To ease the pain

(Baonghean) - The war is over, but the pain of Agent Orange still lingers. Through practical actions, the Quynh Luu Association of Agent Orange Victims at all levels has actively supported and encouraged members to ease the pain and improve their lives.

Mr. Nhu Xuan Hung, at a rare age (81 years old), happily welcomed visitors from afar, in a spacious and fragrant house of gratitude, emotionally saying: “Our family is in a difficult situation, my husband and I struggle to make ends meet, living in a house made of mortar and lime that has seriously degraded, having to run from the rain and avoid storms. With the support of the Agent Orange Victims Association, at this age, my wife and I can rest assured that we have fulfilled our wish to have a small house as a place to live.”

In 1958, from Quynh Hoa commune, following the call of the country, young man Nhu Xuan Hung joined the army. 8 years of operation in the Western battlefield of Thua Thien - Hue, one of the fiercest areas where the enemy dropped toxic chemicals. Returning home to reunite with his family, his health deteriorated. With strange symptoms, broken teeth, hair loss, and tormented by pain... After being tested, he learned that he was infected with Agent Orange, he choked with the pain of permanently losing the right to be a father. With the care and support of the District and Commune Association of Agent Orange Victims, he supported 40 million VND to build Mr. Hung a new house, completed in October 2013.

Quynh Hoa commune currently has 27 victims of Agent Orange, of which 12 are directly infected, 15 are children and grandchildren with sequelae, most of whom have many diseases and deformities. Mr. Phan Thanh Ky, Chairman of Quynh Hoa commune People's Committee, said: "The Association of Agent Orange Victims of the district and commune has had many activities to support Agent Orange victims such as: housing support, loans for production... Thanks to those positive activities, up to now, the lives of the victims' families have become much less difficult."

Leaving the warm house of love, we went to Hamlet 6, Quynh Van Commune. Born not as fortunate as many other children, the consequences of Agent Orange have made Dau Thi Nga - a girl over 30 but still small and weak with disabled legs and arms. With the help of the Association of Agent Orange Victims, in 2012, Nga went to the Capital to attend a class teaching embroidery and making paper rolls. Thanks to her skillful hands, she learned the craft in just a few months. Currently, in the house built by the Association, Nga has become an "artisan" passing on the craft to her friends in the same situation.

The Association of Agent Orange Victims of Quynh Luu district and Quynh Van commune gave gifts to Dau Thi Nga.

With the support of organizations, there have been many examples of Agent Orange victims overcoming difficulties and illnesses to rise up in life, a typical example is Mr. Bui Ngoc An, Hamlet 11, Quynh Hoa Commune. Having participated in the battle on the Binh - Tri - Thien battlefield since 1968, discharged in 1976, Mr. An returned to his hometown with 5 pieces of bullets and 1 marble without knowing that he had been exposed to dioxin. He only realized this after getting married and having 3 children, including a daughter with deformities and mental disabilities. He and his children were often tormented by pain, and his family's circumstances were extremely difficult. Overcoming the pain, with the encouragement of the Association of Agent Orange Victims of Quynh Luu District, he boldly invested in beekeeping. From a few bee boxes, he gradually multiplied them to 5 or 10 boxes. Over the years, the number has increased steadily. Up to now, veteran Bui Ngoc An has nearly 100 beehives, with a honey harvest of 200 liters/year. With about 200 liters of honey, plus the money from selling bee seeds, each year, Mr. An earns about 150 million VND. In addition, his beekeeping facility is also an address to help people in the area with beekeeping techniques. Mr. An confided: "The encouragement and sharing of the Association of Agent Orange Victims of the district and commune has created more motivation for me to overcome difficulties. In the coming time, I will continue to expand and develop production, and receive more workers who are children of Agent Orange victims."

As a support for victims, a bridge between kind-hearted people and pain, over the years, the Association of Agent Orange Victims in Quynh Luu district has always fulfilled its tasks well. Since its establishment, the association has maintained and continuously developed. Currently, the whole district has 19/33 communes that have established Associations of Agent Orange Victims. Currently, the whole district has 638 people infected with Agent Orange/dioxin who are receiving benefits, of which 340 people were directly infected due to participating in the resistance war, the rest are children and grandchildren of the above subjects. Of these, 126 households have especially difficult family circumstances, 198 children are deformed and unable to take care of themselves and need help.

With the aim of sharing difficulties and alleviating the "pain of Agent Orange", the association has carried out many practical activities to encourage and help victims such as actively propagating to raise public awareness, mobilizing organizations, businesses, and philanthropists at home and abroad to contribute to the Association's Fund with hundreds of millions of VND each year. From the above source of money, the association at all levels has supported families of victims in difficult circumstances in many different forms such as: giving gifts on holidays and Tet; supporting house repair and construction, helping with production capital; providing subsidies in difficult times... Up to now, the association at all levels has mobilized support for the Agent Orange/Dioxin Victims Fund with over 2 billion VND. From the above amount, the association at all levels has donated 1,120 gifts on holidays and Tet worth over 500 million VND; supported the construction and repair of 34 houses for Agent Orange victims with over 700 million VND; Help 17 households with difficult production conditions, average 5 million VND per household...

Mr. Nguyen Sy Bay, Chairman of the District Association of Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin, said: “In the coming time, the Association’s policy is to call for the participation of the whole society, the efforts of each family and the victims of Agent Orange themselves. Therefore, to join hands to ease the pain of Agent Orange, we need kind hearts, hearts of love, sympathy, and sharing, so that the unfortunate people have more strength and faith, overcome fate to strive to overcome difficulties and rise up in life.”

Pham Ngan