In the summer of 2002, Families In Vietnam’s (FIV) founder and President, Valerie Lehner, had the privilege of spending two months in Hanoi adopting her second daughter. Everywhere she went, beggars with malnourished children asked for money. During school time hours or late at night, children on the street would try to sell her postcards or chewing gum. As she started to get to know the children around Hoan Kiem Lake during her time there, she found out that the children were not in school. Because they could not afford the school fees, these poor families had their children working instead to help feed the family. Before leaving Hanoi, Valerie and two Vietnamese friends started enrolling children in school for the fall semester with their own money.
When she returned to the U.S., she worked with other adoptive parents and dedicated volunteers to form Families In Vietnam, Inc. and to obtain 501(c)(3) status in 2005. The volunteer board in the U.S. raises funds to pay the school fees for 78 children and the salaries of two Vietnamese staff members who work directly with the 48 families in our program.
The FIV efforts in Hanoi also include providing housing to homeless families, birth control, helping parents obtain birth certificates, medical care, arranging foster care when parents are no longer able to care for their children, and meeting any other needs of the families in our program with flexibility and individualized solutions. Additionally, FIV Hanoi has empowered girls and women physically, emotionally, and financially to find a vocation other than prostitution to care for their children.
Five years later, Valerie was contacted by Bonnie Lockwood, for assistance in how to deliver extra formula to her daughter while she was waiting to bring her home from the Lang Son Orphanage. Concerned about all the other orphan newborns as well, Bonnie paid out of her own pocket to feed all the other babies the same formula she had delivered with the assistance of Valerie and the Program Manager of FIV, a Vietnamese resident Son Nguyen.
Bonnie had more ideas about how to help the children and families in Lang Son, and joined FIV’s Board soon after creating the 5LE Fund. The 5LE Fund provides support in almost every aspect imaginable to the poorest children in Lang Son including food, clothing, beds, tuition, uniforms, textbooks, medical care and even little treats that bring smiles to the children like toys and candy from the U.S.. The 5LE Fund has also tended to the families of the children providing chickens, ducks, pigs and rice in bulk, and addressed any needs in the home.
FIV is a qualifying and approved Internal Revenue Service (IRS) 501(c)(3) charity under Category: Q30 (International Development, Relief Services); and registered Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) in Vietnam. FIV closely monitors the use of funds in Vietnam and personally sees the results of their work. There are no fees or operational costs deducted from donations; thus 100% of your donation goes to help the children and families in our programs. Any fees and costs are underwritten by the Board. FIV can be found on GuideStar; and click to view the most recent (2010) IRS Form 990.
Please also get to know us through our MISSION STATEMENT, view our BOARD MEMBERS and their bios, and view our invaluable on-the-ground STAFF in VIETNAM and their bios. Also view our SUPPORTERS, including friends and affiliates based worldwide.
Read more of our miraculous and inspirational SUCCESS STORIES here.
