idealist.org

Formed in 1980, Boat People SOS (BPSOS) is a national network of 15 local branch offices, the mission of which is “to assist Vietnamese refugees and immigrants in their search for a life in liberty and dignity.” Our activities focus on three areas: direct services to meet urgent needs, community development through training and wealth creation, and advocacy for social justice. Over the past 25 years, we have assisted some 100,000 refugees and immigrants from Vietnam, Latin America, China, Palestine, Bahrain, Ghana, Cameroon, Cambodia, Indonesia, Iran, Uganda, Philippines, and Algeria. The BPSOS-Houston, a local affiliate of BPSOS, opened in 2000 to serve the crucial needs of 67,000 Vietnamese Americans, particularly three highly vulnerable groups: some 3,000 torture survivors, a score of victims of human trafficking, and 3,000 Amerasians (abandoned children of U.S. servicemen).