Up to now, the harmful impacts of the hazardous herbicide known as Agent Orange are still very severe in Vietnam. For a long time, the US did not accept any responsibility for use of the herbicide and only very recently, there has been news that they began cooperating in cleaning land areas around Da Nang Airport. But across the whole country, there are millions of affected people, and their families badly need assistance. I think many people have seen an NHK TV program titled "Where Does Hoa Go To?" and another program by documentary maker Sakata Masako, who has tirelessly followed and publicised the harmful impacts of the herbicide. Last year, Ms. Sakata founded a scholarship fund named "Sprout of Hope" for Agent Orange affected Vietnamese children. I met Sakata for the first time when my wife and I attended the screening of a documentary film titled "Volunteers Network" organized by a group of Japanese women living in Hanoi. (http://www.vietnam-sketch.com/201108022012). Her Vietnamese partner in this work was the "Vietnam Association of Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin (VAVA)”. (http://www.vn-agentorange.org/japanese_sakata.html) My first meeting with VAVA was in 2009, when I was on a working mission in Da Nang, where I visited a rehabilitation center in the city, following an introduction from a young Japanese volunteer and members of a Japanese NGO that provided training to disabled children. Later on, I also visited the "Peace Village" in Hanoi. It was not an activity of JICA but an invitation from an acquaintance who was then working for a Japanese NGO. I tried to see if something could be done to help out in ODA activities, but I have not yet been able to do anything in this area until now. In the construction of the ODA funded “Nhat Tan Bridge” (also called the Vietnam - Japan Friendship Bridge) spanning the Red River in Hanoi, columns of the bridge towers have further reached up to the sky in a very imposing manner, and rising cranes can be seen at the construction site. Two years ago, I had a chance to see and hear Mr. Imai, Director of the AMS Vietnam Company - the unit that leased the above cranes. He said they were striving to do their work in Vietnam while making a contribution to the society. The company has its main headquarters in Kyoto. It originally worked in the field of traffic accident rescue, so they have also cooperated on improving traffic safety. Here in Vietnam, where traffic accidents have seen a drastic rise, similar to Japan in the past, the company wished to present wheelchairs to traffic accident victims who are now struggling with the consequences of an accident. At that time, I recalled the story told by my wife after she had read a book by Ms. Sakata, who wrote that the majority of families of Agent Orange victims are poor, and many of the mothers in these families say they can not even afford a wheelchair for their children. After having heard the above story from me, Director Imai decided to launch the “Friendship Crane Bridge" project (the crane in the title also means a lifting crane). Thus from there on, on the occasion of the founding anniversary of this company, 10 wheelchairs have been presented via VAVA in May every year. At the first wheelchair presentation ceremony, held in May last year, VAVA Deputy Chairman Tran Xuan Thu said that “though the assistance is small, what makes us happiest is our being understood", and he went on by saying that when Japan faced natural disasters, VAVA members also raised support funds for Japan with a similar sentiment. At the second presentation ceremony held on 5 July, VAVA Chairman Nguyen Van Rinh expressed his gratitude, and said: "Agent Orange has been transferred from the second to the third generation, causing countless harmful impacts and impoverishing many families. In a situation where both material and spiritual support is needed, we feel greatly encouraged by the unshakable sentiments from our Japanese friends." All disabled victims and their families were invited to the ceremony. Director Imai met and encouraged every victim, and it seemed that both sides had already established a very profound understanding. Many Japanese enterprises doing business in Vietnam are also conducting activities to make a contribution to Vietnamese society. This work includes afforestation, raising scholarship funds for children and students, financial assistance for construction of schools in the northern mountainous areas, presentation of learning aids etc. I often hear that when visiting localities, the benefactors are enthusiastically welcomed and greeted by local villagers. Across all of Vietnam, diversified activities aimed at broadening the embracement of humanity that links human beings with human beings are now being conducted by enterprises, local authorities and Japanese NGOs. Looking at the people who attended the ceremony at the main office of VAVA, I had the impression that JICA should continue to bolster its efforts to be a "connecting bridge" via each of its activities. (Chief Representative of JICA Vietnam Office - Tsuno Motonori). Message from the Chief Representative JICA Vietnam Office May 2012 (Monthly News Bulletin of JICA Vietnam Office)
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Message from the Chief Representative - JICA€¦ · Message from the Chief Representative JICA Vietnam Office May 2012 ... During the project formulating process, the Japanese side
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今月の主なトピックス今月の主なトピックス今月の主なトピックス今月の主なトピックス
Up to now, the harmful impacts of the hazardous herbicide
known as Agent Orange are still very severe in Vietnam. For a
long time, the US did not accept any responsibility for use of the
herbicide and only very recently, there has been news that they
began cooperating in cleaning land areas around Da Nang
Airport. But across the whole country, there are millions of
affected people, and their families badly need assistance. I think
many people have seen an NHK TV program titled "Where Does
Hoa Go To?" and another program by documentary maker
Sakata Masako, who has tirelessly followed and publicised the
harmful impacts of the herbicide. Last year, Ms. Sakata
founded a scholarship fund named "Sprout of Hope" for Agent
Orange affected Vietnamese children. I met Sakata for the first
time when my wife
and I attended the
screening of a
documentary film
titled "Volunteers
Network"
organized by a
group of Japanese
women living in
Hanoi.
(http://www.vietnam-sketch.com/201108022012).
Her Vietnamese partner in this work was the "Vietnam
Association of Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin (VAVA)”.