Healing Healing the Wounded Heart Shop is an eco-friendly fair trade shop in Hue, Vietnam. HWH is a project of the nonprofit SPIRAL Foundation, a 501(C)(3) nonprofit, based in California (www.spiralfoundation.org), in cooperation with the Office of Genetic Counseling and Disabled Children, Hue College of Medicine and Pharmacy www.ogcdc.org

 

SPIRAL Foundation and OGCDC have provided work for disabled and disadvantaged artisans in Vietnam since 2003. Products made by the artists in Hue are also sold at SPIRAL Foundation fundraisers and retail outlets in the United States and in select hotels in Hue.  Net proceeds return to fund fair wages and humanitarian aid. HWH Shop was created with the aim to make the project sustainable within Vietnam. HWH opened the Shop in spring of 2009, and it is now flourishing and on its way to becoming an sustainable humanitarian enterprise.

 

Our organization prides itself on being credible, transparent and ethical. We have pride in the quality of our work and the fair treatment of our employees. We currently employ 20 disabled artisans in Hue, providing them not only with work but also with medical insurance, housing, a daily sponsored meal, and a recreational allowance. The majority of our artisans are hearing-impaired, and receive training in tailoring, basket weaving, and other types of crafts.

 

Through employing disabled artisans with fair wages, we strive to empower the disabled to become proud, productive members of society. Our employees feel further empowered by giving back to the community through funding heart surgeries.  Since 2009 HWH has helped fund 117 heart surgeries: this is a true example to all!!! Our artisans receive a profile for each patient who receives a surgery, and have visited a number of heart surgery families to meet the patients.

 

All products are designed by the artists and supervisors of HWH shop; desigin is a collective creative effort! Our items are designed with respect for the preservation of traditional Vietnamese handicrafts, and with respect for the preservation of the environment. We have established a local recycling system in Hue, and create crafts using materials including aluminum soda cans, plastic water bottles and plastic snack wrappers. The majority of the producs sold at HWH are made locally at our workshop in Hue. 

 

Our efforts and integrity have been well recognized; we are listed in the Lonely Planet, and in many credible Vietnamese and American press and magazines including the New York Times, the Huffington Post, Than Nien, Tuoi Tre, and Dan Tri.

 

Shop Address: 23 Vo Thi Sau street, Hue, Vietnam Hours: 8am-10pm (closed for lunch from 12pm-2pm) 7 days a week Email: hwhhue@gmail.com Phone from Vietnam: 054 381 7643 Phone from US: +84 54 381 7643

Office of Genetic Counseling and Disabled Children Address: 6 Ngo Quyen Street, Hue, Vietnam Email: ogcdc@dng.vnn.vn Phone from Vietnam: 054 383 3694 Phone from US: +84 54 383 3694 Website: www.ogcdc.org

 

SPIRAL Foundation Address: 211 Vance Street, Pacific Palisades, CA 90272, USA Email: spiralfoundation@aol.com Phone: 310 459 6671 Website: www.spiralfoundation.org

 

 

LIST OF HEART SURGERIES THAT THE HEALING THE WOUNDED HEART ARTISANS HELPED FUND SINCE SPRING OF 2009: A TRUE EXAMPLE FOR ALL 

 

Healing the Wounded Heart Shop donates 15% of its net proceeds to help fund heart surgery patients in the Hue area, through the Office of Genetic Counseling and Disabled Children, Hue College of Medicine and Pharmacy. Heart surgeries are done by local surgeons at the Hue Central Hospital. While Hue’s hospitals have the capacity to do these surgeries, many families and individuals in the Hue area cannot afford these life-saving operations. Heart surgery operations in Hue cost from $1,500 (30,000,000 VND) to $3,000 (60,000,000 VND), which can be an impossible amount for families who earn as little as $300 (6,000,000 VND) a year.  By donating funds, HWH’s disabled artists are able to give back to their community. They become no longer “disabled” but are able to help those who are in greater need than themselves. HWH has been funding heart surgeries since February 2009.