After Tet press release.
Who We Are
The Maryland Vietnamese Mutual Association (MVMA) is a nonprofit organization that provides linguistically and culturally appropriate direct services to Vietnamese Americans. Started in 1979 by a group of volunteers, MVMA is the oldest Vietnamese American community based organization in Maryland. Because of our reach in the community and our visibility, we also serve as a liaison for many agencies to ensure that vital information reaches our population. In 2008, MVMA was selected by the Harmon Foundation for inclusion in their Catalogue for Philanthropy as “one of the best small charities in the greater Washington Region.”
Mission and Vision
MVMA is dedicated to advancing the Vietnamese American community in Maryland through direct services, advocacy, and education. MVMA implements three cornerstones in its approach:
(1) Empowering low-income families and seniors through direct services and providing access to government and private programs.
(2) Advocating for social and economic equality by building awareness, capacity and solidarity within the community.
(3) Unifying multiple generations of Vietnamese Americans by promoting cultural traditions, history, art and language.
Current Services
We provide direct services through three programs:
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The Vietnamese Parenting Enrichment Project (VPEP) which empowers parents to be more involved in their children’s education;
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The Golden Age Project for Seniors (GAPS) which links limited-English-proficiency seniors to health care resources that are vital to healthy aging in-place; and
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The New Americans Advocacy Services (NAAS), our longest standing program, which assists immigrants and refugees of all backgrounds with permanent residency and the path to citizenship. MVMA is the first and only Vietnamese community organization in the nation recognized by the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA), legally sanctioned to provide immigration assistance & representation.
Outside of these direct service programs, we also host three annual events to promote cultural traditions, history, art and language: the Tet Lunar New Year’s Festival, Health Fair, and Academic Awards Picnic.
