The village's founder, George Mizo, an American veteran, took his experiences of war to the birth of his remarkable village. In 1968, Mr Mizo and other veterans from the Thirty-five years ago, more than two million Vietnamese people were killed in the American War. The Thousands of tons of Dioxin commonly known as "Agent Orange" were dumped onto the jungles of A long time has passed, and the second and third generation of Vietnamese are still being affected by the chemical. According to an estimate report of the VAV, Researchers say that exposure to the dioxins in Agent Orange causes a variety of lymphomas and cancers including Hodgkin’s disease, and birth defects. Same roof, same pain
The residents of According to the director of the As he said among families of veterans who served in southern In the village, the war veterans are accommodated for two to three months at a time, in addition to the children with physical and mental disabilities, who live in the Village for one year or longer. The children are divided to classes of embroidering, paper flower making, or sewing, depending on their ability. The most serious class is of the mentally disabled children, which looks like a kindergarten. “Although the youngest student of my class is 11-years-old, knowledge and capability are of a one year old”, said their teacher and physician Nguyen Thi Oanh. Ms Oanh presented one of her students, who at first looked like a boy, but is actually a 24-year-old girl, who can say and understand nothing. The student, Pham The Hai, comes from Quoc Oai District in Ha Tay Province, is the first resident of “Almost all of the victims of Agent Orange are from poor families. Disabled children make family problems more difficult. So, being selected to get in the Each of the children or veteran is allowed to stay from one to three years. They get treatment, medical, food and education freely. Staying so long as Pham The Hai is special case. Duong Thi May, 15, comes from Being special cases, sisters Giang and Huong came from After his story was published, he and his friends, along with readers were so touched by the two, that they all donated money so they could both get into the Daily, they learn English with volunteer teachers and are taken care of by their mother, who came with them to the village. “I am so happy to see my daughters staying here, I hope that they will be used to it soon, so I can freely go home”, said the mother. About Huong and Giang, she said they both like poetry, literature, and listening music. Huong learns very well and love to study English. But they are not willing to reveal themselves to strangers and correspondents. “Because of their disability, they lack that kind of confidence”, the mother sadly added. Place of compassion
Friendship Almost all of the children at the village do not know exactly what Agent Orange or Dioxin is, but those able to understand and speak know it's what made them sick. ‘It is the reason why I am so short and why my friend’s hair won't grow’, Quang Phi Long, 25, who is less than a metre tall, said. ‘It makes us so shy to go out into the public’ the man added. His age could be recognised in his face and hands, but his body is that of a primary school student. According to Nguyen Thanh Binh, a staff member of the village, the children are commonly in three states: shy and complex as they are lucid but disabled, mentally disabled and healthy but will remain as children, and mentally disabled with deteriorating health. Quang Phi Long and Huong, Giang are in the first category. With Pham The Hai, Ms Oanh and her partners have to care for her all day. “If we take our eyes off her, she would hurt herself or eat her own hair. Sometimes, she defecates and makes a mess”, Ms Oanh said. In more serious cases: mentally, hearing, and vision impaired, as Do Thi Nu, who is eight-years-old but looks like a two-year-old child, the mother-like teachers communicate with heart to heart. “The teachers here mostly are great women, who have golden hearts.” Mr Binh said. “Although their salary is not high, they treat the children as their own”, he added. John Barlow, an American who devoted his life to help the children, and volunteer students Doan Bich Hong, Do Viet Tu, Hoang Trong Oanh and many others, spend all their free time to care for the disadvantaged people at the centre. The physiotherapists have little knowledge and experience in therapeutic methods, especially for children, but they bravely continue with their work. Overall, they succeed in ensuring that their presence improves the lives of children with disabilities, whether they can understand or not, a sense of comfort and care is there for them. Story and photos by Hoang Huong.
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