The guns may have fallen silent in the US-Vietnam War almost 30 years ago, but the war isn’t over for many residents of the area around the former Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). An unusually high percentage of children and young adults of Vietnam's approximate population of 70 million are disabled. Someone in central Vietnam is killed or injured once a week by an encounter with unexploded ordnance (UXO). 

Since the end of the war in 1975, more than 500 children have lost their lives and 4,000 have been injured in Quang Tri Province alone. During the decade between 1985 and 1994 , nearly 500 people were killed and more than 4,000 injured in Quang Tri Province south of the former DMZ alone.  Of the victims who were hurt in Quang Tri between 1985 and 1994, 1,673 lost one leg, 1,348 lost one arm and 300 sustained injuries to their eyes. Some had multiple injuries.  Provincial authorities estimate that 52,125 families in Quang Tri have members in their household who are victims of war or its aftermath.

In Vietnam, where most gainful work is physical, the lack of special services and amenities for the handicapped is particularly devastating.  This hope shattering existence is further compacted by the widespread belief that injuries or birth defects stem from karma.

Survivor Assistance Partners

Adopt-A-Minefield has helped landmine survivors by providing support to the following projects:

VTM-SA-CPI1 through VTM-SA-CPI14

Clear Path International in Vietnam provides survivor services to landmine survivors and their families.   This includes the provision of services ranging from post-trauma Medical Services for landmine accident survivors, including orthopedic surgery, prosthetics and physical rehabilitation, to child scholarships for school-aged children who have been injured by accidental explosions or have a mine-injured parent, including special needs scholarships for child mine survivors.

VTM-SA-VVMF through VTM-SA-VVMF02

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund's "Project RENEW" is implementing a comprehensive landmine and UXO survivor assistance program that provides medical assistance, vocational training and a prosthetics and orthotics workshop at a Province Hospital.  VVMF's Project RENEW implements mine clearance, mine risk education and survivor assistance programs.  The activities of this program include equipping health stations with medical equipment and supplies training local healthcare workers in first aid skills.

VTM-SA-CPOTB

Clear Path International is introducing an Outreach Team to its Survivor Assistance Program in Vietnam.   Outreach workers are expanding the scope and number of landmine survivors that could be serviced by CPI by assessing and verifying potential beneficiaries, evaluating and reporting on the progress of accident survivors, and distributing reports of known locations of UXO.

VTM-SA-VVAF01

Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation is providing support for the establishment of a sustainable prosthetics and orthotics program through a new clinic in Ha Giang province, located near the Chinese border. The government of Vietnam has donated a building to house the workshop and VVAF has begun to equip the space.   Support from AAM is completing the establishment of the workshop and is enabling newly trained Vietnamese prosthetis to begin serving these landmine survivors.