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VFI fights human trafficking and related exploitation in Laos and Cambodia through a 'healthy village' approach, linking causal factors (land and natural resource insecurity, lack of livelihood opportunity, etc.) to the effects (trafficking, poverty, malnutrition, etc.).

We focus on the prevention, protection, and rehabilitation of trafficking victims from communities along the Mekong River, through the operation of 1) a Shelter to protect, build skills and reintegrate survivors of trafficking into Lao society, 2) a youth-led education effort to prepare people about the dangers of trafficking, and 3) a legal advocacy initiative to strengthen the legal system, empower local officials and police, and engage local people in the fight to protect their rights.

To improve the capacity and linkages of poor ethnic minority people in Laos to have a voice in policy decisions related to their land, and to enable them to be good stewards of the natural resources (forests, rivers, mountains) that sustain them.