| Type | Non-governmental organization |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1992 Ho Chi Minh City, VietNam |
| Key people | Paul Finnis, Director |
| Area served | Southern Vietnam |
| Focus | Children, Education |
| Method | School-building, scholarships, Vocational training, supporting local shelters |
| Website | www.saigonchildren.com |
Saigon Children's Charity (SCC) - a non-profit organization based in Ho Chi Minh City that provides direct support to disadvantaged children in order to ensure wider access to education in Vietnam[1]. The organisation was established in 1992 and is registered with the Charity Commissioners in UK. SCC is also registered as a non-profit organization in Vietnam and US.
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The organisation's commitment to sustainable development is to foster independence and not allow dependency, not take away personal responsibility and require all beneficiaries and local authorities to make a contribution to the project that is helping them.
SCC works mainly but not exclusively in the suburban areas of Ho Chi Minh City Can Gio and Cu Chi, three provinces surrounding Ho Chi Minh City Dong Nai, Binh Phuoc and Tay Ninh as well as the northern provinces of the Mekong Delta, Tien Giang and Tra Vinh.
During 2006-2010 SCC has built 133 kindergarten/primary school classrooms through partnerships between donors and local representatives for Ministry of Education and Training.
During 2006-2010, 15,794 children were supported with rice, text books, uniforms and extra help (reading glasses or bicycles) to enable them to focus on attending education.
The vocational school in Ho Chi Minh City offers free classes in hairdressing, English and IT as well as social skills development through art and photography projects. During 2006-2010, 1,479 children studied here.
SCC also provides funding and strategical advice for 11 local organisations working with children such as Hy Vong Binh Thanh Special School for Hearing-Impaired Children and Da Lat Shelter for Children with Visual Impairment.
In 2009 SCC spent 896,985 USD on its projects[2]. Sponsors include private individuals (52%), foundations (33%) and business corporations (14%). Accounts are audited annually by KPMG and lodged with the UK Charity Commission.
SCC was founded by Paul Cleves in 1992. Cleves ran SCC from 1992 until 2007 when he was succeeded by Paul Finnis.[3].
This article is related to the List of non-governmental organizations in Vietnam.