I really enjoyed talking with Yoomie and hearing her story.  Coming to the US as a refugee from Vietnam, it was interesting to hear about her experiences growing up as an immigrant in the mid-West.  I liked how determined and driven she was, and her story really epitomizes the idea of the “American Dream.”  For Yoomie, joining the Peace Corps was a way to give back to a country that had afforded her so many opportunities, and also to help people in other countries who may not have the same opportunities as her.  What an inspiring story!

Pre-service training in Mongolia

Site-mates in Darkhan, Mongolia

Orphanage kids in Mongolia

CYNC weekend work retreat to Kazbegi region in Georgia

Ms. Yoomie Huynh has eight years of international development experience concentrating in social protection work with local grassroots NGOs, international non-profits, and inter-governmental organizations; five of which were in Mongolia, Thailand, Cambodia, Tajikistan, and Georgia. She specializes in human trafficking, child labor, gender issues, migrant populations, social protection, and reintegration programs. She served as a two-year Peace Corps volunteer in Mongolia from 2007-2009 as a Community Youth Development (CYD) volunteer at an orphanage in Darkhan, Mongolia. Additionally, she recently returned from a 6.5 month stint as a Peace Corps Response volunteer as a Youth Program Development Consultant for the Children and Youth National Center (CYNC), Ministry of Sports and Youth in Tbilisi, Georgia. She holds a BA in Psychology, Theology, and Women Studies from Georgetown University and an MSc in Violence, Conflict and Development from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), Univeristy of London. Yoomie is from Binh Duong, Vietnam and Sioux City, Iowa.