Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation • Vietnam
Michael Brosowski, Founder of Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation, originally traveled to Vietnam to work at the National University in Hanoi. Once in Hanoi, Michael was astounded by the number of children he witnessed living on the streets, not attending school and struggling to survive on their own – particularly a large number of boys shining shoes to earn money. Having grown up in poverty himself, Michael deeply empathized with these children and was inspired to take action.
In 2003, he began teaching free English, math, and extracurricular classes to a group of ‘shoeshine boys’ but as more and more kids began to seek help, the idea for Blue Dragon started to form. A shelter for former street kids was established, then an educational sponsorship program for at-risk children in more rural areas. More than a decade later, Blue Dragon is now a well-established and respected organization, registered in both Vietnam and Australia, running comprehensive programs that continue to transform the lives of thousands of children in crisis across the country.
PROGRAM FOCUS
Blue Dragon’s mission is to provide exceptional care to Vietnamese children and families in crisis while creating long-term change for a better world. To this end, Blue Dragon has developed a wide range of programs offering both responsive and preventative services to help children and families.
Step Ahead Program: Providing comprehensive care for children in crisis, including street children and children with disabilities. The program offers a wide range of holistic services, including:
- Crisis Outreach: The Blue Dragon Outreach Team works on the streets every day and night, offering crisis care to children including emergency shelter, health care, nutritious food, clothes and counseling.
- Drop-in Center: Offering children on the streets a safe place to play, join activities, learn skills, socialize and access nutritious food and receive support from social workers.
- Social Work: Individual case work with children and families to provide support around education, employment, and psychological and physical wellbeing.
- Education and Training: Getting kids back in education or training as soon as possible and providing individual tutoring, study groups and workshops.
- Shelter, Transition, and Family Reunification: Providing safe accommodation, meals and care in Blue Dragon shelters, providing older teenagers and young adults with safe accommodation and preparing them for independent living in the future, and working with families to safely return runaway children to their homes and communities.
- Legal Support: Working closely with local law enforcement and supporting children to access justice, navigate the court system, obtain documents, etc.
Education for Kids At Risk: Preventing trafficking in rural provinces of Hanoi by working with disadvantaged families and supporting and encouraging them to keep their children safe and in school.
Project X: Supporting survivors of trafficking through rescues, recovery, rehabilitation and reintegration services, including: emergency shelter, medical care, nutrition, psychological counseling, education support, assistance to reunite with families, and short to long-term accommodation for cases where it is unsafe to return to their families or communities.
Safe & Sound Program: Working closely with the Vietnamese police to identify, locate and rescue children out of forced labor in sweatshops, ensuring their safe return home to their families and providing long-term counseling and educational support to assist with the transition.
Legal Advocacy Program: Blue Dragon has a team of Legal Advocates, on call around the clock, ready to provide free legal services to those in immediate, urgent need, including victims of human trafficking, young people in conflict with the law, undocumented children and families living without legal paperwork such as birth certificates, and victims of crime and injustice.
WORKING IN PARTNERSHIP
Blue Dragon became a GoPhilanthropic partner program in 2017. Since then, our community has helped advance Blue Dragon’s mission in the following ways:
- In 2017, we provided support for a three-day workshop for 70 tertiary students which covered three key themes: sexual health, financial responsibility and career preparation. The workshop focused on preparing students for the next phase of their lives and giving them the knowledge and skills they need to be safe and successful.
- In 2019, our community joined together to fund rescues for girls and young women who had been trafficked to China and sold into forced marriage, prostitution or hazardous labor. These rescues are comprehensive and include post-rescue support (legal services, counselling, rehabilitation, reunification, life skills and advocacy support).
VIDEO: The Story of Tai
VIDEO: A Message from Vi
WHAT MAKES BLUE DRAGON UNIQUE?
When Blue Dragon assists a child in crisis, they make a long-term commitment to that child’s recovery, healing and overall well-being. For example, although trafficking rescues are high-risk and require intensive planning, the Blue Dragon team recognizes that the real work takes place post-rescue.
Blue Dragon offers highly comprehensive services thanks to having built a skilled and dedicated team of child protection professionals: social workers, lawyers, psychologists, educators, medics and child care workers. Strong, collaborative relationships with law enforcement and other agencies broaden their services and capacity even further. They aim to partner with each child, and their family whenever possible, to allow them to reach their full potential. The case management plan for each child is different, specifically tailored to that child’s unique needs, personality and goals for the future.
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