PRINCIPAL MESSAGE FROM OUR
OUR VISION
To shape a generation of creative and resilient global citizens – a generation that will change our world for the better.
OUR SOCIAL PURPOSE
At BIS Hanoi, our students and their families are part of an inclusive, respectful, and caring community. We believe our students should make a positive contribution to the world and understand their responsibility as global citizens.
As you will see from the sentences above which come straight out of our school guiding statements, BIS Hanoi is deeply committed to making a positive difference in the world. We know that this begins with ourselves and then extends beyond that to the relationships we have within our families, our classrooms, and the society in which we live. We also believe that this change can impact beyond borders and become global.
Mahatma Gandhi famously said ‘Be the change you want to see in the world.’
Our students, staff and parents want to extend our school’s moral values of care, respect, and integrity beyond our school’s boundaries. This publication represents a summary of the current local partners we have so far engaged to widen the spheres of our influence within Vietnam. We are also committed to establishing sustainable regional and global partnerships, but our priority remains in Vietnam where there is much to do together.
Thank you for reading this and considering the unique part you can play in changing the world for the better.
Richard Vaughan Principal
Animals Asia is devoted to ending bear bile farming and improving the welfare of animals across Asia. They promote compassion and respect for all animals and work to bring about long-term change.
Founded in 1998, the Animals Asia team has been rescuing bears since 1994. They operate award-winning bear rescue sanctuaries in China and Vietnam.
After years of working together to rescue bears in Vietnam, Animals Asia and the Vietnamese government have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to completely end bear bile farming in Vietnam by the end of 2026. This includes rescuing and providing sanctuary for the 300-400 bears that remain on farms in Vietnam, where bear bile farming has been illegal since 2005.
ANIMALS ASIA
https://www.animalsasia.org/vn
SDG FOCUS
Blue Dragon offers children and families in crisis the chance to turn their lives around, providing practical solutions to the daily problems that are keeping poverty alive.
BLUE DRAGON CHILDREN’S FOUNDATION
https://www.bluedragon.org
Since its small beginnings in 2003, Blue Dragon has become a powerful force for change on the streets of Vietnam, both in bustling cities and in rural areas where poverty is widespread.
Their services are holistic, including rescue and crisis care for young people in immediate danger; shelter; legal advocacy; and longterm support to return to school and training.
Blue Dragon helps kids in crisis throughout Vietnam. We work with street kids, runaway children, victims of human trafficking, children with disabilities, young rural-urban migrants, kids affected by drugs and HIV/AIDS, homeless families, child prisoners, and the rural poor.
SDG FOCUS
Founded in October 2022, Chạm Vào Xanh (Touch the Green Co., Ltd.) - a nonprofit social enterprise is expected to be a place for Cerebral Palsy and people with disabilities to come to work, create, and find joy in life.
CHẠM VÀO XANH (TOUCH THE GREEN)
https://www.facebook.com/chamvaoxanh
From there, they hope to highlight the positive image of people with disabilities in the community and to support them in integrating into society.
The two founders of Touch the Green have been living with cerebral palsy for their whole life. They deeply understand the problems that people with disabilities encounter in daily life.
Touch the Green products are 100% handmade (or footmade) by disabled craftsmen or families of disabled people. Touch the Green supports them by providing career guidance, vocational training, tools, and initial materials, and purchasing their products for sale.
HUMANITARIAN SERVICES FOR CHILDREN OF VIETNAM (HSCV)
https://www.hscv.org
HSCV (Humanitarian Services for Children of Vietnam) has been dedicated to delivering vital aid and support to children, women, and families residing in rural areas of Vietnam for over 20 years.
HSCV is deeply committed to improving the lives of families in rural Vietnam through a diverse range of initiatives. Their projects encompass various areas, including education and vocational opportunities, infrastructure enhancement for schools and community centres, the improvement of living standards and sanitation conditions, facilitation of access to healthcare services and overall well-being
improvement, and fostering economic development within families throughout the region.
HSCV is actively engaged in promoting gender equality and advocating for the fundamental rights of children and women in Vietnam. They believe in the power of equality and work tirelessly to create an inclusive society that empowers every individual to thrive and succeed.
Hy Vong is a specialized school for students with hearing impairment. The age range of students at Hy Vong school is varied from 6 to 17 years old.
HY VONG SCHOOL
https://ptcshyvong.longbien.edu.vn
Hy Vong offers students the Vietnamese primary curriculum with a focus on writing and speaking skills, which are considered the main difficulties for students with hearing impairments. The top-tier goal is to help students promote communication skills, gain confidence in daily life, and integrate into society.
INSTITUTE FOR SOCIAL, ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH (ISEE)
https://www.isee.org.vn
The Institute for Social, Economic and Environmental Studies (iSEE) is an organisation working for the rights of minority groups in society, aiming for a fair, free, and tolerant society, where human values are respected.
iSEE aims for a Vietnam where all people from majority and minority communities understand and can exercise their rights while supporting others in the process of realising their rights.
Key programs of iSEE:
• LGBTI rights: Conduct foundational research, a pioneer in policy advocacy, enhance the capacity and position of the LGBTIQ community and change social awareness through training and open events.
• Ethnic minority: Carrying out developmental research and descriptive research on ethnic minority communities to train them in skills to speak about their problems; promoting government-level policy
advocacy and consult on initiatives of state agencies and non-governmental organisations.
• Gender justice: Carrying out projects focused on gender justice and equality, applying new methods to promote social movements to change gender discourse and the impact of that discourse on individuals’ lives and communities.
• Social connection: Building capacity and supporting individuals, groups, and communities to practice their rights while creating space and promoting open dialogue towards strong links between communities.
SDG FOCUS
Keep Vietnam Clean (KVC) is a social enterprise with a mission to facilitate and inspire sustainable living practices and environmental health throughout Vietnam.
KEEP VIETNAM CLEAN (KVC)
https://www.keepvietnamclean.org
Previously known as Keep Hanoi Clean, Keep Vietnam Clean as it exists today was created in 2022 as a platform from which to have a broader positive impact on Vietnam’s environment at a national, local, and individual level.
Areas of work:
• Community Beautification: Creating neighbourhoods that are clean, green, and vibrant for the benefit of local citizens
• Education: Empowering young people and local communities to drive environmental change
• Clean & Green Climate: Taking action on climate through cool cities, regenerative agriculture, and home-composting
• Research & Policy: Building community networks to collect pollution data and facilitate interventions
KNOW ONE TEACH ONE (KOTO)
https://www.koto.com.au
KOTO continues to be acknowledged as a leading unique not-forprofit social enterprise, not only in Vietnam but also internationally.
In 1999, Jimmy Pham – the owner opened a hospitality training centre in Hanoi, allowing at-risk and disadvantaged youth to break the poverty cycle by forging a better future for themselves, their families, and their communities.
Many years later, over 1,200 graduates now include executive and sous chefs, hotel and resort, general managers, business
SDG FOCUS
owners as well as university graduates.
KOTO continues to be acknowledged as a leading unique not-forprofit social enterprise, not only in Vietnam but also internationally. Today, KOTO provides over 100 at-risk and disadvantaged youth per year in Vietnam an opportunity to undertake our 24-month holistic hospitality training program to end the cycle of poverty and truly empower our trainees to realise their dreams.
Their mission is to provide education, and technical and professional training in the digital sector to young underprivileged people by leveraging their potential and willpower.
PASSERELLES NUMERIQUES VIETNAM
https://www.passerellesnumeriques.org/en
Passerelles Numériques is a nonprofit organization under French law, created in 2005, operating in three Asian countries: Cambodia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Madagascar.
Their mission is to provide education, and technical and professional training in the digital sector to young underprivileged people by leveraging their potential and willpower.
PN’s objective is that at least 90% of the students enrolled in their programs can escape poverty, be professionally more successful relative to the national average, and take advantage of a ‘Gateway for Life’. PN’s additional objective is to reduce inequality between genders. Therefore, PN strives to enrol a ratio of at least 50% girls (or a maximum of two-thirds) at each of their centres.
THE CENTRE FOR SUPPORTING COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVES (SCDI)
https://www.scdi.org.vn
The Centre for Supporting Community Initiatives (SCDI) is a Vietnamese not-for-profit organization that aims to improve the quality of life for vulnerable communities.
Key programs of SCDI: Harm Reduction and Addiction Treatment Program aims to improve substance users’ and addictions’ quality of life.
The Children and Youth Program is a specialized program established in 2015 to develop and implement interventions to enhance health care and education access and strengthen
the resilience of vulnerable children and youth.
The Health and Social Protection Program towards the goal of supporting key populations in the prevention and treatment of transmission diseases including comprehensive intervention, and enhancing accessibility to the health care system,
social insurance, and other social security services.
Community Support Program was established in 2013 to support the community networks of drug users, sex workers, MSM-TG, Women, and girls to build and strengthen the network and improve their capacity.
SDG FOCUS
Think Playgrounds is a social enterprise established with the goal of finding simple, effective and creative solutions to build playgrounds for children living in the city centre.
THINK PLAYGROUNDS
https://www.facebook.com/thinkplaygrounds
SDG FOCUS
Think Playground’s operating methods include:
- Working closely with residential areas to reserve a portion of public land for playgrounds
- Working with architects to create appropriate designs and play equipment from materials, and recycled materials but still ensuring safety, durability and creativity
In addition to building playgrounds, Think Playgrounds has been organising relevant events such as Playday to raise people’s awareness, workshops to expand the network of participants, and coordination with the media to seek support from the government.
VINACAPITAL FOUNDATION
https://vinacapitalfoundation.org/en
The work of VCF touches the lives of millions of Vietnamese in 63 provinces every year.
VinaCapital Foundation (VCF) is a USA-registered 501c3 public charitable organisation, licensed as an international non-governmental organisation in Vietnam. Founded in 2006, VCF’s mission is to create healthcare and education solutions to assist underserved and marginalized children and women. The work of VCF touches the lives of millions of Vietnamese in 63 provinces every year.
SDG FOCUS
Key programs of VinaCapital Foundation:
• Grassroots medical programs directly assist those children in need of medical assistance who cannot afford care. Covid orphans, little hearts, heads, eyes, ears, cancer patients and other challenges are solved at the “person to person” level.
• Capacity building programs with the Ministry of Health are partnerships that touch the lives of thousands annually with emergency and neonatal training and equipment, clean water for public facilities and immediate response to natural disasters.
• Critical education programs for vulnerable rural ethnic minority girls provide scholarships, mentoring and life-changing Girl’s Club in cooperation with the Central Youth Union and the Ministry of Education and Training.
Wild Rhino uses multimedia marketing channels, competitions, and first-hand African wildlife experiences, to teach the youth of Vietnam about rhino protection, and to motivate them to become ambassadors for the cause.
SDG FOCUS
WILD RHINO
https://wildrhino.org
The Wild Rhino campaign in Vietnam is operated under Wilderness Foundation Africa, which is an African-based conservation NGO that protects and sustains landscapes through its agile and innovative approach to conservation.
Wild Rhino uses multimedia marketing channels, competitions, and first-hand African wildlife experiences, to teach the youth of Vietnam about rhino protection, and to motivate them to become ambassadors for the cause.
To this day, the most memorable experience I have participated in occurred when I was in Primary. I was working together with a child with disabilities on a task.
HEAR FROM OUR COMMUNITY
“Being enrolled in BIS Hanoi for a long time, I have seen multitudes of different events happening around school for charitable purposes ranging from small events like sale fundraising to interactive activities.
To this day, the most memorable experience I have participated in occurred when I was in Primary. I was working together with a child with disabilities on a task. It was a moment that inspired me as I had an excellent time doing these activities without even considering it as ‘work’. From then on, I always loved interacting with others whilst also helping to contribute to society by accomplishing the SDG goals. Overall, what inspires me the most is knowing that I have made a societal impact that could help others.”
Linh Chi Tran Secondary Student
I’m pleased to see my children not only excel academically at BIS Hanoi but embrace a great community mindset nurtured through everyday lessons at school.
“I’m pleased to see my children not only excel academically at BIS Hanoi but embrace a great community mindset nurtured through everyday lessons at school. That transformed into my daughter’s Chalk Road initiative aimed to foster holistic education in mountainous regions of Vietnam. Gia Khanh formed a team with 2 other Y11 students and a team of 10 more volunteers from other high schools in Hanoi to raise public funds USD3,000 last summer to help build a school library to embrace lifelong studies, implement a 3-day full of activities including a career-orientation seminar for 300 students in Dieu Luong secondary school, located in mountainous Cam Khe commune, Phu Tho province. It was a complete success that subsequently earned Chalk Road an amazing social impact grant of $9,000 from Nord Anglia Education, 1st of a kind in BIS Hanoi.”
Ms. Binh Bui Parent
Ms Nia Cooper Head of Enrichment Secondary and Social Impact Lead
It’s been my privilege to increase student engagement in meaningful social impact activities and ensure that service learning is a key part of our educational offer here at BIS Hanoi.
“Our school’s service-learning programme seamlessly integrates with the curriculum and gives our students a holistic education that transcends traditional classroom learning. We are proud to offer these opportunities that align with our school’s mission to cultivate global citizens who are socially responsible and community-minded. By providing service opportunities for our students, they can apply their academic knowledge to real-world challenges, enhancing both their learning and empathy. As Head of Enrichment and Social Impact Lead, it’s been my privilege to increase student engagement in meaningful social impact activities and ensure that service learning is a key part of our educational offer here at BIS Hanoi.”