AO/dioxin victims in Bac Lieu province receive care and assistance. (Photo: VNA) The fifth VAVA Congress for the 2023 -2028 tenure is taking place in Hanoi on December 28 - 29.
Reviewingthe association’s performance during 2018 - 2023, Rinh said VAVA chapters nationwidehave properly submitted advice about relevant affairs to the Party, State, and all-leveladministrations, joined hands in addressing post-war consequences of toxic chemicals,and helped perfect the documents on support policies for AO/dioxin victims andon the settlement of toxic chemical consequences.
Communications in various forms havebeen boosted. The association’s emulation movement named “For the AO victims ofVietnam” has been implemented on a large scale and connected with a similarcampaign launched by the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee, thus yieldingfruitful results.
VAVA chapters have also takencreative measures to mobilise resources for the care and support for victims,he said, noting that from the start of the fourth tenure to November 2023, theyraised more than 2.27 trillion VND (93.4 million USD) in both cash and kind.
Thanks to social donations, they havespent over 2.16 trillion VND on supporting AO victims, built 3,973 houses forthe target group, presented 24,550 scholarships worth over 19.58 billion VND intotal to children of the victims, given free check-ups and medicine to 644,000people, and helped thousands of victims to develop livelihoods and seek jobs,he continued.
Inaddition, the struggle for justice for AO/dioxin victims has been promoted withnew forms and measures adopted in conformity with the Party and State’sviewpoint, guideline, and foreign policy, thereby helping improve the US Congressand Government’s awareness of the issue and their sense of responsibility to the cooperation with Vietnam in the environmental remediation ofdioxin contamination at Da Nang airport in Da Nang city and Bien Hoa airbase inDong Nai province. The US Agency for International Development (USAID) has alsocarried out a project to assist the disabled, including AO/dioxin victims, inthe provinces hit hard by toxic chemicals, along with some other projectsbenefiting the victims.
Rinh called this one of thebig successes of VAVA over the last five years.
The presidium of the fourth VAVA Congress for the 2018 - 2023 tenure, held in December 2018. (Photo: VNA) Henoted that the fifth VAVA Congress, held ahead of the association’s 20th founding anniversary (January 10, 2004 - 2024), is an important event marking thedevelopment of VAVA from central to grassroots levels. It is a chance todisseminate the Party and State’s viewpoint, guideline, and policies on thesettlement of toxic chemical consequences to raise public awareness of theissue, and call for domestic and foreign support for AO victims as well as thestruggle for their justice.
Besides,the congress is also an occasion to honour collectives and individuals withexcellent performance in the field, along with outstanding victims who havesurmounted difficulties to integrate into the society, Rinh added.
From1961 to 1971, the US army sprayed more than 80 million litres of herbicides, 44million litres of which was AO containing nearly 370 kilogrammes of dioxin,over southern Vietnam.
As a result, around 4.8 million Vietnamese wereexposed to the toxic chemical. Many of them have died while millions of theirdescendants are living with deformities and diseases as a direct result of thechemical’s effects, according to VAVA./.
VNA
