ABOUT DVRP

DVRP’s Mission:
DVRP’s mission is to address and prevent domestic violence in Asian/Pacific Islander communities in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. DVRP’s goals are:

• To ensure that abused A/PI women have access to culturally and linguistically responsive resources in order to make their own life choices;
• To raise awareness about the problem of domestic violence; and
• To unite A/PI communities against domestic violence.

DVRP’s Values:
DVRP is a non-hierarchical organization which is built upon mutual respect, shared responsibility, trust and equality, and is supported by a collaborative style of leadership. DVRP strives to foster collaboration with all people and communities to end various forms of oppression.

History:
In 1995, a diverse group of A/PI women came together to discuss the issue of domestic violence in the A/PI community and the resources available to assist survivors. These women, the Founders of DVRP, surveyed area service providers in order to determine whether A/PI survivors of domestic violence were accessing services and what local agencies were doing to provide services to the A/PI community. The results of this survey estimated that there were over 500 abused A/PI women that were utilizing these agencies but there were very few culturally and linguistically appropriate services available to meet all of the survivors’ needs.

In response to the lack of services, the Founders created the Asian/Pacific Islander Domestic Violence Resource Project (DVRP) to provide services to all A/PI survivors of domestic violence in the D.C. area and educate the larger community about the problem of domestic violence. DVRP was incorporated as a non-profit agency in 1996.

Timeline:
1996 to 1998: DVRP remained an all-volunteer organization. The volunteers provided referrals and support to abused women who contacted DVRP. They also organized a speakers bureau of trained DVRP volunteers to participate in speaking engagements, trainings, and educational discussions with hospital staff, law enforcement, local law school clinics, and community-based organizations.

1998: DVRP hired a part-time woman’s advocate to provide assistance to survivors of domestic violence and conduct community education events. DVRP held three community dialogues in VA, MD, and DC to solicit input from the A/PI community regarding their experiences with domestic violence, and the resources available, or the lack thereof, to assist survivors.

2000: DVRP received funding to conduct a needs assessment survey of abused Asian women in D.C., called Project AWARE (Asian Women Advocating Respect and Empowerment). A researcher from Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health also worked with DVRP to design the survey and to compile the results. One hundred seventy-eight Asian women participated in the survey.

2001: DVRP hired a full-time Executive Director and transitioned the part-time employee into a full-time Community Outreach Director. The Community Outreach Director position was instituted in order to increase awareness about domestic violence and services for survivors.

2002: DVRP began the Advocates Program, training six volunteers to serve as advocates for survivors of domestic violence.

2003: DVRP started the bilingual advocates component of the Advocates Program, based on a nationally renowned model program from the Asian Women’s Shelter in CA. DVRP hired an Advocates Program Director to supervise the advocates, provide training, and oversee all aspects of DVRP’s direct services. DVRP held its second Advocates Program training, training eleven volunteer advocates and eight bilingual advocates. DVRP also started a Community Outreach Volunteer Program to enlist A/PI community members in efforts to organize around the issue of domestic violence.

DVRP’s Structure:
DVRP is a non-hierarchical organization, comprised of women and men who are committed to ending domestic violence in the A/PI community in the DC area.

• Board of Directors consists of a maximum of eleven members. Board nomination is open to the public and all candidates are required to complete an application and interview. Board members are elected (by the current board at the time of elections – every February) for a two-year term, during which they must make a commitment to regularly attend monthly Board meetings and actively take the lead in at least one DVRP committee.
• Board Advisors are a group of past board members who still want to be involved and support DVRP by providing institutional memory and guidance to current board members.
• Committees include of volunteers, board members, and staff. The committees provide a structure by which community members can actively engage in DVRP. The Outreach Materials Committee assists with developing outreach materials such as brochures and the website. The Fundraising Committee organizes fundraising events and other development projects. The Program Committee helps with program evaluatoin and assessment. The Grants Committee researches grant opportunities and helps with grant writing.
• Staff runs DVRP’s day to day operations and programs, and works to accomplish DVRP’s mission and goals.
• Volunteer Advocates provide direct services to A/PI survivors of domestic violence who contact DVRP for assistance. Volunteer Advocates make a one-year commitment.
• Bilingual Advocates are individuals who are bilingual (and usually bicultural) and who are paid on a on-call basis as consultants to provide direct services to limited English proficient A/PI survivors of domestic violence. Bilingual Advocates make one-year commitment.
• Community Outreach Volunteers assist in raising awareness about domestic violence and DVRP.
• Volunteers and Interns participate in committees, assist in administrative tasks and/or design special projects that are geared to their interests and contribute to DVRP’s programs.