Spring 2005 - Vietnam Friendship Village Project USA

Viet Nam Friendship Village
Joint Newsletter of the United States and Canadian Committees
for the Vietnam Friendship Village Project
ANNUAL
REPORT
© BOB FITCH PHOTO
Looking Back: Progress
Made in 2002-2004
VFVP-USA Board Member Carl Stancil
gets a personal tour of the Village.
In This Issue
ANNUAL REPORT
• Report from 2004
International Meeting . . . . . . . 1, 4, 5
• Financial Statements . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
• Medical Equipment Wish List . . . . . .5
Director Hung’s Story . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Update from Viet Nam . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
• Director’s Report
• VAVN Medal Awards
News from Anchorage . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
• Alaskans Experience a Learning Tour
of Viet Nam
Canadian Committee News . . . . . . . . 8
Peter Yarrow Visits the Village . . . . . .8
Make Donations Online! . . . . . . . . . . .8
Donor Acknowledgements
& Dedications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Rock ’n’ Roll Circus Brings
Smiles & Funds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
plus classroom space, has freed up
space in older buildings for an expanded dining hall and an improved meeting room for guests.
The Veterans Association’s report for
Nov. 1, 2002 through Oct. 31, 2004,
presented at the Tenth International
Looking Forward:
Meeting held in Hanoi at the end of
October 2004, began by noting chal- Plans for 2005-2006
lenges faced by the International
At the end of the International
Committee: The British Committee has Committee Meeting held in Hanoi on
been inactive for several years, and the Oct. 29-30, 2004, a memorandum
Japanese Committee contributed only signed by the heads of the five partici$4,000 during this period. However, on pating national committees plus Lt.
the plus side, the Japanese Committee’s Gen. Tran Hanh, V.P.–Secretary General
new head, Ahara Shigemitsu, has of the VAVN, summarizes the activities
expressed a strong dedication to the of the meeting and lays out agreedproject, and the Canadians’ support is upon plans for the Friendship Village
rapidly growing since their committee for the next two years.
was founded two years ago.
The U.S. Committee was acknowl- Number of Patients
edged in the report for more than douAt the time of the meeting about
bling its percentage share of the 160 patients were being cared for. In
International Committee’s total contri- 2005-06 this number will be increased
bution from 13.79% in 2000-02 to to 200. As the number of residents
29.8% in 2003-04. In addition to funds increases, the number of staff and
raised by VFVP-USA, $10,600 in donacontinued on page 4 …
tions came directly
from U.S. citizens and
organization reps who
visited the Vietnam
Friendship Village during the last two years.
The new Crafts/
Rehab Building was not
included in plans for
2003-04 in the memorandum signed at the
2002
International
Committee Meeting,
but due to the urgent
need, an appeal was
made to the Veterans
Association of Vietnam
(VAVN) by the director
of the Village to go
ahead with this project.
Having this new building for rehabilitation
President of the Japanese Committee, Ahara Shigemitsu,
and vocational training, visits with children during the 2004 International Meeting.
BECKY LUENING
Spring 2005
Director Hung’s
Story by Suel Jones
VFVP Contacts
U SA
Vietnam Friendship Village Project USA
P.O. Box 3805, Santa Cruz, CA 95063
http://www.vietnamfriendship.org/
Email: [email protected]
CANADA
Vietnam Friendship Village Project Canada
• Michelle Mason, President
• Tom Boivin
• James Dean
• Wayne Dwernychuk
• Erin Johnston
• Marina Percy
• Krista Riley
• Shannon Rogers
• Jeff Schutts
2595 Panorama Dr., N. Vancouver, BC V7G 1V4
Tel: 604-990-3544
http://www.friendshipvillage.ca/
Email: [email protected]
G E R MANY
Dorf der Freundschaft
• Rosemarie Höhn-Mizo, President;
President of International Committee
Pfarrstraße 3, 74357 Bönnigheim-Hofen
Tel/Fax: +49 7143 24891
http://www.dorfderfreundschaft.de/
Email: [email protected]
FRANCE
l’Association Républicaine des Anciens
Combattants et Victimes de Guerre (ARAC)
• Raphaël Vahé, Président national délégué
• Georges Doussin, Vice President
2, place du Méridien, 94807 Villejuif cedex
Tel: +33 01-42-11-11-19 • Fax: +33 01-42-11-11-10
Email: [email protected]
J A PA N
Vietnam Friendship Village Project Japan
• Ahara Shigemitsu a.k.a. “Shige”
Professor, Faculty of Economics and Business
Wako University
2160 Kanai-machi, Machida-shi, Tokyo
Tel: +81 3-044-989-7777-4308
VI ET NAM
The Veterans Association of Viet Nam
• Col. Ta Hung, Director of Foreign Relations
• Lt. Gen. Tran Hanh, Managing Director VFVP
34 Ly Nam De, Hanoi, Vietnam
Tel: +84 4-7332384 • Fax: +84 4-8236815
2
SUEL JONES
• Becky Luening, President — Tel: 707-826-9197
• Carl Stancil, Treasurer
• Bill Dean, Secretary
• Liliane Floge, Newsletter Editor
• Michael Cull, Alaska Committee
• Marti Barnard, Alaska Committee
• Donald Flaxman, California Bay Area Rep
• Suel Jones (Hanoi) — Email: [email protected]
The countryside in 1947 surrounding Yes
Tap Village was as it had been for hundreds
of years, flat and easily worked, laced with
hand-dug canals that transformed the land
into good rice country. But not all who
worked the fields owned the land that consumed their energies and eventually their
bodies. Such was the case for Nguyen Khai
Hung’s father, a landless peasant who hired
himself out to work rice fields belonging to
other families.
The French were fighting to control this
area, which, besides being an important
source of rice, included a major road leading
Director Hung and “Miss Nu”
east from Hanoi to Hai Phong. Maybe
have become good friends.
because of the desperation under which his
family lived, or a desire to help defeat the French colonialists, or because he was
simply looking for adventure, 11-year-old Nguyen Khai Hung left his family to work
as a messenger boy for the Vietnamese army. He took the name Nguyen Khai
Hung to protect his family, but one year later for reasons Hung does not know, his
father along with ten other men, were taken from the Village. Eight of them,
including his father, were never seen again.
In 1952 at the age of 16 Hung enlisted in the regular army. He spent his life in
the military, first as a nurse during the French War and later as a political officer
during the American War, rising from the uneducated messenger boy to rank of
colonel. Hung became head nurse at the Cat Bai Island Army Hospital in 1959,
attending to men and women maimed in the new war starting to rage across the
south. Because of his expertise he was chosen to attend the army medical school
to train as a doctor, but he was so needed as head nurse that the hospital would
not release him to pursue this training. In 1971 Hung changed professions when
he studied to become a political officer; he left the island for a three-month walk
down the Ho Chi Minh Trail to join the North Vietnamese Army in an area between
Saigon and Cambodia where he served until 1974. In 1977 he retired from the military after a 27-year career.
When the Vietnamese government established the Veterans Association of
Vietnam (VAVN) in 1989, Hung was there and worked for the association in the
very early days of its existence. When the Friendship Village idea began taking
shape in 1991, he was appointed by the VAVN to work on the project. Since its
opening in the spring of 1998, Hung has served as Director of the Vietnam
Friendship Village (VFV), overseeing the health and welfare of children and veterans affected by the “American War.”
Hung loves watching the kids laugh and play, an experience he seldom enjoyed
as a child. But there is more to his job than watching the kids. He must oversee
the construction of new buildings, such as a new residence for severely disabled
children and the soon-to-be started hospital and clinic that will service the VFV and
surrounding villages. Add in day-to-day operational issues, the public relations
work of meeting visitors and being on the board of directors of the Veterans
Association which directs the Village, and one can see that Hung has a full day, six
days a week. All of this for about $76 US per month, including his retirement pay.
We just received the news that Nguyen Khai Hung retired from his job as VFV
Director as of April 4, 2005. The directorship of the VFV has been assigned to Nat
Xuan Thai, who has been serving as vice director for the past year. Director Hung
will definitely be missed—by the children at the Village, and by all who have
worked with him. We wish him well.
Viet Nam Friendship Village Project
ANNUAL
REPORT
Vietnam Friendship Village Financial Report
November 1, 2002–October 31, 2004
PLEASE NOTE: All amounts are listed in U.S. Dollars.
PART I. FINANCIAL SUMMARY
INCOME
International Committee
Germany (41.69%)
France (22.42%)
U.S.A. (29.8%)
Japan (2.15%)
Canada (3.94%)
Government of Vietnam
Individuals & Organizations
FUND SURPLUS
(Left over from 2000-2002)
Total Income
EXPENSE BREAKDOWN cont’d
$ 188,336.59
77,494.84
44,121.21
55,391.00
4,000.00
7,329.54
50,649.00
34,591.91
$ 58,130.44
$ 331,707.94
EXPENSES
Operating Expenses
Equipment Purchase
Basic Construction
$ 205,936.88
16,180.85
96,859.00
Total Expenses
$ 318,976.73
FUND SURPLUS 2003-2004
transferred to 2005-2006
$ 12,731.21
PART II. ADDITIONAL CONTRIBUTIONS
Contributions received from delegations visiting from other
countries:
Germany
$
585.20
U.S.A.
10,600.00
France
62.70
Japan
300.00
Contribution from Vietnam Children’s Fund and VFVP-USA
for New School Building (groundbreaking Oct. 15, 2004):
Estimated cost
$ 31,000.00
In-kind donations from Vietnamese individuals and
organizations (estimated values):
Construction of New Gate
$
6,410.00
Construction of New Kitchen
4,807.50
Ultrasound Machine
1,602.50
PART III. EXPENSE BREAKDOWN
OPERATING EXPENSES
2002
2003
2004
Total Operating Expenses
(25% paid by Government of Vietnam;
75% by International Committee)
EQUIPMENT PURCHASE & DOCUMENT PRINTING
Printing 10-80 Committee Docs
$ 4,000.00
Purchase of 10 sewing machines
4,561.14
(sponsored by French Committee)
Purchase of 32 sewing machines
6,376.85
(sponsored by Veterans Assn of Viet Nam)
Purchase of water pump & other equipment 1,242.86
Total Equipment Purchase & Printing
BASIC CONSTRUCTION
Building Road and Leveling Area B
$ 32,316.00
(Location of new Voc/Rehab Building)
Construction of Voc/Rehab Bldg
51,556.00
Repair/Remodel of Mtg Hall/Conf Room
12,987.00
Total Basic Construction
TOTAL EXPENSES
$ 205,936.88
$ 96,859.00
$ 318,976.73
VFVP-USA
Financial Summary
Oct. 1, 2003–Sept. 30, 2004
Please note that VFVP-USA’s Fiscal Year differs from that of the
Friendship Village Report, and this summary is for FY 2003-04 only.
TOTAL ASSETS beginning of year
$
INCOME
Individual Donations
Interest from Savings
$ 34,331.25
30.18
Total Income
EXPENSES
Bank Charges
Entertainment
Photocopies
Postage
Printing
Telephone
Travel
Video Reproduction
Website
Total Expenses
$ 13,327.22
93,645.24
98,964.42
$ 16,180.85
1,059.39
$ 34,361.43
$
30.00
150.00
202.73
1,013.94
1,540.52
640.84
375.00
510.00
226.40
$
4,689.43
VFVP FUND TRANSFERS
To Veterans Association of Vietnam
$ 17,000.00
To Vietnam Children’s Fund (School Bldg.)
7,000.00
Total Transferred
TOTAL ASSETS end of year
$ 24,000.00
$
6,731.39
Spring 2005 Newsletter
3
ANNUAL
REPORT
In response to a request from Friendship Village
Director Nguyen Khai Hung, the President of the
Japanese Committee, Ahara Shigemitsu, has already
declared his committee’s goal to provide personal computers for a new technology learning center at the
Friendship Village.
A high priority for the Friendship Village is to transform the existing small health clinic into a two-story,
11,410-square-foot, general health facility, referred to
by our Vietnamese partners as “Center of Polyclinic
Diagnosis and Treatment and Healthy Consultation.”
(In 2003-04, VFVP-USA aspired to raise funds for the
clinic expansion after meeting its commitment for
operating expenses, but instead the school building
This new school building is the first building at the Friendship
project became a priority after the Vietnam Children’s
Village to be paid for entirely by Americans. Costs were split 50-50
Fund agreed to share half of the cost.) At the
between the Vietnam Friendship Village USA Committee and the
International Meeting it was agreed that the
Vietnam Chidren’s Fund, an organization founded by an American
Vietnam war veteran that builds schools throughout Vietnam.
International Committee would help to raise money for
medical and dental equipment or donate equipment
…continued from front page
directly in close communication with VAVN (see sidebar on
facilities will grow accordingly. In addition, repairs will need page 5). Our Vietnamese partners promised to find the funds
to be made to some of the older buildings. The nutrition bud- for the clinic expansion. Later in November 2004, Village
get was raised approximately 1.5% in 2004 to keep up with Director Nguyen Khai Hung reported that the VAVN had
rising food costs. The overall food expense is expected to be obtained the capital for the medical clinic project and were
$110,000 in 2005 (for 150+ patients) and $140,000 in 2006 actively preparing the building design and total project estimate necessary for funding approval. The groundbreaking for
(for 200 patients).
the health center is to take place in the second quarter of
Quality of Care
2005.
A second house for severely handicapped children is now
The goal for children and adults being treated at the
Village is to get the best possible medical care and treatment. built thanks to the Germans. The German Ministry for
continued on page 5 …
The goal of the Village is to create programs that help children to become as
self-sustaining as possible in spite of
their disabilities and help them to
develop their capacities and in this way
also help their families. To this end, the
following services will be offered in
2005-06:
• Regular primary education classes
• Primary and higher education
students integrated into local
area schools as much as possible
• Special classes for physically and
cognitively challenged children
• Staff instruction in teaching
methods for the deaf
• Expansion of vocational training
to include garment making, embroidery, flower craft, computer skills,
electronic appliance repair, and
increasing the number of
vocational students from 70 to 100
A French photographer visiting the Village captured this wonderful shot of two boys at play.
4
Viet Nam Friendship Village
PATRICK AVENTURIER
SUEL JONES
Capital Construction Work
ANNUAL
REPORT
- Wish List Medical Equipment Wanted
for the Vietnam Friendship Village
Approx.
Cost USD*
Oxygen Concentrator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,282
Suction Machine. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Minor Surgical Instrument Sets (2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Syphgmomanomitors (5) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Portable Surgical Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Surgical Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Electro-heart Machine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,150
Color-Ultrasound Machine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96,153
Electroencephalogram Machine . . . . . . . . . . . . 23,870
Wave X-ray Machine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22,100
Film Reading Lamps (3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Film Rinsing Toolset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320
Blood Chemistry Analyzer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,700
Slop Examination Machine (16 norms) . . . . . . . 1,330
Blood Count Analyzer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
CO2 Laser for Tonsillectomies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 897
Clamp Lamp. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Smoke Eater for CO2 Laser (2). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Opthalmascope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 448
Optometry Examination Set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Dental Drill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12,820
Dental Ultrasound . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Digital Dental X-ray Machine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,564
Electrolysis Machines (2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5,128
Electropulsatory Machines (2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6,666
Short Wave Machine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8,974
Red Lamps (2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,282
Ultraviolet Lamps (2). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,923
Electric Parafin Cooker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 641
Spinal Column Stretching Bed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5,128
Korean Medicinal Herb Cooking-down Pots (5) . . 256
Pill-coating Machine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,282
Medicinal Herb Grinder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Warm Cabinet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
Dry Cabinet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320
*Based on Vietnamese prices
Note: Please contact us for clarification on any of these items.
© BOB FITCH PHOTO
Medical/Dental Equipment
Suel Jones, VFVP-USA’s “Man in Hanoi,” jokes with students in the
Friendship Village sewing classroom. The Juki sewing machines were
donated by the Norwegian Red Cross. Recently the Vietnam Veterans
Association Employment Service of Hanoi donated 32 more.
Staff Salaries and Training
Opportunities
At the time of the International Meeting, salaries of
Friendship Village staff ranged from $22 to $70 per month
(USD). We agreed to raise the lowest salary from $22 to $36
per month, to acknowledge the good work and commitment
the Friendship Village staff has shown for so many years.
Higher wages will make the Friendship Village a more attractive place to work, reducing turnover and increasing the
motivation and desire of the staff to further their own training and knowledge in working with disabled people.
Thanks to efforts made by the German Committee, the
Friendship Village received a special grant from the German
Development Service to pay the salaries of two German
professionals, physiotherapist Edith Heinlein and special
education teacher Vivien Heller. The women began their twoyear work assignment at the Village in January. They will be
providing professional training to staff in assessment and
treatment of physically and cognitively challenged children to
ensure that patients receive the highest possible care and
education.
…continued from page 4
Declaration on Agent Orange
Development and Cooperation is providing 75% of the cost for
the house and the German Committee will raise the remaining
25%. We participated in groundbreaking ceremonies on
November 4, 2004; the house will be up by spring of 2005.
If the International Committee can raise sufficient funds
in excess of basic operating costs in the next two years, a
new administrative building will be constructed, at an estimated cost of $50,000. When this building is completed, the
“Jeff Huch Building” located at the entrance to the Village will
be converted into a hospitality house for visiting delegations
and volunteers.
At the end of the International Meeting on October 30,
2004, all the national committee heads signed a “Declaration
of Vietnam Friendship Village International Committee on
Assistance in Overcoming Consequences of Agent Orange.”
Essentially, the declaration recognizes Agent Orange/Dioxin
as having caused long-lasting, severe health and ecological
consequences in Vietnam, and appeals to the government of
the United States (recognized as the responsible party), as
well as to governments, non-governmental organizations,
and peace- and justice-loving people of all countries, to provide assistance to victims of Agent Orange in Vietnam.
Spring 2005 Newsletter
5
U P D AT E F R O M V I E T N A M
Comings and Goings in the Village
Reports from Director Nguyen Khai Hung
BECKY LUENING
From November 2004 to midDecember these clubs coordiexcerpted & edited by Liliane Floge
February 2005 over 70 internanated with the Friendship
tional delegations from over 30
Village to organize a Christmas
nations in Europe, North America
celebration with gifts for the
and Asia visited the Vietnam
children presented by the
Friendship Village (VFV). In addiVietnamese students.
tion, over 100 Vietnamese groups
On the occasion of the sixtivisited. Many of these internaeth anniversary of the Vietnam
tional and local groups brought
People’s Army and the fifteenth
monetary or in-kind donations.
anniversary of the Vietnam
For example, a German delegaVeteran’s Association, the doction arranged for the donation of
tors from Hospital 354 (an army
three wheelchairs, while a
hospital) and the Institute of
Canadian middle school principal
Orthopedic and Rehabilitation
presented a donation of $500
Science in collaboration with
that was collected from the
some Korean doctors examined
school’s students.
and delivered medicine to severMany volunteers, both local
al children and veterans from
and from abroad, continue to parthe Village.
ticipate in VFV activities. German
Since November the organic
physiotherapist Edith Heinlein
garden project has been providFriendship Village children have fun creating colorful
and special education teacher
ing vegetables for the kitchen to
paintings with help from Mrs. Lian, a Danish volunteer.
Vivien Heller came to the Village
serve to the children, veterans
to prepare for their work here, and were assisted in finding hous- and staff of the Village. In December, Mr. John Berlow (designer
ing nearby. Meanwhile, Mrs. Ellen Laugesen, an occupational of the project) arranged for the Friendship Village to have a
therapist who had been aiding with rehabilitation at the Village booth featuring its organic produce at the International
for over two and one-half years, was given a going-away party as Volunteer Day festivities held at Hanoi’s Unification Park.
she prepared to return home to Denmark. Suel Jones organized
In February most of the children and veterans staying at the
a film screening at which embroidery and flower products from Village returned to their homes to celebrate Viet Nam’s tradithe Village were sold. Mrs. Lian from Denmark continues to help tional Tet (Lunar New Year). Six children remained at the Village
the mentally disabled children learn to draw and is helping to to celebrate Tet because their families live too far from the
sell their pictures. Money from the sale of these pictures was Village and/or have difficult conditions at home. These children
used to pay for all the Village children to travel to Hanoi to see were very well looked after, both spiritually and materially, at the
the water puppet show and walk around Hoan Kiem Lake.
Village and celebrated the Tet season very happily. By February
Volunteers from Hanoi university student clubs continue to 18, all of the children were back at the Village to continue their
work at the Village as well as play with the children. In treatment and studies.
U.S. Committee Members Awarded Medal for Exceptional Contribution
MICHAEL MIZO
the U.S. Committee. Suel Jones was recU.S. Committee President Becky
Luening and Board Member Suel
ognized as an invaluable asset to the
Jones were two of six individuals honFriendship Village in his role as VFVPored by the Central Executive Board
USA’s “man in Hanoi.” Suel’s networking efforts have substantially helped to
of the Veterans Association of Viet
raise awareness of the project among
Nam with “the medal of VAVN” due to
their “exceptional contribution to
other NGOs in Vietnam, U.S. military
build up and maintain the activities of
veterans, and American tourists, bringVietnam Friendship Village.” Medals
ing significant financial contributions to
the Village as well.
were presented in a brief ceremony
Also honored: International/German
prior to a dinner hosted by the
Veterans Association in Hanoi on
Committee President Rosemarie HöhnMizo; retiring International Committee
October 29, 2004.
Becky Luening receives medal from
Becky Luening, the longest serving
Vice President / French Committee
VAVN President Dang Quan Thuy
board member of VFVP-USA, was
President Georges Doussin; retiring
honored for persevering to maintain the US Committee after the Japanese Committee President John Tsuguo Oishi; and German
death in March 1996 of her husband Jeff Huch, then director of Committee Treasurer Brigitte Mueller.
6
Viet Nam Friendship Village Project
N E WS F RO M A N C H O R AG E
Alaskan Professors, Students and Veterans
Experience Vietnam Together by Michael Cull
Learning Tour
From January 4 to 28, 2005 a group of thirty-five incredible people ages 17 to 82 took a “block learning course” sponsored by Alaska Pacific University. The theme of the course
was experiencing Vietnam as the most diverse country in
Asia now in rapid transition towards modernity—far beyond
the “American War” thirty years ago.
Classes were held both before and after a two-week tour
of northern Vietnam. VFVP-USA Board member Michael Cull
was trip coordinator, while Suel Jones, our own Friendship
Village international representative, helped to develop the
itinerary and logistics. Faculty included Professors Tim
Rawson, Director of Liberal Studies Department, and Lynn
Paulson of Women’s Studies. Two other professors did
research in their respective fields of theology and literature.
the Friendship Village and extensive touring in Hanoi, the
group made visits to the ancient city of Hue, to Danang, to
Hoi Anh, to beautiful Ha Long Bay, and to small rural towns
and ethnic villages.
BILL DEAN
For seven Vietnam veterans the trip was a healing journey
to make new memories and find reconciliation within themselves. Of the 18 undergraduate students taking the course,
only one had met a Vietnam veteran: one whose father
served “over there, but never talked much about it.”
The usual myths about vets evaporated during the first
class when the participants introduced themselves as real
fathers, husbands, teachers, and community leaders not just
infantry grunts,
Navy seals, paratroopers, medics,
construction
Seabees, and dental technicians in
war zones. Very
quickly the group
was sharing humor
and respect, and
excitement about
things to come.
In northern
Vietnam, planes,
trains, taxis, bikes,
boats, cyclos and
motor scooters
transported participants to a new reality and a better
understanding of
the legacies of war
and the power of
Alaskan veteran Bill Martin (25th
Infantry Division) reflects on his latest
f o r g i v e n e s s. I n
Vietnam experiences. The silk flower
addition to a visit to
he is holding was made at the Village.
BILL DEAN
A Healing Journey
Alaskan Vietnam veterans visit with their former enemies,
Vietnamese veterans being treated at the Friendship Village.
Different Visions, New Memories
Maria Downey, co-anchor for Channel 2 nightly news
joined the tour along with Cameraman Rich Jordan to document the unique learning tour. They were especially interested in filming the return of Alaskan vets to Vietnam and captured their poignant visit with the Vietnamese children and
veterans residing at the Village. Downey’s series of five different programs about “the Tour” was broadcast for three
nights throughout Alaska. From all accounts it touched the
minds and hearts of many viewers who now share with the
group very different visions of today’s Vietnam.
Bill Martin offered these words about his trip: “I have
indeed new memories. Our visit with the children and the
Vietnamese veterans was profound and unforgettable. Two
lessons were learned. First, the aftermath of the war is horrible and the effects on these children in the Village are worse
from presumptive exposure to dioxin (agent orange), for
three generations in some cases. Anybody who interacts with
these kids with downs syndrome, cancers, and mental and
physical deformities of all kinds must cry for ‘No More War.’
Whatever doubts and apprehensions I had about Vietnam
after 38 years were indeed put aside during the visit to the
Friendship Village. There is nothing greater than to be able to
help these children who are victims of a war they never knew.
I honor the handshakes and hugs shared with Vietnamese
veterans who are no longer my enemy. I look forward to continuing to help in any way I can.”
Spring 2005 Newsletter
7
CANADIAN COMMITTEE NEWS
Tet Fundraiser a Success
The Canadian Committee’s Lunar New Year
fundraiser in Vancouver was an auspicious
beginning to the Year of the Rooster. Almost
200 people, including Vancouver city councilors
Anne Roberts and Peter Ladner, joined us at the
Opus Hotel, one of
the city’s most cosmopolitan
night spots, for an evening of
cool jazz, wonderful food, and
a fantastic selection of silent
auction prizes. In addition to
collecting more than $5,000 for
the children and veterans at the
Friendship Village, the event
helped raise public awareness
about our project and expand
our community of supporters.
Film Screenings
Meanwhile, others across
Canada have continued to
Canadian board member Krista
raise funds for the VFVP with Riley and her father, Brian, who
screenings of The Friendship helped with the fundraiser.
Village documentary. These
supporters include Roger Davies, with the Unitarian Church
in Halifax, Rob Brown, a high school principal in Ontario, and
Beth Marie Murphy, a professor of theology in Saskatchewan.
30th Anniversary Forum
on Agent Orange
Upcoming events include a public screening and forum in
Vancouver at the end of April to mark the thirtieth anniversary of the end of the American war in Viet Nam.
Environmental experts from The Hatfield Group will partici-
pate in a post-screening panel to educate the public about the
legacy of Agent Orange and the current fieldwork being carried out in Viet Nam around dioxin contamination. Canadian
Committee members will also provide an update on the
activities at the Friendship Village. For more information on
this and other events, check out our web billboard at:
www.friendshipvillage.ca
Acknowledgements
The Canadian Committee would like to thank everyone
who made our Tet Fundraiser a success:
The Opus Hotel
Elixir Restaurant
Brian Riley
Tara Vickers
Caroline & Robert Mason
Moh & Yulanda Faris
The Flower Factory
Banyen Books
Northmount Pharmacy
Jennifer Shifrin Counselling Services
Sandra Gibson
Astrid Holm
Ken Eisner
Lions Bay Sanctuary
Merla Beckerman
Andrew Strang
Mark Achbar / The Corporation
North Shore Credit Union
AllWest Insurance
The Pattison Group
CrossRoads Dental
BodyCo Fitness
KPMG
Raymond James
Living Environments
Stratosphere
Vij’s
Deep Cove Canoe & Kayak
Ming Wo Capilano Mall
Arc’teryx
West 1st Chiropractic & Wellness
Center
Kim Allan Silks
Arts Club Theatre
Country Furniture
Neil Pelman Photography
Nettwerk
Duthie Books
Michele O’Flanagan
Coles Books Park Royal
Indigo Books
Purdy’s Chocolates
Cupcakes
Nat’s New York Pizzeria
Moe’s
Altamont Investments
And thank you to those who made general donations to
VFVP-Canada this winter:
Kenneth & Caroline Beel
Tammy & Ben Lorincz
Philip Girard & Sheila
During a visit to Vietnam in early April, longtime peace
activist Peter Yarrow, of the ’60s folk trio Peter, Paul & Mary, told reporters
it's time America apologizes to Vietnam.
Yarrow told The Associated Press that the war wounds of the United States
won't heal until the nation makes amends, a process he believes should involve
helping Vietnamese suffering from the ill health effects of Agent Orange, a
defoliant sprayed by U.S. planes during the war.
“All I know is that there’s something that's really hurting the process of
engagement, normalization and mutual respect in this equation,” he said of
U.S.-Vietnam relations. “And a real flash point is the issue of Agent Orange.”
SUEL JONES
The 66-year-old singer performed a benefit concert before a packed crowd in
Hanoi’s Opera House to raise money for the cause. He also paid a visit to the
Vietnam Friendship Village.
8
Viet Nam Friendship Village Project
Yarrow also traveled to Ho Chi Minh City, where he attended a conference of
international schools to promote Operation Respect, a nonprofit group he
founded to foster nonviolence in schools.
NEWS SOURCE: MSN Entertainment <http://movies.msn.com/celebs/article.aspx?news=186970>
Vietnam Friendship Village Project
thanks you for your support!
A list of all who made donations since our last newsletter. VFVP-USA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Dear Donors: Your name may be
missing from the list below. If so, please let
us know. Due to circumstances beyond our
control, one packet of mail sent through the
mail in January is missing. It most likely contained contributions and other responses to
our last newsletter. Please inform us if you
sent a check during January and it has not
been cashed, or you requested some other
action on our part. We greatly regret this loss
and hope you can help us minimize the
consequences. Thanks!
Donated via USA Committee
Herbert Albert
Eugene Alexander
August Almeida
Jim Anderson & Mary Morris
Debra Baker
Maria Bartlett
Paula Bedell
Dr. Valerie Bengal
Mitchell Berkowitz
Philip Beyman
Richard Blanchfield
Hugh Brady
Amira Bramson
Jill Brethauer & David Samuel
Robert C. Budda
Col. James B. Burkholder, Ret.
Daniel Bush
Debbie Cahoon
John-Paul Catusco
Helen Charpentier
Marty Coffey
John & Lenore Cooney
Tona Cornette
Robert & Lois Crowley
Tien Huu Dao
Joseph Degagne III
Preeti Dhillon
Florence Dunlop
Jan Eldred & Peter Szutu
Joseph A. Eno
Spence Everson
Esther Faber
Lisa Marie Faley Howard
Leslie Faulds-White
Bob Fitch
Donald Flaxman
Conal Foley
Edward & Mavri Fox
Steve Fox
Thomas H. Gale Jr.
Patricia Gallagher
Richard & Kathleen Gariepy
Nicola Geiger
Gregory Gibbs
Maria Gitin
Harold Greenblatt
Greg & Cathy Grigsby
Thompson A. Grunwald
David & Jan Hartsough
Rebecka Hawkins Closet Capers
Jane E. Higgins
John B. Hopkins,
Augustus Construction Co.
Ruth Hunter
Dr. Craig Ihara
James C. Jeffery, III
LB Johnson
Sandy Johnson
Darren Jones
John Lindquist
Stephen R. Little
Helen Lukievics & Ernie Lendler
Marbrook Foundation
Kimberly MacLoud
Susan & George McAnanama
Marguerite McBride
Ted & Pat Miller
Kihm Mishler
Judith Moss & William Bartee
Jim Mulherin
Andrew Neher
Remy Paille
Elizabeth Peterson
Nancy Pratt
Marilyn Rigler
Cal Robertson
Lisa Robinson
David Rocovits
Ramon & Dagny Rodriguez
Wolfgang H. Rosenberg
Estelle Salberg
Florence M. Schneider
Leon Schneiderman
Jerome Schnitzer
Elaine Schwartz
Ken & Tina Slosberg
Melinda Y. Small
John Spitzberg
Bob & Becky Spitzer
Vernon M. Stevens, LTC Ret.
Ann M. Sugrue
David Tait
Richard Tracy
Molly Traffas
Robert & Karen Twitchell
Roland & Nancy C. Van Deusen
VFW Bill Motto Post 5888
Marlene Warneke
Silas & Constance Weeks
Niki Wells
Colleen White
Dwight Willson
John C. Wodynski
Stephen Wolff
World Centric
Jean Wright Korcz
D E D I CAT I O N S received since our last mailing
Donor
Herb Albert
James Ameen
M. Paula Bedell
Valerie Bengal
Richard Blanchfield
Hugh Brady
Debbie Cahoon
Dedication
In memory of Gilbert Ketzler Jr.
In honor of the Vietnam Friendship Village
In memory of my husband, Ralph W. Bedell
In honor of Dr. Viviane Nguyen and her family
In memory of Richard A. Blanchfield, USMC VN ’67
In honor of Viet Nam Women’s Union
In celebration of 30 years of peace between the
United States and Vietnam
John-Paul Catusco
In celebration of Rita J. Verga
Marty Coffey
In honor of Mr. Smiley
Barbara Cole-Kiernan
In memory of George Mizo
Jan Eldred & Peter Szutu
In memory of Paco Huch
Joe Eno
In memory of Harold Bainsford
Tom Gale
In honor of Cherie Clark, IMH
Maria Gitin
In honor of Becky Luening
Rebecka Hawkins
In honor of Vivian Maurer; in memory of
John Maurer; in celebration of Harvey Hawkins
Jane Higgins
In memory of Paco Huch
Lisa Faley Howard
In honor of Vietnam veteran John Brian McMahon
Dr. Craig K. Ihara
In memory of Claire Ihara
Robert Crowley
In memory of Mary Merle
Ted & Pat Miller
In honor of Lisa Miller, our daughter
Judith Moss & William Bartee In honor of all Agent Orange victims
Rex Anthony Norris
In honor of Tony Saucier & Heather Taylor
Cal Robertson
In memory of those who went like George Mizo and
so many others; in honor of those who went
to war and then became warriors for peace; in
celebration of those that did not go because of
conscience
Florence M. Schneider
In memory of Sidney Schneider
Jerome Schnitzer
In memory of peace & justice activist Ellie Schnitzer
Estelle Selberg
In memory of William Eisman
Ken & Tina Slosberg
In celebration of Carl Stancil’s work in Santa Cruz
and new adventures in Arcata, California
John Spitzberg
In honor of Mike Vizas, Mike Walsh, “Cool Lou”
Robert & Becky Spitzer
In memory of George Mizo
Ann Sugrue
In memory of Dolores Buwalda
Tien Huu Dao
In honor of all victims of chemical weapons
Roland Van Densen
In memory of Robert Sinclair Jr., KIA Vietnam, 1968;
African-American classmate, Watertown (N.Y.)
High School, class of 1963
Marlene Warneke
In memory of Joe Fulton & Leonard Warneke
Niki Wells
In honor of Jim Mulherin
NEW! Make donations online!
It is now possible to make donations to Vietnam Friendship
Village Project-USA, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, using your credit card,
via our website. Just log onto http://www.vietnamfriendship.org and
look for a button that says “Donate Now through Network for Good.”
Spring 2005 Newsletter
9
Vietnam Friendship Village Project–USA, Inc.
P.O. Box 3805, Santa Cruz, CA 95063-3805
© BOB FITCH PHOTO
Return Service Requested
Non Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PA I D
Santa Cruz, CA
Permit No. 581
It’s been 30 years since the
end of the American war
in Vietnam… Hug a vet!
Circus Brings Smiles & Funds
by Suel Jones
If we had not collected a dime at the first “Rock ’n’ Roll Circus” in
Hanoi, seeing the look of awe on the faces of the children from the
Friendship Village was all worth it! Despite the cold rain that night,
about 900 people attended and contributed 29,400,000 VND (approx.
$1,900 USD) to the Friendship Village. Director Nguyen Khai Hung said
the money would be used to buy equipment for the new hospital that
will soon be under construction.
The idea for this first-time event came from Dang Anh Toan, keyboard and vocalist for Flashback, a Hanoi retro rock ’n’ roll, blues and
hard rock band. Toan said he had been hearing about the Agent Orange
issue, thinking a lot about the kids whose lives had been impacted and
about how lucky he was to be healthy and to be able to make music. So
he approached his friend, Mr. Vu Hop, artistic director of the Hanoi
Circus. After just a few minutes of discussion the idea jelled.
The event was underwritten by local businesses and the performers
donated their time and energy so all donations went directly to the
Friendship Village.
HOANG DUNG
Between sets of high-energy American rock ’n’ roll, high speed rollerskaters performed a death-defying act on a raised platform about three
feet in diameter, clowns teased the audience, and fire eaters warmed up
the night. All this brought the mostly Vietnamese audience to its feet
applauding and dancing while the band hammered out “Come On Baby
Light My Fire.”
Children receive gifts for the Friendship Village at the
“Rock ’n’ Roll Circus” held in Hanoi on Jan. 21, 2005.