Episode 8: HopeBox-Empowering Domestic Violence Survivors in Vietnam

Womenlines presents a talk show ‘Let’s erase Domestic Violence’.This talk show aims to share various ways to give hope to domestic violence survivors and erase this stigma from our society across the globe. It is a pleasure to share about a social enterprise HopeBox from Vietnam which is working towards giving hope to Domestic violence survivors in Vietnam. HopeBox is a social enterprise that helps these victims to train for skills in cooking, baking and tailoring. By helping train these women, they are able to get jobs or start their own enterprise from home. Womenlines takes delight to welcome Huong Dang, founder of HopeBox and Binh Rey, Principal, Trade Mark Attorney at Pointon Partners Australia and a passionate Patron of HopeBox, in the Let’s Erase Domestic Violence’ Show.

HopeBox runs a bakery kitchen that employs women who have experienced abuse to prepare and cook the food. Ordering a box of cookies or a gift box from HopeBox allows locals to directly help a survivor of family violence earn a fair wage, learn new skills and live at a safe house.

Huong Dang

Huong Dang founded HopeBox with the goal of helping rural Vietnamese women who have experienced domestic violence obtain a fresh start and break the cycle of abuse. Huong also works at KOTO as Director of Partnerships and Strategy. KOTO is a social enterprise that provides a holistic training program to street kids and disadvantaged youth.

By providing women with employment opportunities, HopeBox is helping the survivors to start fresh with a ray of hope for a better future. Huong founded HopeBox in 2018, a social enterprise that creates jobs for women who are victims of gender-based violence. HopeBox runs a bakery kitchen that employs women who have experienced abuse to prepare and cook the food. Ordering a box of cookies or a gift box from HopeBox allows locals to directly help a survivor of family violence earn a fair wage, learn new skills and live at a safe house.

Huong was born in 1986 in a farming family. Her father passed away when she was very young. Her mother had to work very hard just to make a living. At 13, Huong arrived in Hanoi by herself and babysat for Hanoi’s families to earn $10/month. Despite all these difficulties her passion for study never stopped. Huong registered for a night class at a Continuing Education Centre. She became a street kid, woke up at 2 am to cook sticky rice and sell on the street. Her life was full of challenges and dangers. There were many drug dealers where she lived and she slept on a small bed under the stairs.

Huong’s life turned to an amazing page when she was introduced to KOTO in 2006 to study and became a waitress and worked in Intercontinental Hanoi Westlake Hotel.

In 2012, Huong commenced an Associate Degree in Melbourne via a KOTO – Box Hill Institute scholarship. In 2013, Huong was honoured as Victoria’s International Student of the Year – Higher Education and the Premier’s Award- International Student of the Year with a $20,000 scholarship. Huong has contributed greatly to NGOs, universities and the Victorian Government while she held the role of International Student Ambassador and volunteered for many organisations.

Huong completed her Master of Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Swinburne University of Technology (Melbourne, Australia), where she won the Swinburne Achievement Award. After graduating, Huong worked as a Business Analyst for Infrarisk Melbourne. Huong returned to Vietnam in early 2017 with a great passion to give back to KOTO, the organisation that changed her life and worked as Director of Partnerships and Engagement. In May 2017, she was selected as a Young Leader representing Vietnam in the Australia Vietnam Young Leader Dialogue. She took a break in 2019 and moved to the UK to work as a Client Service Manager.

Despite these numerous accolades, Huong always knew there was more she could do for those with a similar background to her. HopeBox was founded with a simple idea and mission; to help rural Vietnamese women who have experienced domestic violence obtain a fresh start.

Binh Rey

Binh Rey is a Principal, Trade Mark Attorney at Pointon Partners, Australia. She is a patron of HopeBox. She wants to assist in raising the profile of this charity as the work they do, brings “hope” to those domestic victims in Vietnam who have been brave enough to leave their abusive partners to dream of a brighter financially stable life. Binh’s mother had suffered domestic violence at the hands of an extended family member, however, there was support for her mother as they were living in Canada at that time. In Vietnam, there are no support services to assist women in that situation and therefore it’s nice to know that HopeBox is there in Vietnam to assist. Domestic violence is a terrible act, it affects all parties involved, it should be eliminated.

Binh Rey is foremost a marketer with over 20 years of industry experience in product, channel and business marketing. Binh Rey is known in the industry for her brand marketing and trademark knowledge, helping clients to understand how their brand is structured and how they can use their brand in the marketplace. Binh has a special power, only her clients that have experienced her brand brainstorming sessions can vouch for this service. Essentially, Binh helps the client find a trademarkable brand by guiding them to a brand name that they like and is likely to be passed by the Examiner for trademark registration. If you wish to find out more about how she can help you find a trademarkable name, please ask her for this service.

By combining her sales and marketing experience, her trademark attorney expertise and a bit of a sixth sense for branding, Binh has helped numerous clients overcome infringement issues and protect new brands for long-term success With a straight-talking approach and genuine care for clients’ commercial outcomes. She finds real satisfaction when she can help her client overcome any infringement issues. She acts as a cheerleader for her client’s businesses, wanting them to succeed, therefore helping connect with people that could help them along the journey.

Please support HopeBox social enterprise at https://hopeboxvn.com/donate/!

At Womenlines we strongly believe that as a woman we all are having amazing powers, and skills, which can help us to achieve our dreams and fight challenges in life. Many women across the globe forget or are not even aware of it. Through ‘Let’s Erase Domestic Violence Talkshow’ we want to reach out to women globally who are facing this violence, that they can come out of it, and make them believe that there are people to help them out to prevent domestic violence./