Ho Thai Binh
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SSVN Survival Skills is a social enterprise with a mission to reduce preventable deaths and injuries in Vietnam through first aid education to international standards. Since 2014, SSVN has disseminated first aid knowledge and skills to over 150,000 participants through traditional training methods and EdTech development. As a result, many individuals are empowered to provide immediate help to thousands of accident and injury victims each year. Since our founding 10 years ago, we have transformed public first aid from a widely rejected concept to a grassroots movement that actually saves lives.
An international education is a privilege that shapes our worldview differently and any new thing will face resistance from those who didn't have the chance to understand it. Therefore, we need to fill the gap with patience and love.
I was a victim of many almost-fatal accidents, I am still alive thanks to my nurse mom who provided timely first aid. Therefore, I personally understand the stark difference between a funeral and a future full of possibilities that a simple skill can make. I became curious about this topic after finding out that tens of thousands of Vietnamese people suffer preventable deaths and injuries because bystanders don't help or help incorrectly, for example: drowning, traffic, stroke.
Throughout our work, I learned that many learners around me lost their loved ones because of uninformed practices motivated me to transform our part-time not-for-profit project into a social enterprise so we can grow sustainably to serve more people.
10 years ago when we started Survival Skills Vietnam, the idea of laypeople performing CPR and first aid was a rejected concept by both the public and the medical community for the belief that it was too difficult for a person without medical training to do, even though it was proven to effectively save lives in many countries. Many came as far as accusing SSVN of creating "fake doctors". We were persistent in our work as the founding team had stayed in Australia and observed the possibilities when laypeople were empowered with life-saving skills.
My proudest moment was 2019 when our learners not only helped their own family but also organized into grassroots movement and received support from the public, they proved to all the naysayers that everyone can save lives.
For example, some formed FAS Angels in Hanoi, who actively saved thousands of traffic accident victims every year and received a Medal of Bravery from the President of Vietnam or teacher Mai Van Chuyen, who became a case study of WHO for teaching drowning prevention skills to thousands of students in remote areas.