FOUNDER AND CHAIRWOMAN LE LY HAYSLIP
Already imprisoned and tortured by the South Vietnamese government for her revolutionary sympathies as a child, author Le Ly Hayslip was later sentenced to death, raped, and then released at age 14 because she was suspected of being a spy. These traumatic experiences formed the basis of her two critically lauded memoirs that she published in America: "When Heaven and Earth Changed Places" in 1989, and "Child of War, Woman of Peace" in 1993. Oliver Stone's 1993 film "Heaven and Earth" is based on her books. Ms. Hayslip is the founder of two charitable organizations including the current one, the Global Village Foundation. Thirty-five years ago, Le Ly’s newly-inaugurated East Meets West Foundation commenced its mission of healing the wounds of the war between the US and Vietnam. Ms. Hayslip left East Meets West years later to found the non-profit Global Village Foundation which for much of the 21st century has been engaged in humanitarian relief and development. The organization has been helping rebuild Vietnam with village schools and universities, general hospitals, and many clinic facilities. As the current chairwomen of the foundation’s board she is able to build and run schools, health clinics, medical outreach facilities, and provide homes for several hundreds of orphaned children. As a writer who advocates reconciliation and peace, Hayslip has helped to heal the wounds of war between the American and Vietnamese people through her books and humanitarian work. Her two books and the movie have promoted a better relationship between the two countries and in recent years. Today, Hayslip lectures at organizations and universities across the globe and leads international groups through cultural and anthropological sites throughout Vietnam and other countries. In addition, her foundation recruits American and Vietnam veterans, college students and U.S. Citizens to volunteer their time and expertise to help rebuild the war-ravaged village of Ky La. Ms. Hayslip is currently working on her third book and has a documentary film of her philanthropic foundation work that will be released soon.