History

On April 30,1975 binh rybacki ( then Nguyen Thi Thanh Binh) fled Vietnam as Communist troops overran Saigon. She and her family settled in the United States and started new lives.

In 1993 binh returned to Vietnam as a translator for a group of doctors. She located the rest of her family and began the journey of making peace with her home country. But that would turn out to be a life-changing and life-long journey.

On this trip back she also found children working as street peddlers and prostitutes. She saw children who lacked adequate healthcare and people suffering from diseases and illnesses that were easily treated back in the U.S.

Unable to leave things as she found them, binh began Children of Peace International in that same year. Her goal was simple: help improve the lives of these kids. Over the next years her commitment and organization grew. Children of Peace International was incorporated in June, 1996, and gained non-profit status soon after. Our Board of Directors currently has eight members. In 2002, COPI received the World Service Medal from Kiwanis International.

What we do

Medical Missions.

Twice each year COPI leads a team of volunteers who travel around Vietnam delivering dental and medical care to needy people, primarily in poor rural areas. The team of volunteers is made up of American and Vietnamese medical and dental professionals, nurses, students, and other concerned citizens willing to give their time and effort for these two and a half week trips that are also once in a lifetime opportunities to get to know the culture and people of Vietnam. Read more about volunteering.

 

Schools and Orphanages

COPI currently serves over 6,000 children spread across 14 schools and orphanages in Vietnam. They are located throughout the country, in the provinces of Lao Cai, Phu Tho, Hanoi, Nam Dinh, Hue, Quang Nam, Khanh Hoa, Dak Lak, Lam Dong, Binh Duong, and Vinh Long and the city of Ho Chi Minh. Through COPI, the schools and orphanages receive funds to help feed and clothe their children. We donate beds, desks and other supplies. In any way that it can, COPI helps ensure the children are cared for and provided the opportunity to learn, grow and thrive

 

Scholarships

Children of Peace International offers scholarships and vocational training to children in the orphanages and to the poor children in the surrounding communities.

 

 

 

 

Hospital Support

Children of Peace International provides medical equipment, training, and other support for hospitals throughout Vietnam.

 

 

 

 

 

HIV center

In cooperation with the Vietnamese government and Rotary International, COPI built Vietnam's first pediatric HIV center in Ho Chi Minh City.

 

 

 

 

 

“To serve is a privilege ”