Solitarites Jeunesses Vietnam

SJ Vietnam (www.sjvietnam.org) is an international youth NGO (Non-Governmental Organization) that promotes values of solidarity, peace, tolerance through young citizenship projects to improve society during and after the voluntarism. It was set up in 2004 by and for national and international young volunteers. SJ Vietnam is a full member of CCVIS (Coordinating committe of international voluntary services) and NVDA (Network for voluntary development in Asia-Pacific), a partner of Alliance.

SJ Vietnam is a non-political and non-religious organization which opens to everybody without any distinction of nationality, race, philosophy, financial resources, and education or sex.

SJ Vietnam has successfully held hundreds of workcamps to promote sustainable and community development in urban and rural areas in Vietnam. Annually, SJ Vietnam celebrates International Volunteers' day in collaboration with UNV, VSO (expand the acronyms) and other international NGOs in promoting the Millennium Development Goals for thousands of youth. The director of the organization was honoured to be invited as a keynote speaker to the National Volunteers Conference in regards to the project "Voluntarism for Development in Vietnam" by the National Youth Union.

In 2011, SJ Vietnam was named one of the top ten most outstanding volunteer organizations in Vietnam with a variety of projects as follows:

- Work camps: every year, 50 work camps are organized by SJ Vietnam to welcome young volunteers who seek an experience that embodies solidarity, intercultural learning, sustainable development and community life. These projects aim to help disadvantaged, street, poor and needy children; ill children in the paediatrics hospital; the disabled, elderly or homeless individuals and; youth with fewer opportunities.

In each workcamp, SJ Vietnam organises workshops and seminars for youth and local communities on different topics such as: global climate change, social entrepreneurship, sustainable living, and job orientation.

- Long-term volunteer projects and EVS: 18 long-term and 5 EVS projects (from 2 to 12 months) are organized for 120 volunteers around Vietnam. These projects are related to education and the environment to promote human right, sustainable development and capacity building for the community, poverty eradication communication and awareness raising where volunteers are able to work with disadvantaged youth.

- Group camps, youth exchanges: around 15 groups of students per year are sent from partner organizations, universities, schools, companies and scouts and are warmly welcomed at different projects in Vietnam focused on the environment, construction, education, language training, cultural exchanges, and diversity and heritage etc.

-Training courses, seminars and conferences: SJ Vietnam organizes regular workshops, seminars, conferences and training for its members, which provide young volunteers with knowledge in global education and job orientation for youth.

- Sending Vietnamese volunteers abroad: through networks of international partners, SJ Vietnam offers Vietnamese youth chances to join in work camps, projects and EVS abroad.

By developing international volunteering, SJ Vietnam aims to work towards a society of justice, peace and solidarity to encourage young people to participate actively in the society in which they live; the organization has achieved many accomplishments by working with international volunteers.

In 2013 we have hosted 939 international volunteers and thousands Vietnamese volunteers for humanitarian activities along Vietnam.