Illustrative image (Source: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – Localities throughout the country have held a wide range of activities to support Agent Orange/dioxin victims, many of whom live in poverty and suffer from serious diseases as consequences of exposure to the toxic chemical.
The Association of Agent Orange/dioxin victims in the central province of Quang Nam raised over 7.1 billion VND (317,000 USD) from international and domestic organisations and individuals to help its needy members in 2015.
The money was used to provide scholarships, capital for household economic activities and build houses for the beneficiaries.
The Association also launched a website to update relevant information for benefactors and to facilitate the connection between the victims and donors in the province.
The provincial social welfare centre is taking care of 56 AO victims, providing them with vocational training and creating jobs for them.
The Association has 10,800 members, more than half of them have benefited from social welfare policies.
In a similar move, in 2015, the Association in the Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang presented wheelchairs, built houses and provided free health checks and medical treatment to local AO victims, at a total funding of 10 billion VND (455,360 USD).
Tien Giang is home to more than 10,000 AO/dioxin victims, around 10 percent of them have yet to receive any social welfare benefits, according to President of the Tien Giang Association Le Quoc Bao.
In 2016, the Association aims to mobilise more than 5 billion VND (223,200 USD) to ease the targeted group’s difficulties.-VNA
