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Saigonchildren is an established international NGO in Vietnam that is committed to a mission to “remove barriers to education” for children with disadvantaged backgrounds. We pride ourselves on a friendly and supportive working environment. At saigonchildren, you will be working with respected organisations and talented people to improve the lives of disadvantaged children.
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Contact Us
- Saigon Children's Charity CIO
- 59 Tran Quoc Thao
- District 3, Ho Chi Minh City
- Tel: +84 28 3930 3502
- Fax: +84 28 3930 3503
- www.saigonchildren.com
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James Estaugh was born in London and moved to Ho Chi Minh City in March 2020 with his family. He is currently the Head of Securities Services at HSBC Vietnam, supporting foreign and domestic investors to access Vietnam’s rapidly growing capital markets, and has spent 16 years with the firm working across HSBC’s offices in London, Sydney and Auckland. James joined Saigon Children’s Charity as a trustee in June 2022. Outside of work, he has a passion for sport (football, cricket, golf, cycling), travel and charity work.
David has been a Trustee of saigonchildren for four years, and as an organiser of the Charity Cycle Adventure, has been a major fundraiser for the charity for more than ten years. David is from the UK and has been living in Vietnam for 22 years as Founder and Director of a number of successful businesses focused on technology, outsourcing, marketing and hospitality.
My interest in educating Vietnamese children began when I volunteered to help unaccompanied “boat children” learning English. After reading Classics at Cambridge, I had spent two years teaching for VSO in Laos during the Vietnam War, the start of a lifelong interest in Indochinese issues. I became a trustee and the UK contact for saigonchildren™ after my daughter taught English classes during a gap-year period in 1995. The Charity’s aims match closely with my VSO post and my subsequent work as a teacher of English to immigrant and refugee children in Hounslow schools.
Paul Cleves founded Saigon Children’s Charity in 1992. He came to live in Vietnam to run the charity full time in 1995. In 2004 Paul’s contribution to disadvantaged children was recognised and he was awarded the MBE. In 2007 he decided it was a suitable time to pass on the role. Paul continues to work and live in Vietnam and remains actively involved now as a trustee of the Charity.
Paul McGee has been involved with the Saigon Children’s Charity since 1995, when he moved to Vietnam as the first Country Manager for Airborne Express.
Within one year, Airborne Express was the largest foreign air freight forwarder in Vietnam. Prior to Vietnam Paul had been with Airborne (since acquired by DHL) in Boston, New York City, and London. He has been domicile in Hong Kong since 2000 with UPS. His current role is Director – Government and Postal Development – Asia Pacific.
Paul has a BA in Economics from the College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, Massachusetts.
Richard is a UK national and resides in HCMC with his three children. Richard is the founder and Managing Director of a market research firm; Cimigo: www.cimigo.com. Richard has spent the last twenty three years in Vietnam assisting in the development and building of numerous brands to achieve leadership positions.
Richard began working with Saigon’s Children’s Charity as a corporate sponsor of the Cyclo Charity Ride in 2001 and continues to personally support the Charity Cycle Adventure since the inaugural ride on 2009 to this day.
Chung leads the M&A, IT/C, and pharmaceutical and healthcare practices of Baker & McKenzie in Vietnam. He has dealt with a wide range of investment projects and M&A deals, and advised and assisted on corporate, commercial and regulatory compliance matters.
Chamber Asia (from 2010 to 2019) rank him as a leading lawyer in the field of Corporate M&A and TMT in Vietnam. He has been recognised as a leading lawyer in the Corporate and M&A practice in Vietnam by IFLR1000 (from 2015 to 2018) and recommended lawyer in the Corporate/M&A, TMT practices in Vietnam by Asia Pacific Legal 500 2015/2016.
He serves as vice president of the Singapore Business Group. He also serves as AmCham’s IT/C Sub-Committee Co-Chair.
Tieu Yen Trinh is the founder and CEO of Talentnet Corporation. Being an entrepreneur with strong management and leadership skills, together with good vision and high adaptability level, she has led Talentnet successfully to be in association with Mercer and ADP Streamline.
In 2014 she founded Vietnam HR Awards – where best HR strategies and practices are comprehensively evaluated and awarded.
Beside her contribution to the HR industry, she’s also an active member of various associations such as YBA (Young Business Association), Hawee (Ho Chi Minh City Association for Women Executives Entrepreneurs) as well as VNHR (Vietnam Human Resources Association).
Damien Roberts has managed international operations for the British government in the UK and across South East Asia, with a focus on economic development and trade. He has worked in both the private and public sectors, and as a university lecturer where he also mentored young people to improve access to Higher Education.
What does my sponsorship mean to my sponsored child?
As a sponsor, you will help transform your sponsored child’s life. Our scholarship packages differ depending on the level of the student. For example university students receive assistance to pay tuition fees, whereas school students generally receive school supplies (textbooks and notebooks), a new school uniform and 10 kg of rice per month during the school year. Saigonchildren visits each child in their home to assess their level of poverty and suitability for the programme. We hold regular meetings with the children and, where possible, with their families to assess and reassess their needs. Saigonchildren gets to understand the children individually and maintain contact to ensure they continue to have what they need to attend school.
What makes saigonchildren’s approach unique?
We partner with people and organizations at every level of a child’s environment – with family, community, teachers and with sponsors – to guarantee the most lasting impact. We also work with children themselves to provide social services such as counselling for children at risk of dropping out and for children returning to education.
Why should I sponsor a child through saigonchildren?
Because it works! Established in 1992, the goal of the Child Development Scholarship Programme is to ensure that all children excluded from school or whose education is jeopardized by poverty can attend school untroubled by worries about the cost of education to their families. We choose students with great care and visit them in their homes. Selection criteria include the family’s financial situation (in accordance with the national poverty standard), the family’s ability to earn, other family circumstances and lack of or limited support from other NGOs or the government.
As a sponsor, you will witness the impact of your support through quarterly updates and you will give a better future to your sponsored child.
How is my sponsorship donation used?
Our scholarship packages differ depending on the level of the student – university students receive assistance to pay tuition fees, whereas school students generally receive school supplies (textbooks and notebooks), a new school uniform and 10 kg of rice per month during the school year. We also work with children themselves to provide social services such as counselling for children at risk of dropping out and for children returning to education.
What does it mean to be a saigonchildren sponsor?
– Thanks to your support you will take part in our daily work to support sponsored children to live a fuller, happier, healthier and safer life.
– You can personally connect with your sponsored child if you wish and even travel to visit them.
– You will witness the transformation through quarterly updates, and receive a detailed annual report with photos.
How are children chosen for sponsorship?
The students do not need to be clever to be chosen nor do they have to pass any test, they are chosen on the basis of:
– Family’s financial situation (average income is classified as poor or near-poor based on the national poverty line, expenses/debts, possession of assets).
– Family’s ability to earn, including if any family members have no or limited ability to work due to illness or disabilities.
– Family circumstances, including whether one or both parents’ have left, passed away or are working far from the child’s home.
– Lack of/limited support from other NGOs or from the government.
How does saigonchildren Child Sponsorship work?
– As a sponsor, you will support a child who lives in a saigonchildren programme areas. You will be the only sponsor for that child.
– Saigonchildren visits each child in their home to assess their level of poverty and suitability for the programme.
– After students are chosen to receive saigonchildren’s scholarships, we hold regular meetings with the children and, where possible, with their families to assess and reassess their needs.
– Saigonchildren gets to understand the children individually and maintain contact to ensure that they continue to have what they need to attend school.
– Saigonchildren collect students’ study reports. Although academic excellence is not a criterion for selection or to stay in the programme, we value their efforts in overcoming difficulties to get to university/college, which are reflected in the study reports.
How does my sponsored child benefit?
Their progress is monitored regularly and appropriate action taken, if necessary. Our team works tirelessly to increasing their skills, hope, happiness and confidence. We revisit the family of the children every year to reassess their circumstances and to make sure this help is given to those who need it the most. We also check with the family to see if their circumstances have changed for better or worse to see if any change is needed.
How can I sponsor a child?
It’s easy! Click here, fill out a quick form, and follow the rest of the steps.
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