Hien (Salamah) Kieu, was born on the coastal city of Phan Rang, Vietnam. For nearly 30 years, herself and her family have called Seattle their home after emigrating to the United States in 1991. She is currently the Executive Director of a non-profit organization based in the greater Seattle Area.
We featured Hien Kieu for our Women's History Month series on Instagram. Read on to learn a bit more about her impact with the Cham refugee community in Seattle.
The Cham community in Seattle has welcomed me at a young age, when the struggle with my identity became apparent in deterring me from becoming who I am today. I am grateful to have found them in my life and this same gratitude is foundational in my work with the Cham Refugees Community (CRC). I have never doubted the amazing work they were doing and the potential they have for growth. I became professionally involved with the community as a consultant to help build up and strengthen their non-profit infrastructure and helped them to become competitive in the non-private donor arena. I broke their fear in dealing with the government and further guided them to build meaningful relationships with other similar ethnic and non-profit organizations doing amazing work, and these relationships continue to remain strong till today. As an organization, CRC grew from zero female board member prior to 2016 to four, and one paid staff prior to 2016 to nine paid staff members. CRC has grown into a confident organization who is not afraid to be creative and innovative in the ways they provide services to their constituents. CRC is on an upward path to more growth and making a greater difference in the Cham and other immigrant families’ lives.
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