ABOUT CEF

THE CEF TEAM

The CEF Team

Linda Burn
Founding Director and In-Country Manager - Vietnam

CEF spontaneously arose out of a need I saw in Vietnam to help girls receive an education and have the opportunity of tertiary education or vocational training. I wanted to see them have a life with choices, not the limited one I saw of poverty and the resultant grinding daily struggle with no obvious way out.
Poverty sometimes leads to parents taking desperate measures, consciously and sometimes not. Daughters are sold off for a tidy sum, into arranged marriages where they are abused.  Girls are tempted by well-paid jobs in China, and although promised a bright future, end up being a prostitute in a brothel or enslaved in a factory. A girl in school has less chance of this happening to her.
This desire to help females from impoverished or marginalized communities still exists for me today 20 years later, and maybe even more strongly than in the past, as I now have seen the difference an education makes here. We have the joy of seeing many complete school, and now we have 29 who have graduated from college or university. There is no turning back.

Graeme Burn
CEO Australia, In-Country Manager - Australia

I first went to Vietnam over 20 years ago. Through subsequent visits I have seen the pride and joy the children take in their schooling and the belief parents have in its value. Working for CEF means I can help children to fulfill their longing to grow and develop through education.
Normally going to school is so much a part of our childhood. It can be inspiring. We make lifelong friends there and discover what we want to do. In Viet Nam going to school does all of this of course, but for girls in this country it can, literally, be a lifesaver. In the poorer more remote areas it gives safety and protection from exploitation. School gives young women a much better chance of breaking out of their sometimes desperate situations to do more with their lives. They're then in a position to help their families, something  their parents weren't able to do.  
That’s why I am working for CEF. And after helping Linda and her team for many years I have seen with my own eyes that when young women complete their education things change for them and their families in tangible ways.  
I’m very much looking forward to many more years of helping!

CEF staff -  
Thuy Dinh, Dung, Thuy Tran, Ngoc and Kim Chi 

CEF is lucky to have sweet, compassionate, caring  and intelligent staff.  
Ngoc has been with CEF close to thirteen years and came straight out of university into NGO work. She has learned so much so quickly and has taken on a great deal of responsibility. She is lovely with the children and has a ready smile and laugh. 
Kim Chi has been with CEF for close to twelve years and also came straight from university. She is passionate about helping children from poor families have the opportunity of an education. She is very caring and has a creative mind that is very good at finding solutions for challenges we face.
And Thuy Tran has been with us for nine years. She came with NGO experience and we are grateful for her knowledge and confidence that has come from it. She is wonderful with the children,  caring, gentle and sweet. 
​Thuy Dinh has worked for CEF for  four years. She's very caring and great at running workshops for our students.
Dung, our newest staff member had wanted an NGO job for some time, and is thrilled to be working with us. We all knew her as she's friends with three of the staff and volunteered when we ran workshops. She's now been with us for two years. 
They all work well together and care greatly about the children and their families.

Board of Directors

Linda Burn
Previous: Lifestyle Consultant, Vegetarian Cooking Teacher, ran Culinary Tours in Vietnam, Culinary Consultant & Vietnam Tour Consultant.
Present: In-Country Manager - Children's Education Foundation in Vietnam.

Graeme Burn M Ed
Previous: 40 years as a teacher and teacher trainer in English as a foreign language and as English language examinations manager University of Technology, Sydney.
Current: Australian Manager of CEF, NGO volunteer and language teacher and language consultant.

Brian Kuhl
Previous:  46 years in public service, New South Wales and Northern Territory Governments; the last 20 years of which in middle and senior management positions, with a finance/business management emphasis.
Current:  Active volunteering roles with CEF and another grassroots NGO in Cambodia.  Similarly, supporting Carers Australia (NT. Branch) and Foodbank Australia (NT Branch).

Pam Moreton
Previous: Health care professional and President of the Morisset Psychiatric Hospital Branch of the Health Services Union.
Morisset Psychiatric Hospital in the clinical rehabilitation unit as an occupational therapy assistant supporting clients who were experiencing chronic mental health.
​Current: Artist and CEF volunteer.
'I decided I wanted to be part of a real life person to person charity, one in which I was able to be in contact  with students and staff, a charity that is “hands on“, with no middleman. I joined CEF because I knew I could give support by giving myself to it's needs, that the money I raised was directly given to students and families and I could go to Hoi An and see the results personally.   Linda's obvious genuine dedication to staff and students has meant she's been such a huge influence on myself and my family.' 

Janine Drummond
Previous:  Employed for 20 years as a hospital assistant at Morisset Hospital, Central Coast, NSW.
Currently: Working as a Security Officer in the surveillance office of a medium secure unit within the grounds of the Morisset Psychiatric Facility, NSW.
'I love being a part of CEF raising funds to support young girls with their education and seeing first hand what that support can achieve for not only our students through many different types of employment which also allows the girls to assist their families with financial assistance into the future.'

Kay McCutcheon
Prior: Sales Representative for local real estate agent. 
Current: Self -employed Office Manager, and Director for the past 16 years, of Advanced Fastener Specialists.
'Since I visited Vietnam some years back I  felt  I wanted to contribute my time and energy to raise funds to help support Vietnamese to make their lives easier and happier.'

Wayne Caldwell