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------------- . In November 2007, Vietnam Veterans of America
Chapter 102 accepted an invitation to attend the 12th annual fund raising luncheon for
"Peace Trees Vietnam". As we learned, their organization is about helping the Vietnamese
people deal with the live ordinance from the war. This ordinance injures and kills many who live there
every year. Several speakers told us about the project, and their work in the Quang Tri Province, once
known as the DMZ. We learned some of their members make several trips a year to work in country on the project. They
have educated thousands of children on the recognition and dangers of unexploded ordinance (UXO), and the importance
of not disturbing it, and of seeking help. They have provided financial assistance to some for retraining and new
starts, after sustaining disablities from UXO. They have sponsored the training of specialists to safely neutralize
these devices. One of the stories we heard was of a small child finding a shell, thinking it was a sweet potato,
took it back to the village and placed it on the fire, fatally. After a field has been cleaned up, they
plant trees to restore the land.
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Purposes of the Peace Trees Vietnam:
"Clearance of landmines and unexploded ordinance (UXO), survivor assistance, mine risk education, citizen diplomacy tree
planting, peace trees friendship village, and micro credit lending."
(Quote from the Peace Trees Vietnam website) |
Links to Peace Trees Vietnam Newsletters:
"PeaceTrees Vietnam is celebrating 11 years of working alongside the Vietnamese
people to promote a safe and healthy future for the children of Quang Tri province PeaceTrees Vietnam was founded in 1996
to renew relationships with the people of Vietnam and promote a safe, healthy future for its children.
Our work focuses on Quang Tri province, an area heavily impacted by the legacy of war. Over the last thirty years, nearly
6,800 people in the province have been killed or maimed by landmines and unexploded ordnance. In one out of every five cases,
the victim is a child."
(Quote from the Peace Trees Vietnam website)
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| click their icon to visit the website |
Peace Trees Vietnam can be reached at:
P.O. Box 10697
Bainbridge Island, WA 98110
206-842-7896
Please visit their website to learn more.
Link to Peace Trees Vietnam website
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