On
May 8 the Vietnam Red Cross will hold a series of events to
show it is a safe, welcoming place for those who are shunned
elsewhere, including people with disabilities and those who
suffer as a result of war.
The Vietnam Red Cross has already worked with thousands of people
who are often discriminated against, distributing practical
help such as wheelchairs and scholarships, and showing solidarity
and giving moral support.
The Vietnam Red Cross is one of 181 Red Cross or Red Crescent
societies around the world. With 97 million members and volunteers,
and 300,000 employees, it is the world’s largest humanitarian
organisation, assisting some 233 million beneficiaries each
year. It is uniquely placed to help fight discrimination and
reach the most vulnerable.
“Discrimination, violence, intolerance and lack of respect
for diversity represent one of the key challenges to the goal
of protecting human dignity,” said Juan Manuel Suárez
del Toro, president of the International Federation at the International
Conference of Red Cross and Red Crescent societies in December.
“Together, they marginalize individuals and communities
and deny their access to services, and fuel mistrust, exclusion
and abuse.”
Around the world, on May 8 Red Cross and Red Crescent societies
will be showing solidarity with those who suffer from discrimination
because of their race, gender, ability, colour, ethnic background,
orientation, age or health. This is in keeping with the movement’s
mandate to prevent and alleviate human suffering without discrimination.
As elsewhere, Red Cross volunteers and staff in Vietnam work
every day with the most vulnerable, who are often the target
of discrimination.
For example, in the city of Ha Nam, 130 low-income students
with disabilities have so far benefited from Vietnam Red Cross
vocational training in skills such as motorbike repair, electrical
work, tailoring, basket-weaving, embroidery, ceramics, raising
cattle, making artificial flowers and carpentry. The number
across the whole country is 750 students.
Thanks to funding from the Spanish Red Cross, student Pham Huu
Truong, 23, hopes to find work after his six-month electrical
work course.
“In my family there are four children. The first two children
are not affected by Agent Orange. But my parents took part in
the war and they are affected by Agent Orange. They don’t
have a disability but they always feel sick.”
Pham Huu Truong has a physical disability and says his sister
has an intellectual disability.
His colleague Bui Van Nam, whose disability is also most likely
caused by Agent Orange, will be finished a month later.
Motorcycle repair tutor Pham Thanh Xuan says the school’s
graduates don’t face stigma because of their disabilities:
“The problem is not the disability but the skills. If
they’re skilful, people will be ready to employ them.”
Not far away, in Thanh Huong commune, a family is benefiting
from another Vietnam Red Cross programme. The whole family used
to be dependent on Nguyen Thi Mieng, 45, whose husband, Pham
Van Doanh, 44, has a war-related disability that has left him
unable to do heavy physical work.
Their two sons, Pham Van Thao, 16 and Pham Van Truong, 13, have
an intellectual disability that prevents them from going to
school. They live in a simple house and struggle to survive
by growing rice to earn a living.
But for the past few months, things have been looking up. The
family has a new member given to them by the Red Cross –
a cow, who four months ago gave birth to a calf, which the family
will raise with advice from the Red Cross and sell when it’s
a year old. And that’s not all. The cow is pregnant with
another calf.
They hope to sell the young beasts for 2.5million dong (210
Swiss francs or US$ 164). Their normal monthly income is a tenth
that amount.
There is more good news. Their dog has had a bumper litter of
seven puppies, which the family will raise and sell for meat
when they are a year old. What will they do with the extra income?
Mrs Nguyen says: “We are a very poor family and also very
hungry so with that amount of money, we’ll use it to buy
rice for the children because they’re always hungry. We
don’t grow enough to eat.”
If there’s any extra money left over from selling the
livestock, then the house has major cracks above the doorway,
which should be repaired to keep the family safe.
The president of the Ha Namh Red Cross chapter, Tran Van Thuan,
says Thanh Huong has been the most productive commune in Ha
Namh province, producing 13 of the province’s 20 calves.
Around Vietnam, 400 families have cow under the scheme.
In the far north-east of Vietnam, in Muong Khuong district,
people in the Nung ethnic group in remote Nam Lu hamlet have
benefited from a Red Cross project that has trained women from
the village to become “village health volunteers”
who spread messages about healthy behaviour and take the lead
in community development activities such as building wells,
bathrooms and latrines, as well as establishing Mothers’
Clubs, and credit and savings groups.
Red Cross village health volunteer Vang Thi Lan, 37, a mother
of two, says the 3000 people in her hamlet have been healthier
for the past few years, with the help of the Vietnam Red Cross
and the Danish Red Cross.
Her neighbour, Then Thi Vuong, 34, a mother of three, enjoys
using safe water from a well to cool down after working in the
fields.
“With the water system my family can use clean water for
everything from cooking to washing. We come from work, we can
use clean water – it’s very useful.”
She has watched her children, who are aged 10, 12 and 14, become
healthier.
“The health of my family has improved. Before we had clean
water they suffered from diarrhoea.”
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Bui
Van Nam, whose disability was probably caused by Agent
Orange, hopes to find electrical work once he has graduated
from the Red Cross vocational training centre (p11560)
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Red
Cross village health volunteer Vang Thi Lan, 37, a mother
of two, says the 3,000 people in her hamlet have been
healthier for the past few years, with the help of the
Vietnam Red Cross and the Danish Red Cross (p11557)
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Thirteen-year-old
Pham Van Truong's family hope to boost their income thanks
to the cow donated as part of a Red Cross programme (p11559)
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Mother-of-three
Then Thi Vuong, 34, says a Red Cross project has improved
the health of her family by providing safe water for drinking
and washing (p11561)
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