Blue Dragon Children's Foundation

Blue Dragon Children's Foundation (Blue Dragon) is a non-governmental organization based in Hanoi, Vietnam. The organization rescues children from crises including sex trafficking, forced labor, and slavery and then provides access to shelter, education and employment.[1] More recently, Blue Dragon has been actively working to end human trafficking through a range of programs operating in Vietnam's most vulnerable communities. [2]

Blue Dragon Children's Foundation
FormationSeptember 2004
FounderMichael Brosowski
Founded atHanoi, Vietnam
TypeNGO
Websitehttps://www.bluedragon.org/

History

In 2002, while working at Vietnam National University Hanoi, Michael Brosowski offered informal English lessons to a group of shoeshine boys.[3] By early 2003, some of Brosowski's university students had joined him to help with the lessons and an informal arrangement quickly evolved into the more formal Foundation.[4][5]

In March 2004, Blue Dragon Children's Foundation was registered as an Incorporated Association in Australia[6] and in September 2004, it was registered as an Independent Non-Government Organisation in Vietnam.[7]

Initially, the work of Blue Dragon focused on supporting street children on the streets of Hanoi. In 2005, Brosowski and law student Van Ta rescued a 13-year-old boy who had been trafficked to Ho Chi Minh City.[8] Since 2005, rescuing victims of human trafficking has become a central part of the organisation's work.[9][10] By January 2021, 1000 victims of human trafficking had been rescued.[11]

In 2019, Australian Social Worker Skye Maconachie[12][13] joined Brosowski as Co-CEO and in 2022, Brosowski moved into the role of "Founder and Strategic Director". Vi Do, one of the first children supported by Blue Dragon, was appointed Co-CEO with Maconachie in 2022.[14][15][16]

Work

Blue Dragon finds children and young people in crisis situations including slavery, homelessness, and extreme poverty.[17][18][19][20] Having rescued individuals from danger, the organisation then works with them for the long-term so that they can heal from trauma, injustice and disadvantage.[21][22][23][24] The work goes beyond rescue and support to ensure that what is learned on the frontline is used in advocacy to improve laws and policies protecting those most vulnerable.[25][26]

The organisation also has teams working in remote areas of Vietnam with the communities that are most at-risk of human trafficking.[27][28] These frontline teams develop resilience in local communities by supporting students to stay in school, and providing resources and training to bring families out of poverty and make them less vulnerable to trafficking. Programs such as Blue Dragon’s “Anti Trafficking Boards” bring local leaders together to understand the issues and create solutions that are appropriate to each local context.[29]

Recognition and Awards

In 2011, Brosowski was named one of that year's CNN Heroes,[30] and in 2012 was made a Member of the Order of Australia in recognition of his work defending the rights of Vietnamese children.[31] Brosowski was honoured with a University of New South Wales Alumni Award in 2023.[32]

Blue Dragon's Chief Lawyer, Van Ta, was named by United States Secretary of State John Kerry as a Trafficking in Persons Hero in 2014,[33] and the Trust Women Conference's Anti-Trafficking Hero in 2015.[34] In 2019, Van Ta received an Asia Young Leaders Award from the Asia Society.[35]

The United States Department of Labor awarded the "Iqbal Masih Award for the Elimination of Child Labor" to Blue Dragon Children's Foundation in 2022.[36]

Blue Dragon Children's Foundation is the recipient of multiple awards from agencies within the Vietnamese Government.[37]

See also

References
  1. Binh, Hai (25 December 2020). "Man arrested for selling teenage girl to China". VnExpress.
  2. "Ending slavery and trafficking". Blue Dragon Children's Foundation.
  3. Williams, Luke. "Children of the Blue Dragon". SBS News Australian.
  4. Monday, The Big Room turns 5 02 June 2008 Street Kids in Vietnam blog Retrieved 27 May 2016
  5. "Our Story". bluedragon.org. Blue Dragon Children's Foundation. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  6. "Australian Government Charities Register". Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission.
  7. Blue Dragon Foundation's Annual Report 2011-2012 page 5 Retrieved 27 May 2016
  8. "We came across trafficking by accident, and committed to end it by choice". bluedragon.org. 9 January 2021.
  9. Bohane, Hugh (6 November 2021). "Vietnam: Human trafficking on the rise amid COVID". Deutsche Welle. DW. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  10. Humphrey, Chris (24 May 2023). "Traffickers switch to Myanmar after China erects border fence". Aljazeera. Aljazeera.
  11. "1,000 people rescued from slavery". bluedragon.org. 6 January 2021. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  12. Humphrey, Chris (29 October 2021). "Q&A: Blue Dragon Co-CEO Skye Maconachie on How the Pandemic Affects Vietnam's Most Vulnerable".
  13. "Skye Maconachie 2022 Chancellor's Award Recipient, College of Arts, Society and Education". James Cook University Australia. James Cook University. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
  14. Nguyen, Hannah (18 February 2022). "Former Street Kid Becomes Co-CEO of Charity Organization Rescueing Women and Children in Crisis". Vietnam Times.
  15. Hồng, Nhật (1 March 2022). "Former street kid became co-CEO of children's rescue foundation". Vietnam News.
  16. "Meet Vi, Blue Dragon's new co-CEO". Blue Dragon Children's Foundation. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
  17. "Vietnam, US Cooperate on Arrest in Child Sex Case". Voice of America. 23 February 2020.
  18. "To anti-trafficking NGOs: a little less conversation, a little more action please". The Guardian. 31 July 2013.
  19. Humphrey, Chris (24 May 2023). "Traffickers switch to Myanmar after China erects border fence". Aljazeera. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  20. Williams, Luke. "Children of the Blue Dragon". SBS News Australia. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  21. Dung, Phan (23 June 2016). "Human trafficking in Vietnam: Why raising awareness is not enough". ASEAN Today.
  22. Nga, Minh (28 August 2019). "How two Vietnamese women trafficked to China returned home". VN Express International.
  23. "UEFA, Blue Dragon team up to help street kids in Vietnam". Vietnam Plus. 29 April 2020.
  24. Fidler, Richard. "Michael Brosowski's work rescuing Vietnamese children and adults from exploitation". Conversations with Richard Fidler. ABC Radio, Australia. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  25. Nguyen, Ha (28 June 2018). "Revised Vietnam Law Sheds Light on Sex Abuse of Boys". Voice of America.
  26. Nguyen, Quy (15 August 2019). "Vietnamese lawyer an Asian hero for freeing trafficked victims". VN Express.
  27. "Human trafficking prevention project launched in Ha Giang". Vietnam Plus. 8 March 2019.
  28. Dick, Samantha (30 October 2019). "Essex truck victims: Who and what made Vietnamese villagers leave home?". The New Daily.
  29. "Leaving no one behind in the fight to end slavery". bluedragon.org. Blue Dragon. 29 July 2023. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  30. Berger, Danielle Giving Vietnam's street kids a chance 20 June 2011 Retrieved 26 May 2016
  31. Member of the Order of Australia recipients 26 January 2012 Retrieved 26 May 2016
  32. Henwood, Belinda (29 August 2023). "Alumni Awards honour eight of UNSW's exceptional graduates". University of New South Wales, Australia.
  33. 2014 TIP Report Heroes Retrieved 26 May 2016
  34. Anti-Trafficking Award: Van Ngoc Ta Retrieved 26 May 2016
  35. "Asia 21 Next Generation Fellows". Asia Society. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  36. "Iqbal Masih Award for the Elimination of Child Labor". Bureau of International Labor Affairs. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  37. "Our Awards". Blue Dragon Children's Foundation. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
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