The Iu Mien people are one of six ethnic groups that have been called "Yao" for centuries by the Chinese, Southeast Asians, and others. They are located in Southern Provinces of China, North Thailand, Laos, North Vietnam, South Vietnam, and now many in the United States. A smaller number of Iu Mien also settled in other counties such as France, Canada, and Denmark. The total world population is approximately 1,600,000, but there is not much written about the Mien people. This makes it very difficult for outside ethnic to learn about the Iu Mien.

Initially, the Iu Mien did not have a formal written language. Missionaries that came to Laos helped develop a form of writing system using Romanized script in the 1940s. This script was later revised and is now widely accepted as the unified script internationally. Due to the late arrival of writing system, there is not much literature written in the Iu Mien language. This makes it very difficult to discover the Iu Mien history and preserve their culture. Over the centuries the Iu Mien have been upland farmers. To this day, most Iu Mien in Asia still work their steep hill field. Living in the horticultural society combined with the lack of literature in Iu Mien and the late arrival of writing system resulted in a majority of Iu Mien who cannot read and write. This illiteracy prohibits the Iu Mien to advance in society which result in a large population of the Iu Mien living in poor sanitation environment and poverty worldwide.

For those who have migrated to the developed countries, their children have grown to adapt to the local culture resulting in loss of the Iu Mien culture. Although some young Mien in these developed countries have obtained good jobs, many have been deprived of education which prevented them to pursue a good career. This is due to lack of leadership in the Iu Mien communities as a result of the immigration of the first generation Iu Mien who are from the pre-literate society. There are no role models or mentors for the young people to follow. This trend continues from generation to generation unless something is done to intervene.

Mien International Enrichment Network (MIEN) will play the role of intermediator to collaborate with other organizations, educational institutions, and government agencies to bring resources to the intervention of the trends of illiteracy, poor health, poverty, cultural and historical diminishment. The mission of MIEN is to enriching the lives of Iu Mien [Yao] people globally through the advancements in culture, education, health, and social & economic development.

Our Background