About the Organization

Holt International Children’s Services

In October 1955, responding to the plight of homeless children orphaned by the Korean War, Harry and Bertha Holt adopted eight mixed raced children from Korea (it took an Act of the U.S. Congress to allow this) and brought them home to Creswell, a small town in Oregon. It was a bold and courageous idea—children of one race and nationality being adopted by parents of another. From a simple act of love and compassion, Holt International Children’s Services has grown into an internationally recognized child welfare agency.

Holt International is dedicated to finding a permanent loving family for every child. Holt finds families for the world’s orphaned, abandoned and vulnerable children, using an ethical, child-centered approach. Holt helps build permanent, loving homes regardless of race, ethnicity or faith.

Holt accomplishes its mission through its international headquarters in Eugene, Oregon, six US branch offices, collaborative efforts with over 200 US-based cooperating social service agencies, and overseas Holt offices and partner agencies. Since its founding, Holt has united nearly 40,000 children with adoptive families in the United States, and helped hundreds of thousands more, through family preservation programs, foster care, single parent programs and domestic adoption, in 34 countries. In 2010, Holt served a total of 36,972 children, and found permanent placements (family reunification, family preservation, or domestic or international adoption) for 3,671 children.

Holt Vietnam

Holt International Children’s Services established a corporate office in Vietnam in 1973. This office was closed in 1975 and then re-opened in 1989.

Holt-Vietnam assists in keeping or placing children in families in Vietnam through family preservation, reunification and domestic adoption. Working in partnership with the Government of Vietnam, Holt provides emergency assistance, counseling and the basic financial, health, nutritional and educational support needed to stabilize struggling households. Holt also works to prevent child abandonment by providing pregnancy counseling, temporary shelter, medical care and nutritional support to single mothers coping with the stigma of unwed motherhood. Often, however, hardships force families to seek outside care for their children. When this occurs, Holt allies with government social workers to keep or reunite children with their families, providing the support and resources needed to create a stable, nurturing home environment.

Sometimes family reunification is not possible – or the best solution – for every child in Vietnam. For these children, Holt helps sustain three government-run child welfare centers (CWCs), providing technical assistance and financial support to ensure adequate nutrition, medical care and enough childcare workers per child. An integral component of permanency planning, CWCs provide temporary shelter while Holt finds families for children through domestic adoption. At this time, inter-country adoption (ICA) from Vietnam is suspended while the Vietnamese Government works to ratify the Hague Convention.

There are currently ten staff members serving three provinces in Vietnam: Hanoi, Binh Duong and Dong Nai. Holt-Vietnam operates offices out of Hanoi in the north and Binh Duong in the south.

Job Description

The intern working with Holt-Vietnam will have a unique opportunity to work with well-established Holt office based in Hanoi, Vietnam. Holt-Vietnam is known for their effective case-management and high quality services for children and families. They collaborate closely with government partners and are well-respected in Vietnam. There are six staff members who work out of the main office in Hanoi; four of them are social workers.

Holt-Vietnam would like to further develop their public relations materials and increase visibility and awareness of the Holt-Vietnam program within Holt’s international network of constituents, as well as within Vietnam with partners. Throughout the 3-month or 6-month internship, the intern will be based in the Hanoi office, working under the direction of the Country Director. The intern will develop a work plan with the Country Director, based on his/her interests, skills and experience. Activities will focus on developing public relations materials that highlight the programs and services of the Vietnam country program. To gather information and take photographs, there will be an opportunity to travel to the south at least once during the internship. Depending on the intern’s personal interests, there will be various opportunities to identify and follow-through with additional projects. Read a recent intern's blog post here.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Represent Holt-Vietnam to external entities in a professional manner
• Work cooperatively with staff and relevant stakeholders to document the services and impact of Holt-Vietnam’s programs
• Take the lead in developing a Holt-Vietnam website
• Create a video, PowerPoint presentation or slide show to describe Holt-Vietnam’s programs and services
• Take photographs of children and families that can be used in publications
• Develop a pamphlet to highlight Holt-Vietnam’s services and the success of their interventions
• Contribute to the promotion of Holt-Vietnam’s work by writing articles and blog entries for Holt International to use in publications
• Provide opportunities for Holt-Vietnam staff to learn and practice English
• Other duties as assigned

The staff in the Hanoi office work regular office hours, approximately 8:00am to 5:00pm. There will be ample opportunity for the intern to explore Hanoi and surrounding areas after work and on the weekends. Hanoi has many cultural offerings and is a fascinating city to explore.

# of Positions per term

2

Start Dates

Any term

Duration of Internship

3-6 months

Academic Background

This internship will be a good fit for an independent, self-motivated individual who would like to contribute to a non-profit organization in an international context. The ideal intern will be interested in social work and/or non-profit administration, with demonstrated skills and/or work experience in communications, information technology, public relations, journalism and multi-media. Effective interpersonal communication, particularly strong writing ability, is critical.

This position is geared toward an intern with experience and interest in public relations, information technology, and/or communications. Specific projects undertaken by the intern will vary according to interests and ability, though the focus will be on promoting the work and success of Holt-Vietnam.

Skills/Experience

Required: Strong communication skills, particularly excellent writing skills, are essential. Intern should have basic knowledge and understanding of international development, non-profit administration and/or community development. Intern must have some basic understanding of Vietnamese society and culture, though this can be learned prior to departure through independent research. Maturity, independence and flexibility are critical.

Preferred: Some experience with creative writing or journalism preferred. Experience developing web-sites and other public relations materials would be helpful. Some undergraduate course work in Social Work, Psychology, Community Development or Non-Profit Administration recommended but not essential. Previous travel or work experience in Southeast Asia preferred. Experience working with people from other cultures is an asset.

What additional skills will an intern typically practive or learn in this internship?

• Increased understanding of non-profit administration and child welfare services
• Practical, hands-on experience with a well-established international organization
• Improved cross-cultural communication skills
• Creative writing/journalism experience
• Opportunities to learn from and collaborate with local Vietnamese staff
• Ability to work in another culture with a diverse range of stakeholders

Language Ability

English fluency required. Vetnamese helpful for everyday living but not required for job purposes.

Other Requirements

A personal laptop computer with Microsoft Word and Excel is needed.

Total costs vary depending on how long you plan to be abroad, where you will be living, your personal spending habits, and current exchange rates. The following estimates will give you a ballpark figure for this internship. Get help with the math from our handy Cost Calculator.
ALL ESTIMATES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE.

IE₃ Program Fee

The IE₃ program fee is $3450 for the first term for both in-state and out-of-state students and $1000 for each additional term, regardless of credit earned. You do not pay tuition for the term(s) you are abroad. Visit your University's IE₃ page for details, costs for additional terms, and campus administrative fees.

Estimated One-Time Expenses

Expense Type	Price
International Travel	Approx $1300
Visa Fees	$100
Recommended Immunizations	$400-800

*See Additional Cost Information below.

Estimated Monthly Expenses

Expense Type	Price/month
Housing	$300-450
Food	$100-$250
Local Transportation	$50
Recreation	$100
Personal Expenses	$50

Compensation

A stipend of $300 per month will be provided.

Additional Expense Information

Living costs: Depending on the intern’s preference and financial situation, there is a room and outdoor balcony available on the third floor of the Holt-Vietnam office which can be converted to a private living area for the intern, free of charge. Otherwise, private apartments may be arranged for $250-500 per month.

Read about one intern's current project here.

The staff in the Hanoi office work regular office hours, approximately 8:00am to 5:00pm. There will be ample opportunity for the intern to explore Hanoi and surrounding areas after work and on the weekends. Hanoi has many cultural offerings and is a fascinating city to explore.

The intern should pack clothes appropriate for a tropical climate, with at least one suit and jacket for government meetings. Vietnamese professionals do tend to dress conservatively and often dress more formally than their American counterparts at official meetings. The Holt-Vietnam office, however, is quite casual - many staff members wear jeans on a regular basis. To be culturally appropriate, it is best not to wear shorts or short skirts/dresses.

Helpful websites and other resources:

Holt International Children’s Services
Lonely Planet Guide to Vietnam
CIA World Factbook
US Department of State
Nhungtrangvang.com.