Viet Nam Assists Children Disabled by War
By Kay Schriner (kays@uark.edu)
Like many nations, Viet Nam has suffered in war. Years of conflict have left the country riddled with landmines and unexploded ordnance, and the use of Agent Orange by the United States Air Force made many people, including thousands of children, disabled.
A high percentage of these children have been harmed by exploding landmines or ordinance. The Viet Nam Times has recently reported on several such instances, including 11-year-old Pham Huu Luan, who suffered severe injuries to an arm and leg when two friends accidentally set off a bomb left from the war. Both friends were killed.
Another boy, Ho Van Lai, lost both legs in a similar bomb explosion. Two other children were killed in that explosion as well. Lai has not been to school since the accident and has abandoned his plan to become a teacher.
Many children encounter mines and bombs when picking up scrap metal for money to help support their families. Several programs are underway to teach children how to recognize mines and ordnance, and some organizations are trying to clear them from the countryside.
Toxic chemicals
The toxic chemicals used during the Viet Nam war have also harmed the health of the population. U.S. forces used some 44 million liters of the chemical to exfoliate jungle terrain. By some estimates, as many as 50,000 children born in the decade after war ended in 1975 have disabilities. In one province alone, there are 1053 children under 16 years of age who have been affected. They have physical and mental impairments. Some have benefited from surgery to repair cleft palates and hare lips. But only a small percentage have access to the services they will need.
Viet Nam and its allies are trying to help people who have been affected by the war. In March 2002, the U.S. and Viet Nam held a joint conference on health and environmental problems related to the U.S. use of Agent Orange.
And in July, a conference was held in Stockholm to plan programs to address the needs of people disabled in the war. Conference attendees included the Red Cross from Viet Nam, Germany, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland. All have contributed to Viet Nam's efforts to provide health care, rehabilitation, education, and income support to war victims.
Information for this story was taken from the Viet Nam Times.
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