Marking 62 years of Day for Agent Orange/Dioxin Victims: Warm embrace from overseas Vietnamese
WVR - In the process of dealing with the consequences of war in general and chemical warfare in particular, Vietnamese people receives great support from international friends and the warmly helping hands of the Vietnamese community abroad.
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| Marking 62 years of Day for Agent Orange/Dioxin Victims: Young artist Vo Tram Anh at the exhibition of graphic paintings about Agent Orange/Dioxin in France. (Source: Collectif Vietnam Dioxin) |
The overseas Vietnamese community has carried out many practical activities to help Agent Orange/Dioxin victims in Vietnam, as well as support the victims' struggle for justice. The lawsuit of Ms. Tran To Nga, French overseas Vietnamese Agent Orange/Dioxin victim, who sues 26 chemical companies that supplied herbicides to the US military during the war, ignited the flames of compassion of Overseas Vietnamese towards the homeland.
Outstanding activities of Overseas Vietnamese in France
Established in 2004, the Association to Support Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin Vietnam (Collectif Vietnam Dioxin) gathers nearly 20 associations of Vietnamese people in France and French friends, such as the Association of Vietnamese in France (UGVF), Association of Vietnam Youth in France (UJVF), French-Vietnamese Friendship Association (AAFV), Association of Vietnamese Student in France (UEVF), etc.
With the purpose of raising awareness on the Agent Orange/Dioxin disaster in Vietnam and mobilizing donations to support and help the victims in Vietnam, the organization has launched a series of communication compaigns and exhibitions, calling for the support and help of French friends and the international community for Vietnamese Agent Orange/Dioxin victims.
Marking the 50th anniversary of the US military spraying Agent Orange/Dioxin on Vietnamese territory, in 2011, Collectif Vietnam Dioxin in collaboration with the Vietnam Association of Agent Orange/Dioxin Victims organized a campaign around France to attract further attention from the public in France, and at the same time provide the French people with images and information about this dangerous chemical substance, as well as its consequences for people and the environment in Vietnam.
The campaign at that time has made a big resonation, because it was conducted in many forms such as photo exhibitions, screenings of films about Agent Orange which won great prizes and were shown in many countries, seminars and workshops to discuss issues relating to Agent Orange/Dioxin in different local cultural centers and venues in France, in order to attract public attention.
The spirit of supporting Agent Orange victims is also transmitted to the second and third generations of overseas Vietnamese, who have contributed to the success of the event "36 hours with Agent Orange/Dioxin victims", an online program Organized by Collectif Vietnam Dioxine in 2020 with seminars, talks, documentary screenings, interviews, etc, on the consequences of Agent Orange/Dioxin in Vietnam and calling on people around the world to support the fight for justice for the victims.
Nearly 50 volunteers, most of whom are young overseas Vietnamese in France, have spent nearly two months in preparing activities that are diverse in both content and art form. The program attracted hundreds of thousands of viewers and followers, who expressed their emotions on social networks, received 7,300 signatures in support of Ms. Tran To Nga's lawsuit and 5,400 Euros donated to the fund supporting Vietnamese Orange/Dioxin victims.
In 2021, on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Day for Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin in Vietnam, the Vietnam Youth Association in France (UJVF) in collaboration with Collectif Vietnam Dioxine organizes the first exhibition of graphic paintings about Agent Orange/Dioxin in France. From history to present, from cause to effect, from remedy to help, all are reflected in 10 graphic paintings of a young girl named Vo Tram Anh.
Tram Anh was born and raised in France. However, at reading articles and seeing photos taken by her father about children with dioxin-caused deformities, Tram Anh could imagine their pains and thought she had to do something to support the victims..
She decided to draw pictures, combined with graphic information to tell the story of Agent Orange/Dioxin victims in a friendly, understandable and touching way. The exhibition is also an opportunity to introduce small credit projects with the support of many associations in France, to help families with disable members in the areas affected by Agent Orange/Dioxin in Quang Binh.
Inspirational spirit
It could be said that Ms. Tran To Nga has a strong inspirational spirit in her activities to fight for justice and support Agent Orange victims. Therefore, in many countries such as the UK, the US, Russia, etc, the Vietnamese community has taken practical actions to respond to the movement for Agent Orange victims.
Not only coordinating overseas activities, Ms. Nga personally always calls for mobilizing donors for resources to support vocational training projects, creating jobs and income for children infected with Agent Orange/Dioxin at Agent Orange/Dioxin Victims Support Centers in Vietnam.
Last June, she gave Can Tho City Association 130 million VND to support the organization of vocational training classes and contributed capital to the Association to implement a three-year interest-free funding program for 10 households with victims affected by Agent Orange/Dioxin.
In addition, Ms. Nga and some friends supported livelihoods for nine victims' households (5 million VND each), giving 16 wheelchairs (each worth 1.6 million VND) to victims in My Tu, My Xuyen, Chau Thanh districts and Soc Trang city; donated to Da Nang city, Quang Nam province some incense making equipment and supporting incense making materials for two months with a total value of more than 127 million VND.
Recently, she also collaborated with the Central Association of Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin in Vietnam and the Provincial Association of Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin in Ha Nam province to give 20 wheelchairs to 20 victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin with movement disability.
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| Marking 62 years of Day for Agent Orange/Dioxin Victims: Ms.Tran To Nga meets a woman, an Agent Orange/Dioxin victim in Ha Nam province. (Source: Tran To Nga) |
Notably, in Belgium, the Belgium-Vietnam Friendship Association always accompanies and supports Ms. Tran To Nga and the Central Committee of the Vietnam Association of Agent Orange/Dioxin Victims through activities such as awarding scholarships to children who are Agent Orange/Dioxin victims, propose to the Belgian Parliament a resolution related to Agent Orange/Dioxin.
From 2020-2022, the Association has provided monthly allowances to four Agent Orange/Dioxin victims in Dong Nai with a total amount of VND 43.2 million. Recently, the Association awarded 1,100 Euros and 10.8 million VND to the Association of Agent Orange/Dioxin victims in Dong Nai province to provide subsidies for Agent Orange/Dioxin victims.
The gifts from the Vietnamese community and international friends to Vietnam have contributed to promoting and spreading the spirit of "loving people as if you love yourself", turning each person's awareness into concrete and practical actions. helping victims to overcome themselves, instilling their faith and love of life.
| On August 10, 1961, the United States military forces sprayed so-called "herbicides" or "defoliants", starting the longest and largest-scale chemical war, causing the worst catastrophic consequences in human history. With the spirit of solidarity, compassion and love, August 10 every year becomes the Day for Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin, reminding everyone of a disaster for the environment and human health, and calling for the social community joining hands to ease the pain of Agent Orange/Dioxin victims. |
(Translated by Thai Nguyen)
