World Vision International's CEO met with Vietnam's President; received Presidential Friendship Medal

Hanoi, 28 September 2016 – Vietnam’s President Tran Dai Quang and World Vision International’s CEO, Kevin Jenkins, met at the Presidential Palace on 28 September in the first high-level meeting for both sides in recent years.

Jenkins is in Vietnam to visit Tien Lu district, Hung Yen province, where World Vision has partnered with the local community in development projects over the past seven years. Vu Xuan Hong, Chairman of Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations (VUFO) and, Phan Anh Son, General Director of People’s Aid Coordinating Committee (PACCOM) joined the gathering.

Jenkins expressed his appreciation for the government’s consistent support to World Vision’s work in Vietnam since it launched humanitarian relief operations in 1988. “From World Vision’s experience in the community – including carrying out humanitarian relief operations – to our national level policy work, the government’s proactive, close involvement at every step of our journey has made it possible for communities where we work to achieve marked gains for their youngest,” he confirmed.

Kevin Jenkins shared the organization’s vision of a long-lasting, meaningful cooperation with Vietnam’s Government to sustain and expand such improvements.  

Jenkins commended the government and community partners for their relentless focus on improving development statistics. "Vietnam is proof that a government which cares about its people, working with partners in an open and transparent way, can achieve huge amounts of change in a generation."

World Vision works in 15 of the country’s 63 cities and provinces, with more than 400 staff living in and working alongside community members daily. Its programming has provide statistics from Child Well-Being report to support claims of improved quality of education, healthcare, nutritional health, child protection and child participation.

In a separate event, VUFO Chairman Vu Xuan Hong awarded Jenkins the Presidential Friendship Medal, a recognition for foreign individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions towards establishing and strengthening Vietnam’s ties with other nations. World Vision has invested nearly 300 million USD in emergency and development funds in Vietnam over the past almost 30 years.  

BACKGROUND

World Vision International is a Christian relief and development organisation working in almost 100 countries worldwide to improve the quality of life for the most vulnerable children. World Vision helps all who are in need regardless of their religion, race, ethnicity or gender. World Vision International started working in Vietnam with emergency relief assistance in 1988, and opened an office in Hanoi in 1990. Since then, World Vision has implemented dozens of emergency relief and development programmes, including household economic and agricultural development, micro-finance, disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation, partnering with Vietnam’s Government, other NGOs and local communities.