A BRIEF HISTORY OF AGENT ORANGE - January 15, 2008
From 1961 to 1971, the United States military sprayed approximately 80 million liters of toxic chemicals in the Southern part of Vietnam, 50 million liters of which were Agent Orange, containing approximately 360 kilograms of dioxin. (Exact numbers are disputed, but there is no dispute that a very large amount of dioxin was used during this period.)
Dioxin has been proven to be one of the most harmful toxins ever invented.
There are approximately two million Agent Orange victims in Vietnam, 200,000 of which are children with congenital defects. There are also cases of congenital defects in the grandchildren (third generation) of Vietnamese veterans who were exposed to Agent Orange during the war.
The US stopped using the Agent Orange defoliant in 1971 after it was discovered that it contained a dangerous dioxin that caused cancer in laboratory animals.
The dioxin concentration is still extremely high in former airport and warehouse districts, and continues to cause damage to the environment, the food chain, and to human health.
Every year, particularly in the areas heavily sprayed with Agent Orange, thousands of children are born with illnesses and birth deformities, some of them very severe, while thousands of adults develop cancer or other health problems, according to the VNRC
The Agent Orange Victims Fund was established under the Vietnam Red Cross following the Prime Minster's decision aiming at mobilizing local and international resources to support Agent Orange victims in the country.
The Agent Orange Victims Fund has its presence nationwide in all 61 Vietnam Red Cross provincial/city chapters. The Vietnam Red Cross chapters have been conducting many practical activities to assist Agent Orange victims through this fund.
MISSION OF THE AGENT ORANGE VICTIMS FUND:
- Disseminate and mobilize funds to support Agent Orange Victims
- Coordinate with other agencies to implement projects and activities targeting Agent Orange Victims
- Provide recommendations to government agencies on policies for Agent Orange Victims
- Participate in scientific research on Agent Orange issues
The funds are managed and spent in accordance with Ministry of Finance guidelines (Circular number 35/1999/TC-TT dated 2 April 1999), and are subject to government audits.
CRITICAL NEEDS OF AGENT ORANGE VICTIMS:
- Increased awareness of Agent Orange and its harmful effects so that people know how to prevent and minimize its harm
- Health support (treatment, surgery, rehab, health aids such as wheel chairs, etc)
- Education including vocational training and jobs that are suitable for victims with limited capacity
- Housing support
- Loan/credit support for income generating activities, small businesses, etc.
From 1998 to 2004, the Vietnam Red Cross national headquarters and provincial chapters raised more than 80 billion VND (approx USD5million) for the Agent Orange Victims Fund. The Vietnam Red Cross has provided support for over 200,000 victims (of which over 92,000 received health support and treatment, over 2,000 received surgery, over 2800 received wheel chairs, over 1600 had houses built, and over 535 received scholarships. Regular subsidies were provided to 4,200 victims, and loans for income generation were given to 4,400 families.)
FUTURE PLANS:
- Mobilize international organizations, government agencies, NGOs, local and international individuals to continue to support Agent Orange Victims
- Conduct orthopedic and prosthetic activities, and provide wheel chairs and rehabilitation support for Agent Orange victims
- Provide scholarships for children with Agent Orange-related disabilities
- Provide vocational training, and suitable jobs for Agent Orange victims
- Improve living standards of Victims through loans, credits, and income generation activities
- Provide housing for extremely affected Agent Orange victims
- Provide training and capacity building for the Vietnam Red Cross network to ensure they have adequate skills to provide services to poor people with Agent Orange-related disabilities
- Establish counseling centers to provide services and health care for Agent Orange victims.