FAQs

1. Who does Blue Dragon help?

Blue Dragon works with the most disadvantaged children in Vietnam. Most are from rural provinces and many have migrated to the cities in the hope of a better life. These children fit into four main groups: children with disabilities; street children; victims of trafficking; and the rural poor. Many of our children are from single-parent families, or have no immediate family to care for them. Many live in boats, tents and slums, others have no home at all. Some have family members in prison and most have a family member with a serious illness, drug addiction or disability. go to top

2. What makes Blue Dragon unique?

Blue Dragon is unique in that each child we care for has an Individual Action Plan created through a process of negotiation between social workers, the child and the child’s family or caregivers (if any). Another defining feature of our work is the diverse range of services we provide for disadvantaged children and young people including: Legal Advocacy; emergency medical help; nutritional support; psychological support and counselling; tuition and homework assistance; and special classes including art, drama, music, English and swimming. go to top

3. What is meant by “trafficked children”?

Trafficked children have been taken from their homes, quite often by someone they know, to work in dangerous conditions in factories or on the streets of the big cities. The traffickers come with promises of education and job training, but the reality turns out to be very different. Unable to escape, the children find themselves working up to 18 hours a day, living in squalor and suffering from malnutrition and abuse. Some of the traffickers we have encountered earn over US$700 a week from the children they enslave, while the children earn nothing at all. go to top

4. What are “street kids”?

The term “street kids” refers to children who live or work on the streets, surviving on their own. Unlike trafficked children, street kids have left home by choice. While some have been neglected or abused by their families, many have run away from home or have left with the permission of their families in order to earn money. Street kids may be found living under bridges, in parks or wherever they can find a place to sleep. Others may live in cramped guest houses they share with other kids. Most of them work on the streets shining shoes or selling postcards, earning barely enough to survive. In worst cases, street kids will resort to begging and stealing. go to top

5. Where does Blue Dragon work?

Blue Dragon works with children throughout Vietnam, with major work in Hanoi, rural Bac Ninh province, Hue and Hoi An. We also offer some services to children in Ho Chi Minh City and many provinces around the country. go to top

6. How do you find the children you help?

Many of the children we help find us. Blue Dragon is well-known on the streets of Hanoi, and it is quite common for children who already know us to introduce us to new children who they meet on the streets. We also have Outreach Programs and take many referrals from government bodies, including schools, who know children in need of help. go to top

7. How many children does Blue Dragon help?

As of 2011, Blue Dragon is helping over 1000 girls and boys. Most of these are in the rural areas and about 25% are in cities. go to top

8. How old are the children you help?

We help children as young as five and as old as 18. We also help young adults who have been in our program and are in the transitional phase of growing into young adults. They range in age from 18-23. go to top

9. Where do the children live?

We encourage the children to live with their families, which often means a single parent, grandparent or other relative. However, some children who are unable to live at home are provided with shelter and full-time supervision and support in one of our residential facilities. We currently have a residential program in Hanoi that can accommodate up to 20 children and we support one in Hoi An that houses up to 30 children. go to top

10. How did Blue Dragon start?

Blue Dragon started when an Australian teacher and a Vietnamese local began meeting and helping street kids in early 2002. To read the full story, please visit the ‘Blue Dragon’s story’ page on our website. go to top

11. Where did you get the name “Blue Dragon”?

There is an ancient legend that Vietnam was home to a blue dragon. The dragon is a powerful symbol in Vietnam and the country is even shaped like a dragon. Our name identifies us very closely with the country in which we work. go to top

12. Who designed the logo?

The Blue Dragon logo was drawn by a 14 year old shoeshine boy named Dung, who went on to study cooking and was later hired to work in an upmarket restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City. go to top

13. Where do you get the funding to do your work?

The majority of our funding comes from private donors (29.9%) and Non-Government Organisations (30.9%) such as World Vision which supports some of our work with street children. Schools comprise 15% of our support, while the remaining 24.2% comes from embassies, corporations and other sources. For a complete list of our supporters, please visit the ‘Our supporters’ page on our website. go to top

14. Is Blue Dragon a legally registered charity?

Yes. In early 2004, Blue Dragon was registered as an Incorporated Association in New South Wales, Australia. Later that year, Blue Dragon was registered as a Non-Government Organisation (NGO) in Vietnam. go to top

15. Are donations to Blue Dragon tax deductible?

Donations to Blue Dragon are tax deductible in Australia through our partnership with the Australian Foundation for the Peoples of Asia (AFAP) and in the United States through our partnership with 100 Friends. We do not currently have tax-deductibility status in other countries around the world. We hope to provide this benefit for our donors in the future. For more information on donations and tax deductibility, please go to our donate page. go to top

16. How much of my donation will go directly to the children?

For every dollar donated to Blue Dragon, 85% goes directly to support the children. 9% goes to the management and running of our facilities, which includes a residence and a drop-in learning centre and staffing and capacity building. Another 6% goes to fundraising and communicating with donors and sponsors. go to top

17. How does Blue Dragon operate?

Blue Dragon employs a team of passionate Social Workers, Psychologists, Child Rights Advocates, Educators and support staff. We have a small team of full-time international staff and volunteers who support our communication, social work, education and maintenance departments. In addition, we have a number of local and foreign volunteers who support our education work. These volunteers teach elective classes and provide tuition before and after school. go to top

18. Is Blue Dragon affiliated with any religious or political organisation?

No. Blue Dragon is an independent organisation that has no religious or political affiliation. go to top

19. Do you receive support from the Vietnamese government?

We are very proud to receive the permission of the Vietnamese government to work in Vietnam. Some of our work is in conjunction with local government agencies, such as the local chapters of the Red Cross in Bac Ninh and Hue. go to top