Carrying the "legacy of Agent Orange" is a post-war wound that is difficult to heal for veterans who have been through life and death. Over the years, with the policies of the Party, the State, and the province, the love and care of the community has lit a fire of faith, helping Agent Orange victims and their families gradually ease their pain and move towards better things in life.
The pain of veterans
For decades, a new day for Mrs. Vu Thi Am, 86 years old (Dong Son village, Yen Mac commune, Yen Mo district) always starts very early. Not to practice yoga, not to eat a well-prepared breakfast prepared by her children and grandchildren... but to clean up and take care of her daughter who is over 50 years old.
Mrs. Am said that she had experienced all the pains of life. She still clearly remembers the day her husband, the young soldier Nguyen Ngoc Bich, was discharged from the army and returned to his hometown and married her. The young couple had set many beautiful dreams and many goals to strive for together. Now, at an age near death, thinking back on those distant dreams, Mrs. Am said that she and her husband could not achieve any of them. Everything was just a whirlwind of fear, of caring for and treating the children affected by Agent Orange from their father. "I gave birth to 7 children, 2 sons died when they were very young, 1 daughter had a twisted body, suffering from illness. The remaining daughters married in the far South and their circumstances were also difficult.
Currently, taking care of our disabled daughter is the main job of my husband and I. However, we are too old, the time for me to fulfill my duty as a mother is limited. I no longer feel pain and sadness, but instead accept my fate, and devote all my love and responsibility to taking care of my disabled daughter," Mrs. Am confided.
Mr. Bich is 87 years old this year. He said he has almost lived his entire life. Being the father and mother of physically and mentally ill children, he and his wife are in great pain. Over the years, the policies of the Party, the State, and the province for people with revolutionary contributions have been increasingly improved, contributing significantly to improving the quality of life for his family. Mr. Bich is both a war invalid, a sick soldier, and a victim of Agent Orange.
While previously, Mr. Bich only received the highest subsidy, he now receives all three regimes in accordance with Decree No. 131/2021/ND-CP dated December 30, 2021 detailing and implementing the Ordinance on Preferential Treatment for People with Revolutionary Contributions. The subsidy has increased, so the material life of Mr. Bich and his wife is less difficult.
The grandparents' biggest worry now is for their disabled daughter: "We are very worried. Later, when we are old and weak and return to our ancestors, what will happen to our daughter? My husband and I always encourage each other to try to take care of our daughter. The years of fighting in front of the enemy's guns have trained me to be strong and resilient. But seeing my daughter in pain with a body disabled by toxic chemicals, my tears fell" - Mr. Bich said.
Join hands for Agent Orange victims
Over the years, in addition to the policies of the Party and the State, many organizations and individuals have always accompanied and shared material and spiritual support for Agent Orange victims. A typical example is the Association for the Support of Vietnamese Children Affected by Dioxin in France (VNED). This is a voluntary organization of French people and the Vietnamese community in France, established in 2001, with the aim of helping Agent Orange victims during the Vietnam War.
From 2004 to 2023, the Association for the Support of Vietnamese Children Affected by Dioxin in France coordinated with the Ninh Binh Red Cross to assist over 100 poor children and victims of Agent Orange in the province with a total amount of over 3 billion VND through 3 forms of assistance: Sponsorship, scholarship and interest-free loans.
Recently, the representative of the Association for the Support of Vietnamese Children Affected by Dioxin in France presented scholarships and sponsorship money with a total value of 131 million VND to 26 cases of indirect victims of Agent Orange with especially difficult circumstances in the province. This meaningful gift will help the children have more resources to cover their living and studying expenses. In particular, to better care for the lives of its members, the District Association for Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin has also proactively coordinated closely with agencies, units and organizations in mobilizing resources to care for both material and spiritual needs of Agent Orange victims in the area. The Gia Vien District Association for Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin currently has 732 members. Of which, 423 are directly infected and 239 are indirect victims.
Mr. Dang Van Huyen, Chairman of the Association of Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin in Gia Vien District, said: Over the years, the District Association has always closely followed and grasped the economic, health and illness situation of its members; focused on households with many people infected with Agent Orange, households with especially difficult economic and housing circumstances, and people with serious illnesses, etc. to promptly report to the authorities; connected with charitable organizations and individuals to call for attention and help.
The District Association of Agent Orange Victims is also very interested in supporting members to develop the economy and reduce poverty. The Association has conducted a survey of actual needs and assessed the working capacity of members, thereby providing specific and appropriate support. The Yen Khanh District Association of Agent Orange Victims has also played a good role as a "bridge" between kind hearts and members in particularly difficult circumstances. In the first 6 months of 2024, the District Association received gifts from the President, the province, the Provincial Association, organizations and individuals to present to 100% of victims in the district with a total amount of over 482 million VND.
In addition, many organizations, individuals, businesses, and philanthropists also regularly share and support Agent Orange victims in many forms such as: health check-ups, consultations, and free medicine distribution, vocational training, and job creation for healthy victims... The sharing, love, and support of the whole society has partly helped people infected with Agent Orange to ease the pain caused by the war.
Mr. Phan Sy Loi, Chairman of the Association of Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin in Yen Khanh District, said: In addition to the spiritual and material support of the whole society, victims of Agent Orange also need more appropriate support policies to improve their lives. In reality, the generation directly affected by toxic chemicals are quite old, have poor health, and many have incurable diseases. Meanwhile, they still have to take care of their children and grandchildren who are deformed, disabled, and cannot take initiative in their daily activities.
Therefore, we hope that the Nursing Centers will further improve their facilities so that they can welcome more generations of children, grandchildren, and people infected with toxic chemicals to be raised and cared for, to reduce the difficulties for their families. In addition, many of the second generation of Agent Orange victims are also married and have children. They shoulder the responsibility of being the economic pillars of their families, while their health is poor and they do not have a job. In the long term, we hope that there will be more vocational training organizations, creating jobs for Agent Orange victims to have health, work, and income to take care of themselves and their families...
Dao Hang
Source: https://baoninhbinh.org.vn/xoa-diu-noi-dau-da-cam-bang-tinh-yeu-thuong-cua-cong-dong/d20240810085410327.htm
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