VIETNAMESE FAMILY PARTNERSHIP (GIA DINH VIET)
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Mission Statement
Our mission is to bring the Vietnamese community together and help them to thrive in wider British society and beyond and to champion Vietnamese culture in the UK.
About This Cause
The historical context of the Vietnamese community in the UK Vietnamese people came from a country that was torn apart by war for many decades, especially between 1975 and 1990. In the aftermath of the war between North and South Vietnam, over two million Vietnamese people fled to countries across the world. In July 1979, the British government initially invited 11,000 refugees from Vietnam to settle in the UK. At the second United Nations conference in 1989, the British government agreed to admit a further 2,000 people. Since then more Vietnamese from Hong Kong and Southeast Asian refugee camps have been accepted. Together with those who came via the Family Reunion Programme, the Vietnamese refugee population in the UK is currently estimated to be 58,000 to 60,000, with 26,000 people living in the Greater London area. Community organisations have estimated that there may also be up to 25,000 undocumented Vietnamese migrants who came to the UK in recent years, and Vietnamese overseas students estimated to number between 14,000-15,000 are studying in universities around the UK. Some are known to overstay after the expiry of their student visas. Our most recent research about Increasing Diverse Participation in Research with Mabadiliko CIC and Two Hungry Bees, funded by the NHS England in April 2023, showed that Vietnamese people were, statistically, much less likely to access support services than other ethnic minorities. The reasons were found to be (i) the language barrier (ii) a lack of awareness of available services and (iii) the Vietnamese culture. With regard to the latter, there is a stigma attached to discussing such problems with anyone outside family and friends. We found that Vietnamese women suffering from violence and exploitation are the vulnerable groups with the most complex needs. The first need is to recognise their situation and the state of their mental health. Many have suffered abuse in their homeland and on their journey to the UK, which can take up to one year. Many are traumatised and suffer from very low confidence and self-esteem levels and are vulnerable for exploitation. Another need is to overcome their reluctance to engage. There are no formal psychological treatments in Vietnam and they are not familiar with support such as treatments for mental health problems. Other needs stem from being in a strange land, with little or no formal education, where you can not speak the language, you don't understand the system, you are socially isolated, you have very little by way of employability skills and need money to find accommodation. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1077801211424571 https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-1-349-18592-4#page=42: J Radford - Women, violence and social control, 1987 - Springer Vietnamese Family Partnership’s (VFP), are a London-based grassroots charity that aims to bring the Vietnamese community together. We believe that we are stronger together and that understanding our cultural identity is key to fulfilling our life potential. Although VFP was officially established in 2019, our CEO and founder, Quynh Nguyen has been a key member of the local Vietnamese community since 2007, originally founding a Vietnamese Women Association, supporting Vietnamese women and children experiencing domestic violence or child protection. We are based in areas of Lewisham with the highest concentrations of deprivation. Evidence shows the relationship between living in a deprived area and lower life chances due to increased likelihood of unemployment or low income, poor health and difficult housing circumstances. The cost of living crisis in London has had a further disproportionate economic and social impact on the Vietnamese community. There has been a significant increase in demand for support and advice from the community, driven by declining mental health, language barriers and lack of understanding of British health and social systems. Since the outbreak of the COVID-19, there has been a 300% increase in hate crimes reported to the Police from the Chinese, East and Southeast Asian communities. Research suggests a 900% increase in the global use of hashtags on Twitter encouraging violence against China and Chinese people. This is evidenced by our community engagement. Due to the lack of government funding and support toward community works in recent years. In 2008, there were 34 Vietnamese community organisations serving the needs of the Vietnamese community in the UK. Today there are only three survived in London. So there is a growing requirement to reduce the social isolation of the Vietnamese community and to better cater to their unmet needs. Notably, with the closure of the VMHS in September 2023, our community lost vital services including workshops advising on healthy eating and living, social care issues; mental & physical health; interpreting & translations; a telephone helpline; advice of benefits, accommodation etc.; a drop-in centre providing cultural activities and educational/fun outings to interesting places. To respond to the needs of the community, we provide targeted support for the most vulnerable in our community (older people, women and children) to help them improve economic and social outcomes:advice, information and advocacy to help them access resources, services, employment, training and other forms of support. VFP services are flexible in terms of delivery, both face to face and virtually after the lock down to meet the needs of our service users. We provide the following services: Drop-in advice and support centres with culturally appropriate leisure activities to reduce social isolation and promote wellbeing on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons Vietnamese Language & Culture School: To provide cultural education and help people to connect with their Vietnamese identity and families. We currently run 10 classes on the weekend and on Monday afternoon. The Luncheon club every Thursday provides our Vietnamese members and local residents an opportunity to get out of the house, meet old friends and make new ones in a warm, friendly setting over a nice healthy hot meal or a free hot drink. Training/ education/ information/ community health workshops on physical and mental health and social care issues for people from Vietnam (ad hoc) Health promotion on our Facebook, Instagram and webpages in Vietnamese on health and wellbeing issues, informal education and social issues. The charity is administered by a Board of Trustees that meets six times a year with additional meetings called when required to discuss new initiatives or plan events. Trustees are not remunerated but reasonable expenses are paid. The day-to-day management of VFP is carried out by the CEO. We act as a pillar for the community through our regular cultural events, such as our flagship Lunar New Year event. As the main charitable organisation representing the Vietnamese community in the UK (which is estimated at up to 100,000 people), VFP also plays a critical role in championing the voice of the Vietnamese community in British society. To that end, VFP has initiated projects such as the “Beneath the Non La” Artwork project in Deptford, London to evoke a sense of pride amongst Vietnamese people currently settled in London, by seeing themselves represented in the fabric of the city. VFP is funded through donations and grants, which presents a potential risk to VFP if donations decrease and/or if grant applications are not permitted. Despite these challenges, VFP has been resilient thanks to an effective fundraising strategy, proactive monitoring of the organisation’s management & finances and the central role that VFP plays in supporting the UK’s Vietnamese community.