Baggrund
Pacific Links Foundation is a US-registered nonprofit that has worked on the ground in rural Vietnam for over 25 years. Its work aims to expand education and prevent exploitation. Founded in 2001 and running projects in Vietnam since 2005, it has empowered more than 500,000 people by improving life skills, raising self-awareness, bringing new knowledge and opening up opportunities for women and youth.
The organisation's work has two main strands. The Education portfolio provides scholarships to disadvantaged students from middle school to university. Beyond financial support, scholars join English tutoring with volunteer native speakers, mentoring sessions, summer camps, and workshops led by experts across many fields. The Modern Slavery Prevention portfolio raises awareness among migrant workers about labour rights and trafficking risks, supports trafficking survivors, and runs PAXU®, a mobile app that Pacific Links develops in-house for safe migration and financial literacy.
Udfordringen
Pacific Links works with young people from the poorest areas of Vietnam, so most activities run live on Zoom, with participants joining from tablets and phones. Others happen in person, such as the annual summer camp in Da Nang.
In every setting, the team needed participants to share honest opinions, stay engaged through sessions led by different guest experts, and show what they had actually learned. As a nonprofit that can't always secure funding for every activity, it also needed a solution that kept costs down.
Hvor AhaSlides kommer i
When Pacific Links first approached AhaSlides, it was looking for a way to run interactive sessions without adding costs it couldn't cover. AhaSlides has supported the foundation ever since, starting with a single summer camp and then with year-round support.
"After the camp, we saw how effective AhaSlides was, and the participants really enjoyed it. So we reached out to AhaSlides for support for our online activities throughout the year," said KimNho.
Today, Pacific Links Foundation receives free AhaSlides accounts, which staff and volunteers use to boost participant engagement during workshops and events.
AhaSlides is used across several formats:
- Fokus gruppe. This is the team's most common use. Groups of around 10 participants each run at the same time, each with its own AhaSlides presentation. Responses appear on screen instantly, so everyone can see and discuss them, and build on each other's ideas.
- Expert workshops. Guest speakers lead 60–90 minute sessions on topics from life at a tech company to preparation for medical school. They use AhaSlides during the session and close it with a quick quiz to check understanding.
- Summer camp contest. At summer events, the audience plays along in live quizzes. Up to 1,000 young people join at once, and the leaderboard keeps the room buzzing.
- In person, too. At the Da Nang summer camp, facilitators still run focus groups on AhaSlides. "Even when we meet participants face to face, we use AhaSlides because it's so visual. Everyone can follow along and see what others are sharing."
Resultatet
Participants speak up more. Facilitators can see who gave each answer, but responses appear anonymously on screen, so people feel safe sharing honest views.
Sessions have more energy. Game elements and live leaderboards make participants livelier and more eager to take part.
Learning is easier to check. End-of-session quizzes show facilitators and guest speakers whether key points landed.
Input turns into insight. The team exports results from parallel focus groups, combines them, and uses the data to shape programme reports.
