, Ukraine

January 2008: SJV with VFP hosts 40 asian NGO leaders for the General Assembly of NVDA .

February 2008: SJV is invited by Greenway Thailand to visit their office and to know more about their way of working.

March 2008: SJV is invited to the Alliance meeting in Sete and Paris, France.

September 2008: SJV will host the first Vietnamese Arte Diem workcamp.