From: nguyen@cisoc-nc.canon.com
Subject: Amerasian Service --- Please Help Them
Originator: daemon@media.mit.edu
Reply-To: tnguyen@canon.com
Organization: N/A
Date: Fri, 17 Apr 1992 05:29:02 GMT

Hi everyone,

The following is from the brochure that I took from the Amerasian
Service office in Garden Grove, Southern California.  Apparently, the
center is overwhelmed by the number of Amerasians (con lai) who need
help in one form or another.  For these Amerasians, the center
provides both financial and emotional help.  Almost all of the staff
are working as volunteers, and the office lacks many basic office
equipment.  Specifically, they need a working PC with an EGA or better
monitor (so that they can use the Vietnamese word processor), a
photocopy machine, and a typewriter.  Anyway, they are desperately
seeking for any kind of help, and the text below can provide
additional information about the center.  Please help if you can...

--tn

*****************************************************************

			   Saint Anselm's
		Immigrant and Refugee Community Center

The New Amerasians
------------------
A unique group of young Southeast Asian immigrants have arrived, and
are settling in our Orange County community.  In 1988, Congress passed
the Homecoming Act which allowed for several thousand Vietnamese born
Amerasian children and their families to come to America.  Today,
Orange County has the largest population of Vietnamese Amerasians in
the United States.

The number of these children (born to American military and civilian
men and Vietnamese women) is expected to increase with new arrivals
over the next few years.

In Vietnam, these children were largely discriminated against.  The
Vietnamese government's lack of resources and their resentment of the
former American presence made life difficult for these children.  The
Amerasians are often stereotyped as street children or in Vietnamese,
"bu.i ddo+`i" (a derogatory term meaning "dust of life" referring to
any extremely lower class person).  However, their backgrounds are
varied in family structure and ethnic division.  Many are found to be
deficient in education, do not have a stable family history, or have
face extreme economic hardship. Some have a history of abuse and are
lacking in social and emotional maturity.  These problems, coupled
with problems in cultural identity, make the already difficult process
of resettlement further complicated.


Amerasian Services at St. Anselm's
----------------------------------
St. Anselm's refugee center is located in Garden Grove, California.
The Amerasian Services project is supported by all local resettlement
agencies.  We are funded by the refugee resettlement offices of O.R.R.,
a consortium of volunteer agencies.

The objective of this program is to assist in the resettlement of
Amerasians and their families and to provide services that would
approach the deficits in emotional maturity, educational problems and
social adjustment into the community.

Presently, we offering special E.S.L. classes for Amerasians,
specialized job development and referral services, counseling for
Amerasians and their families and referrals to agency programs for
housing and other needs.

Recreational activities and a special mentor program, providing one on
one volunteer assistance to Amerasians and their family members are
also offered.


Who Can Help?
-------------
We are in immediate need of tutors, drivers (for classes and
services), translators, and mentors.  Business professionals, high
school and college students, and interested members of the community
all can be helpful.

If a volunteer has a special skill to offer, opportunities to
volunteer can be tailored to match the needs of the Amerasians.

If you can provide any help, please contact:

	Ms. Mary Payne Nguyen
	Amerasian Services Coordinator
	St. Anselm's Immigration and Refugee Community Center
	13091 Galway St.
	Garden Grove, CA  92644
	(714) 537-0608
	(714) 537-1120

Newsgroups: soc.culture.vietnamese