“Your vision of the future inspires us all to be better and to do better to change our world.” - Frances Hesselbein, Former CEO of Girl Scouts of America and President of Leader to Leader Institute
"We support BPSOS’s efforts to develop leaders who are dedicated to helping their communities at home and the disadvantaged in Vietnam." - East Meets West Foundation
“From disaster relief efforts in the Gulf Coast to leadership development at the national level, BPSOS is making a positive and long-lasting impact on our community." - Kim Delevett, Southwest Airlines
We are a national Vietnamese American community organization with the mission to "empower, organize, and equip Vietnamese individuals and communities in their pursuit of liberty and dignity."
Since 1980, one in 10 Vietnamese Americans has received assistance from BPSOS while still in Vietnam, on the high seas, in a refugee camp, or after arriving in the United States.
Through our 11 office locations in the U.S. and four office locations in Southeast Asia and Taiwan, we provide a web of services to support individuals, families, and communities.
BPSOS Entering The Fourth Decade
BPSOS Legacy:
1980 - 1988: Founded in San Diego and Songkla Camp, Thailand as Boat People S.O.S. Committee, in our early days we conducted voluntary rescue-at-sea missions, rescuing over 3,000 boat people. Later, in response to pirate attacks against Vietnamese boat people in the waters of Thailand and Malaysia, we collaborated with the Thai Royal Navy to fight pirates and bring refugees to safety.
1988 - 1989: More than a decade after the Vietnam War, the world has mostly forgotten the tragic end of the Vietnam War and many nations no longer welcomed the boat people. Under the reign of the Vietnamese communists, more people sought ways to escape in search of freedom but were not welcome anywhere. According to the report of United Nations High Commissioner For Refugees, 1/3 of Vietnamese boat people died at sea by killing, storms, illness,and food shortage. A total of approximately 250,000 men, women, and children of all ages. Boats were being pushed back out to the seas, and those few survivors who reached shores were put into detention centers.
1990 - 1997: Rising to the new challenge of saving these last boat people, BPSOS sent lawyers to asylum countries through its Legal Assistance for Vietnamese Asylum Seekers (LAVAS) project and successfully advocated for policy changes, which resulted in resettlement of 18,000 former boat people after repatriation.
1997 - 2009: For the past 12 years, BPSOS has grown from a one-staff organization to a national network of 18 office locations across the US, four locations in Southeast Asia and Taiwan, and over 140 staff. Refocusing our mission to organize and develop the Vietnamese American community, we serve our populations with a wide range of programs and services in direct services, advocacy, community organizing and development, research, and media.
2010 - present: With a focus on leadership, advocacy, and empowerment, BPSOS focuses the next decade to develop sustainable civic institutions and the next corps of ethical and effecitive leaders in all three sectors.
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