Children of Peace International

Children of Peace International (COPI) is a humanitarian nonprofit organization headquartered in Loveland, Colorado, that develops and supports charitable programs in Vietnam. Its central objective is to assist vulnerable children while helping local people and communities build the capacity to improve their own circumstances. Children have remained the organization’s principal focus since its creation, although its work also extends to families, hospitals, ethnic-minority communities, and wider local infrastructure. COPI was established in 1993 by Binh Rybacki, a Vietnamese native who left Saigon with her family in 1975 and later settled in the United States. Rybacki returned to Vietnam in 1993 as a translator for a visiting group of doctors. During that trip, she encountered children working as street vendors and prostitutes, an experience that led her to establish an organization dedicated to improving the living conditions and future prospects of disadvantaged Vietnamese children. The organization’s activities have included support for schools and orphanages in multiple Vietnamese locations, including Việt Trì, Tranh Ba near Hanoi, Hạ Long, Huế, Nha Trang, Buôn Ma Thuột, Lái Thiêu, and Ho Chi Minh City and its districts of Gò Vấp and Thủ Đức. The supported institutions serve more than 4,500 children according to the available reference material. COPI has also provided scholarships and vocational training for children living in orphanages and for poor children in nearby communities, seeking to connect immediate assistance with education and longer-term economic opportunity. Its family-support work has included interest-free micro-loans for single women with children. These loans are intended to help recipients establish or maintain small cottage industries, allowing families to remain together while generating income. COPI has additionally supported hospitals by supplying medical equipment, training, and other assistance. In cooperation with the Vietnamese government, it helped build Vietnam’s first pediatric HIV center in Ho Chi Minh City. Community programs have included the construction of clean-water wells and healthcare facilities for ethnic-minority populations in Hòa Bình. The organization has also arranged or sponsored medical missions involving American medical teams, which travel to Vietnam to provide dental and medical care to orphans and economically disadvantaged people in surrounding communities. COPI has worked with the Rocky Mountain and New England Districts of Key Club International, a high-school service organization sponsored by Kiwanis International. Through that partnership, more than $56,000 was raised over a five-year period for construction of a two-story school in Đoan Hùng serving approximately 1,200 students and community members. The organization and its founder received Kiwanis International’s World Service Medal in 2002. Publicly available material presents COPI as an active humanitarian organization rather than a commercial consumer brand. No public information in the supplied sources establishes a listed status, revenue figures, formal parent organization, or an official current website URL.

Children of Peace International was founded in 1993 by Binh Rybacki, a Vietnamese native who had fled Saigon with her family in 1975 and settled in the United States. Rybacki returned to Vietnam in 1993 as a translator accompanying a group of doctors. During the visit, she saw children working as street peddlers and prostitutes. The experience prompted her to create an organization intended to improve the lives of vulnerable children and to support local communities in developing the means to help themselves. From its early child-welfare focus, COPI developed a broad program portfolio in Vietnam. The organization supported schools and orphanages in locations across the country, including areas near Hanoi, Hạ Long, Huế, Nha Trang, Buôn Ma Thuột, Lái Thiêu, and Ho Chi Minh City. These institutions reportedly served more than 4,500 children. In addition to institutional support, COPI offered scholarships and vocational training to orphaned children and to poor children living in surrounding communities. The organization also pursued interventions intended to preserve family stability. Its micro-loan program provided small, interest-free loans to single women with children, enabling them to finance cottage industries and earn income without separating from their families. COPI expanded beyond education and livelihoods into healthcare, supplying hospitals with medical equipment, training, and other support. In collaboration with the Vietnamese government, it helped construct Vietnam’s first pediatric HIV center in Ho Chi Minh City. At the community level, COPI supported clean-water wells and healthcare facilities for ethnic-minority populations in Hòa Bình. It further organized and sponsored medical missions in which American medical teams traveled to Vietnam to deliver medical and dental care to orphans and poor residents in nearby communities. A notable fundraising partnership developed with the Rocky Mountain and New England Districts of Key Club International, the youth service organization sponsored by Kiwanis International. The partnership raised more than $56,000 over five years for a two-story school in Đoan Hùng. The school was described as serving approximately 1,200 students and community members. Recognition followed in 2002, when Binh Rybacki and Children of Peace International received the World Service Medal from Kiwanis International. The available reference material identifies Loveland, Colorado, as the organization’s base and describes continuing programs in Vietnam. It does not provide detailed information about later leadership, incorporation structure, funding, annual budgets, or a current official website.

• 2002

  World Service Medal recognition

  [1]Children of Peace Internationalen.wikipedia.org

  Binh Rybacki and Children of Peace International received the World Service Medal from Kiwanis International.

• 1993

  Organization founded

  [1]Children of Peace Internationalen.wikipedia.org

  After returning to Vietnam as a translator for a medical delegation and witnessing children in severe economic vulnerability, Binh Rybacki established Children of Peace International.

• 1975

  Founder leaves Saigon

  [1]Children of Peace Internationalen.wikipedia.org

  Binh Rybacki fled Saigon with her family and later settled in the United States. This background preceded her humanitarian work in Vietnam.

A child-centered humanitarian nonprofit that combines direct aid, education, healthcare, family livelihood support, and community infrastructure in Vietnam.

• Education and child welfare

  Schools and orphanage support

  COPI supports schools and orphanages in several Vietnamese cities and provinces. The institutions provide care and education to children, with the available reference material stating that the supported network serves more than 4,500 children.

• Education and livelihoods

  Scholarships and vocational training

  Scholarships and vocational training are directed toward children in orphanages and economically disadvantaged children in surrounding communities. The programs are intended to improve educational access and future employment prospects.

• Livelihood development

  Micro-loan program

  The program provides small, interest-free loans to single women with children. Funds can be used to establish or expand cottage industries, helping families generate income while remaining together.

• Healthcare

  Hospital and HIV support

  COPI has supplied hospitals in Vietnam with medical equipment, training, and related assistance. In cooperation with the Vietnamese government, it also helped build the country’s first pediatric HIV center in Ho Chi Minh City.

• Medical and dental aid

  Medical missions

  The organization arranges or sponsors American medical teams traveling to Vietnam to provide medical and dental services to orphans and poor people in neighboring communities.

• Community infrastructure

  Community water and healthcare projects

  COPI has supported clean-water wells and healthcare facilities for ethnic-minority communities in Hòa Bình, linking basic infrastructure with public-health improvement.

• Đoan Hùng school fundraising partnership

  Vietnam · United States

  In partnership with the Rocky Mountain and New England Districts of Key Club International, COPI raised more than $56,000 over five years to build a two-story school in Đoan Hùng.

  Outcome. The fundraising supported construction of a school reported to serve approximately 1,200 students and community members.

  Source

1. 1Children of Peace Internationalen.wikipedia.org