Blue Dragon Children's Foundation (Blue Dragon) is a

non-governmental organization A non-governmental organization (NGO) is an independent, typically nonprofit organization that operates outside government control, though it may get a significant percentage of its funding from government or corporate sources. NGOs often focus ...

based in

Hanoi Hanoi ( ; ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Vietnam, second-most populous city of Vietnam. The name "Hanoi" translates to "inside the river" (Hanoi is bordered by the Red River (Asia), Red and Black River (Asia), Black Riv ...

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

. The organization rescues children from crises including sex trafficking, forced labor, and slavery and then provides access to shelter, education and employment. More recently, Blue Dragon has been actively working to end

human trafficking Human trafficking is the act of recruiting, transporting, transferring, harboring, or receiving individuals through force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of exploitation. This exploitation may include forced labor, sexual slavery, or oth ...

through a range of programs operating in Vietnam's most vulnerable communities.

History

In 2002, while working at Vietnam National University Hanoi, Michael Brosowski offered informal English lessons to a group of shoeshine boys. By early 2003, some of Brosowski's university students had joined him to help with the lessons and an informal arrangement quickly evolved into the more formal Foundation. In March 2004, Blue Dragon Children's Foundation was registered as an Incorporated Association in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

and in November 2004, it was registered as an Independent Non-Government Organisation in

.Blue Dragon Foundation's Annual Report 2011-2012 page 5
Retrieved 27 May 2016 Initially, the work of Blue Dragon focused on supporting street children on the streets of Hanoi. In 2005, Brosowski and law student Van Ta rescued a 13-year-old boy who had been trafficked to Ho Chi Minh City. Since 2005, rescuing victims of human trafficking has become a central part of the organisation's work. By January 2021, 1000 victims of human trafficking had been rescued. That figure reached over 1,700 people rescued by the end of 2024, Blue Dragon's 20th year. In 2019, Australian Social Worker Skye Maconachie joined Brosowski as Co-CEO and in 2022, Brosowski moved into the role of "Founder and Strategic Director". Vi Do, one of the first children supported by Blue Dragon, was appointed Co-CEO with Maconachie in 2022.

Work

Blue Dragon finds children and young people in crisis situations including slavery, homelessness, and extreme poverty. Having rescued individuals from danger, the organisation then works with them for the long-term so that they can heal from trauma, injustice and disadvantage. The work goes beyond rescue and support to ensure that what is learned on the frontline is used in advocacy to improve laws and policies protecting those most vulnerable. The organisation also has teams working in remote areas of Vietnam with the communities that are most at-risk of human trafficking. These frontline teams develop resilience in local communities by supporting students to stay in school, and providing resources and training to bring families out of poverty and make them less vulnerable to trafficking. Programs such as Blue Dragon's "Anti Trafficking Boards" bring local leaders together to understand the issues and create solutions that are appropriate to each local context.

Recognition and awards

In 2011, Brosowski was named one of that year's

CNN Heroes ''CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute'' is a television special created by CNN to honor individuals who make extraordinary contributions to humanitarian aid and make a difference in their communities. The program was started in 2007. Since 2016, the ...

,Berger, Daniell
Giving Vietnam's street kids a chance 20 June 2011
Retrieved 26 May 2016 and in 2012 was made a Member of the

Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an Australian honours and awards system, Australian honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Monarch ...

in recognition of his work defending the rights of Vietnamese children.Member of the Order of Australia recipients 26 January 2012
Retrieved 26 May 2016 Brosowski was honoured with a

University of New South Wales The University of New South Wales (UNSW) is a public research university based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It was established in 1949. The university comprises seven faculties, through which it offers bachelor's, master's and docto ...

Alumni Award in 2023. Blue Dragon's Chief Lawyer, Van Ta, was named by

United States Secretary of State The United States secretary of state (SecState) is a member of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States and the head of the U.S. Department of State. The secretary of state serves as the principal advisor to the ...

John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician, and diplomat who served as the 68th United States secretary of state from 2013 to 2017 in the Presidency of Barack Obama#Administration, administration of Barac ...

as a Trafficking in Persons Hero in 2014, and the Trust Women Conference's Anti-Trafficking Hero in 2015.Anti-Trafficking Award: Van Ngoc Ta
Retrieved 26 May 2016 In 2019, Van Ta received an Asia Young Leaders Award from the

Asia Society The Asia Society is a 501(c)(3) organization that focuses on educating the world about Asia. It has several centers in the United States (Manhattan, Washington, D.C., Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle) and around the world (Hong Ko ...

. The

United States Department of Labor The United States Department of Labor (DOL) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government. It is responsible for the administration of federal laws governing occupational safety and health, wage and hour standards, unemp ...

awarded the "

Iqbal Masih Iqbal Masih (; 1 January 1983 – 16 April 1995) was a Christianity in Pakistan, Pakistani Christian child labourer and activist who campaigned against abusive Child labour in Pakistan, child labour in Pakistan. He was assassinated on 16 April ...

Award for the Elimination of Child Labor" to Blue Dragon Children's Foundation in 2022. Skye Maconachie, Blue Dragon's Co-CEO, was named winner in the category of Community and Social Impact at the Global Australian Awards 2024. The organisation is the recipient of multiple awards from agencies within the Vietnamese Government. Blue Dragon Children's Foundation has a 100% (4 star) rating on

Charity Navigator Charity Navigator is a charity assessment organization that evaluates more than 230,000 charitable organizations based in the United States, operating as a 501(c)(3) organization. It provides insights into a nonprofit's financial stability, adh ...

and a Platinum rating through

Guidestar Candid is an information service specializing in reporting on U.S. nonprofit companies. In 2016, its database provided information on 2.5 million organizations. It is the product of the February 2019 merger of GuideStar with Foundation Center. ...

( Candid.org).

References

External links

Blue Dragon Children's Foundation official website
{{Sex trafficking in Southeast Asia, state=collapsed Organizations established in 2004 Children's charities based in Australia Foreign charities operating in Vietnam Child education organizations Foundations based in Australia Non-profit organisations based in New South Wales

History

Work

Recognition and awards

See also

References

External links