Grants For NGO Work in Vietnam

Center for the Encouragement of Self-Reliance (CESR)

Announcement

The Center for the Encouragement of Self-Reliance (CESR) wishes to announce its intention to award grants worth between $1000.00 and $10,000.00 to selected members of the VA-NGO Network, other NGOs, and individuals inside and outside of Vietnam that work to help needy fellow Vietnamese. 

The grants will be awarded before December 31, 2011, and are expected to total $200,000.00.

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for award, an organization or individual shall meet the following criteria:

1. Has been working to help the needy Vietnamese inside or outside Vietnam for more than one year with proven financial records and tangible results.

2. Can match the grant dollar-for-dollar with funds from other sources or with in-kind contributions that could be clearly monetized.

3. Has an on-going program that could use the grant in 2012.

4. Submits electronic applications before November 30, 2011.

Who Could Apply?  

• A member of VA-NGO Network or any NGO anywhere operating a program that helps needy Vietnamese in improving the seven human security (which CESR calls happiness) factors promoted by the United Nations. These are food, health, economic, individual, community, environmental, and political security.

• A citizen or group of citizens that operates inside or outside of Vietnam, independently from the government, with the goal of helping needy fellow Vietnamese.

Applications

Applications shall be no more than 10 pages, font 12, 1.5 spaced, with the following sections:

1. Eligibility. Affirmation that the applicant satisfies the four eligibility criteria listed above. Monetization of in-kind contributions that is not clear, realistic and reasonable could be reason for elimination.

2. Description of the organization or individual(s). The description shall be made specifically for this application. Off-the-shelf material that is less than 10 pages could be included in an appendix that needs not follow the font and spacing criteria of the main application. Exceeding the page limits could lead to elimination. 

3. Plan to use the grant. Emphasis shall be put on encouraging self-reliance and empowering the honor of recipients. Emphasis shall also put on the use of money in a reasonable, controlled, and transparent fashion. Expected results shall be described.

4. Recommendation. Letters of recommendation by two respectable individuals who have known the application’s work for more than a year. These two letters do not count in the page limitations described above.

Scope of Work

Any work that benefit needy Vietnamese, inside or outside of Vietnam. 

Who is CESR?

CESR is a small private charity organization established in 1997 by Dr. Doan L Phung and Ms. Thu-Le Doan using their personal savings. CESR has assisted members of VA-NGO Network for many years, and, since 1999, has operated Trung Tâm Khuyến Khích Tự Lập (TTKKTL) in Hue, Vietnam. TTKKTL has helped more than 20,000 families in over 35 communes to pursue a trade to be self-reliant. 

The United Nations has conferred CESR the UN Habitat- Civil Society Innovation Award in 2008.  Many members of VA-NGO Network have also conferred CESR awards of Compassion or Achievements. The current policy of CESR is to assist others to help needy fellow Vietnamese in accordance with the principles upon which CESR was established.

Contact Information: doanlphung2@gmail.com

Vu Trinh for San Francisco DA. November 8, 2011

http://informant.kalwnews.org/2011/10/qa-candidates-for-district-attorney-part-v/

http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/2011/08/new-da-contender-piques-san-franciscos-interest

Vu Trinh, a graduate of University of California Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco, is a former deputy public defender and veteran trial lawyer who has served for over twenty years in the state and federal criminal justice systems, in his community, and in government. He is the current Commissioner for the State Bar of California's Criminal Law Advisory Commission (CLAC) to the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization.



Like so many others, Trinh and his family immigrated to America in 1975 to pursue the promises of a better life, a life free from government oppression and corruption. Since then, Trinh has been able to achieve the American dream. Upon receiving his law degree and passing the bar in 1992, Trinh worked as a deputy public defender in Orange County where he handled a high volume of criminal law cases. Even after his tenure there, he continued to represent indigent clients by serving on the Orange County Homicide Panel, an organization that appoints attorneys for indigent defendants facing homicide charges.



Trinh is dedicated to finding ways to improve his legal skills and knowledge. In 2000, Trinh was certified by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization as a specialist in the area of criminal law and began building his private criminal defense practice, handling cases investigated by some of government's best investigative agencies. Within the legal community, Trinh has established a reputation for being a tenacious advocate for those whose voices are often ignored by society. Throughout his career, Trinh has not merely taken on cases, but causes. In 2009, due to his vast experience in the criminal justice system, the State Bar of California Board of Governors appointed Trinh as a commissioner for the Criminal Law Advisory Commission (CLAC) to the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization. His term ends in 2012. Trinh is committed to fighting for truth, equality, and fairness in the criminal justice system.



As the only candidate that is a certified criminal law specialist and has extensive criminal defense experience, Trinh has seen first-hand that the phrases "innocent until proven guilty" and "to serve and protect" are law enforcement mottos that have long been forgotten. Rather, by fault of both prosecutors and criminal defense attorneys, the criminal law field has become more adversarial, unconcerned with finding the truth and more concerned with winning the case. Trinh has the well-being of others firmly in his heart and truly believes in establishing justice. This is why he is running for district attorney: to achieve justice and ascertain the truth.



Vu and his wife, Helen Phan, live in the SOMA district of San Francisco with their two children, Chloe and Daniel, both of whom are attending San Francisco public schools.