Pacific Links Foundation

Volunteer Opportunities: Yes

History

Founded in 2001, PALS consists of people from diverse backgrounds and ages who share a common interest in improving the lives of people in need in the Pacific Rim regions. PALS' network of volunteers has brought years of professional expertise and deep commitment to our philanthropic work to serve Vietnamese communities in Vietnam and in the United States. PALS empowers women as powerful agents for social change in their communities and promotes the exchange of skills and expertise to Vietnamese communities in order to foster sustainable devlopment. Pacific Links Foundation (PALS) launched An Giang/Dong Thap Alliance for the Prevention of Trafficking (ADAPT) in 2005 to lead counter-trafficking efforts at the frontiers of Vietnam by providing access to education, shelter and reintegration services and enabling new economic opportunities. ADAPT operates in regions that are most vulnerable to human trafficking, starting in the Mekong Delta in the south at the Vietnam-Cambodia border and expanding to the north at the Vietnam-China border. Extreme poverty, high unemployment and porous borders are some of the factors that contribute to the vulnerability of girls and women being trafficked for labor and sexual exploitation.

Mission

To support the sustainable development of Vietnamese communities and the enrichment of their cultural heritage