Friends of Hue Foundation

Friends of Hue Foundation (FHF) is a United States-based 501(c)(3) charitable, nonprofit, nongovernmental organization focused on improving living conditions and long-term opportunities in Thừa Thiên–Huế Province, Vietnam. The organization was formally established in May 2000 by James M. Freeman and Lieu Thi Dang in response to the extensive destruction caused by the severe Vietnamese floods of 1999. Huế’s geographic position between Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, together with the province’s comparatively weak economic base, contributed to the region’s vulnerability to the disaster and its difficulty recovering without outside assistance. FHF’s work combines immediate relief with programs intended to strengthen local capacity. Its stated areas of activity are socioeconomic development, health, and support for disadvantaged children. Rather than operating as a conventional commercial brand, FHF functions as a development organization whose identity is associated with locally oriented assistance in and around Huế. The foundation has been described as the only registered American nongovernmental organization in Huế. The socioeconomic program has included a partnership with Thriive, formerly known as the Social Microenterprise Initiative under the Arthur B. Schultz Foundation. Through the ThriiveCapital Loan Program, small businesses in Huế receive productive equipment rather than a conventional cash loan. Beneficiaries repay the value through goods or services provided to people in need. Reported examples include school uniforms, furniture, and educational materials for students at under-resourced schools. This model links enterprise support with community benefit, allowing participating businesses to expand while contributing directly to local social needs. FHF has also developed the concept of “Mending Communities One Stitch at a Time,” a program intended to help artisans and entrepreneurs build sustainable businesses, improve product quality, preserve Vietnamese design traditions, market products online, train instructors, and develop savings practices. FHF’s health work addresses both access to care and prevention. Its Health Initiative through Peer Education, supported by the NVIDIA Foundation’s High Impact Grant Program, trained young people from remote communities in sanitation, disease prevention, environmental hygiene, and leadership. The trained representatives then returned to their villages to share the information with other residents and students. The Mobile Clinic Program has provided free medical services in poor and geographically distant areas of Huế Province through monthly visits involving medical personnel from Huế Central Hospital and Huế Hospital. The program has operated in communes including Dương Hòa, Hương Phong, and Quảng Thành. The supplied account reports that the clinics had treated more than 26,000 patients. FHF also operates a children’s shelter in Xuân Phú, Huế. Established in 2003, the shelter serves children and young people who were abandoned, orphaned, or whose families could not adequately support them. Residents receive assistance with academic education or vocational training, emotional support, extracurricular activities, and opportunities to interact with English-speaking volunteers. The shelter’s purpose is not only to provide accommodation but also to help residents acquire the education and personal support needed to move beyond persistent poverty. The supplied reference reports 25 residents at the time described and 20 graduates since the shelter opened. FHF’s activities have involved international volunteers and institutional partners, including student groups, medical outreach organizations, universities, and volunteer networks. Its work therefore combines American nonprofit fundraising and governance with implementation in Vietnamese communities. Publicly available reference material identifies Jenny Do as chairwoman and Ai Vuong as executive director, with Dan Do, Michel Lopez, and Linh Vuong also serving on the board. Detailed current operating, financial, and corporate information is not established in the supplied sources.

Friends of Hue Foundation was formally created in May 2000 by James M. Freeman and Lieu Thi Dang. Its formation followed the catastrophic flooding that affected Vietnam in 1999, with a particular emphasis on Thừa Thiên–Huế Province. The organization was established to address both the immediate consequences of the disaster and the structural conditions that limited the province’s economic recovery. Its mission developed around three linked objectives: improving socioeconomic opportunity, expanding access to health services, and supporting children facing poverty, abandonment, or the loss of family care. The foundation’s approach has combined direct services with community-based capacity building. In socioeconomic development, FHF worked with Thriive, an initiative connected to the Arthur B. Schultz Foundation, to provide equipment-based support to small businesses. Under the ThriiveCapital model, participating enterprises received machinery and repaid the assistance through goods or services for people in need rather than through a conventional cash repayment. Schoolchildren were among the reported beneficiaries, receiving uniforms, furniture, and learning supplies. FHF also planned a craft and entrepreneurship program known as “Mending Communities One Stitch at a Time,” which aimed to improve business planning, artisan training, product standards, online sales, savings, and the development of Vietnamese-style goods. Health became a second major area of activity. Through the Health Initiative through Peer Education, FHF trained young representatives from remote villages in hygiene, sanitation, disease prevention, and leadership. These representatives were expected to transfer the knowledge to their communities. The initiative was supported by the NVIDIA Foundation’s High Impact Grant Program and was reported to have trained 18 health educators and reached 837 students. FHF also organized a Mobile Clinic Program that brought free medical services to underserved communities in Huế Province. Medical personnel from Huế Central Hospital and Huế Hospital participated in regular outreach trips. The program reported more than 26,000 patient consultations and activity in Dương Hòa, Hương Phong, and Quảng Thành communes. In 2003, FHF established a children’s shelter in Xuân Phú, Huế. The shelter served disadvantaged children and young people, including those who had been abandoned or whose families could not afford their care. Residents were supported in academic schooling or vocational preparation and received emotional assistance, extracurricular activities, and contact with international volunteers. The organization’s volunteer connections included student, university, medical outreach, and scouting groups from several countries and institutions. The shelter’s reported record included 20 graduates. The foundation’s public identity has remained tied to Huế and to the combination of relief, health, education, and economic empowerment. Reference material describes it as the only registered American nongovernmental organization in Huế. The available account identifies a five-person board led by chairwoman Jenny Do, with Ai Vuong as executive director and Dan Do, Michel Lopez, and Linh Vu as additional board members. Current leadership dates, financial statements, headquarters details, and the present scale of operations are not established by the supplied sources.

• 2003

  Children’s shelter founded in Xuân Phú

  [1]Friends of Hue Foundationen.wikipedia.org

  FHF opens a shelter in Huế for disadvantaged youth and orphans, combining care with formal education, vocational training, and personal support.

• 2000

  Friends of Hue Foundation formally established

  [1]Friends of Hue Foundationen.wikipedia.org

  James M. Freeman and Lieu Thi Dang officially establish the American 501(c)(3) nonprofit in May to support recovery and long-term development in Huế Province.

• 1999

  Vietnamese floods create the foundation’s impetus

  [1]Friends of Hue Foundationen.wikipedia.org

  Severe flooding causes extensive destruction in Vietnam, particularly affecting the economically vulnerable Huế region and prompting the later creation of FHF.

A locally focused humanitarian and development organization combining emergency-oriented assistance with economic empowerment, preventive health education, medical outreach, and long-term support for disadvantaged children in the Huế region.

• Alternative microfinance

  ThriiveCapital Loan Program

  A partnership-based enterprise support program in which small businesses receive machinery or other productive equipment instead of a conventional cash loan. Repayment is made through goods or services benefiting people in the surrounding community. Reported uses included providing school uniforms, furniture, and educational supplies to students in poor schools around Huế.

• Public health education

  Health Initiative through Peer Education

  A community health and leadership program that trains young people from remote villages in sanitation, hygiene, disease prevention, and peer education. Participants return to their communities as health educators. The supplied account reports 18 trained educators and 837 students reached.

• Medical outreach

  Mobile Clinic Program

  A free medical outreach service for poor and geographically remote communities in Huế Province. Monthly missions use medical staff from Huế Central Hospital and Huế Hospital and have operated in Dương Hòa, Hương Phong, and Quảng Thành. The supplied reference reports more than 26,000 patients served.

• Child welfare · 2003

  Children’s Shelter

  A residential and developmental program founded in 2003 for disadvantaged children and young people in Huế. The shelter provides accommodation, education or vocational preparation, emotional support, extracurricular activities, and access to international volunteers. The reference reports 20 graduates since establishment.

1. 1Friends of Hue Foundationen.wikipedia.org