Friends Vinhson Montagnard Catholic Orphanage & Mission-Vietnam
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Basic Needs
Provide funding for flour, powdered milk, rice, breakfast noodles, fish, meat and vegetables for the Montagnard children at the Vinh Son Orphanages.
Dental Care
FVSO partners with Children of Vinh Son (another charity) to provide dental care to the children at Vinh Son. We have been doing this since 2012. The improvement in overall health of the children has been amazing.
Education
FVSO pays for educational fees, material and clothing for the children at Vinh Son Orphanages.
Building Programs
FVSO continues to work on improving the facilities at the orphanages. All orphanages need new and repaired facilities, especially Vinh Son 2 and Vinh Son 4.
Equipment Purchase
FVSO, in partnership with Colour4Kids of the Netherlands, purchased 2 tractors, trailers and ploughshares for the more rural orphanages.
Where we work
External reviews
Photos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of individuals who are receiving timely health/dental exams
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Basic Needs
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of people who graduate from college with no student loan debt
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Education
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Friends of Vinh Son (FVSO) was formed as a 501(c)3 in 2005 to support the orphanages in Kontum Vietnam administered by the Sisters of the Miraculous Medal, a Catholic order under the guidance of the Sisters of Charity. In 2010 we added the orphanage in Pleiku Vietnam administered by the Sisters of Saint Paul de Chartes. In total there are 8 different physical location in Kontum and Pleiku with a total of 800 children. The children are of the Montagnard ethnic group, an under privileged minority in the Central Highlands. The children range from newborn to late teens. The mission of FVSO is to provide Basic Needs, Primary medical care and Education to the children. Basic needs started as food and nutrition and has grown to supporting self sustaining projects such as livestock, farm land and bakeries. Our education program supports primary and secondary education as well as up to 20 college students per year.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Our family of donors largely consists of Veterans who have served in Vietnam, first and second generation Vietnamese and people who have visited / tour The Central Highlands of Vietnam and have seen the work we do.
We advertise in several veteran and secular magazines. Our newsletter is published to over 1,000 people per month.
Our Board members are dispersed throughout the USA. Our officers are able to give presentations, upon request, to veteran and social groups throughout the US.
We work closely with e nuns to budget funds to meet our goals and to provide an audit and accounting function.
FVSO is the main coordinator of several other charities that also work with orphanages. Our goal in coordination is to make sure we do not overlap projects. We work with smaller charities from England, Belgium, France and the USA who also work in Kontum and Pleiku.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
We work closely with the nuns to establish an annual budget. We commit to a specific budget every year so the nuns have stability in their finances. We work closely on accountability to insure our donors funds are properly spent.
The Board meets at least 2 times a year formally and several times informally to develop and confirm our plans.
We are proud of our monthly newsletter and we rely on that as the major vehicle to tell our donors how their funds are being spent.
Note that the Board pays 100% of all admin and travel costs so that 100% of donor funds are used for the kids.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
We have established a clean water program so that each location has adequate clean water and the systems are maintained professionally 4 times a year. We have sponsored several projects that will be self-sustaining self-supporting in future years. This includes: A rubber tree farm, livestock to include pigs, oxen and several large chicken farms. We have also supported bakeries for internal use as well as bread for sale to the local public.
Annually we sponsor 18-20 college students.
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Friends Vinhson Montagnard Catholic Orphanage & Mission-Vietnam
Board of directorsas of 07/20/2023
Patrick Leary
No Affiliation
Term: 2016 - 2023
Clyde Lewendowski
Clyde Lewandowski
6/33rd Artillery Battalion - Vietnam
Hank Gonzales
25th Infantry Division - Korea
Pat McKee
US Army 1960-64
Bart Ruud
196th LIght Infantry Brigade - Vietnam
Mike Little
504th M.P. Battalion - Vietnam
Dave Chaix
4th Infantry Division - Vietnam
Patrick Leary
189th AHC - Vietnam
Nga Wynn
NoAffiliation
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
The organization's co-leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
Equity strategies
Last updated: 07/13/2023GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.