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About Vietnam  About Vietnam..
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| Children In Vietnam: About 1 in 3 people in Vietnam are under the age of 15, meaning about 35% of the population are young children! Poverty Level: A 1998 Survey found that approximately 37 per cent of Vietnamese — some 28.4 million people — were living in poverty. While this rate is unacceptably high, is a large improvement from the 75% rate of 1993. Disabled People: According to the statistics of Ministry of Ministry of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs Vietnam have over 5.3 million disabled people. Malnutrition: rates remain unacceptably high (25 percent of children under five are still malnourished). The main contributing factors to poor nutrition status of children include poor caring and feeding practices; only 19% of babies are exclusively breastfed at 4 months. Orphans and street children: According to UNICEF there are over 1,500,000 orphans in Vietnam and over 23,000 street children! However the true number may be considerably higher as it’s hard to gain accurate statistics.
Vietnam and Agent Orange: Today, three million Vietnamese suffer the effects of chemical defoliants used by the United States during the Vietnam War. In order to deny food and protection to those deemed to be “the enemy,” the U.S. defoliated the forests of Vietnam with the deadly chemicals Agent Orange, White, Blue, Pink, Green and Purple. Agent Orange, which was contaminated with trace amounts of TCDD dioxin – the most toxic chemical known to science – disabled and sickened soldiers, civilians and several generations of their offspring on two continents. It has caused birth defects in hundreds of thousands of children in Vietnam and the U.S. – that is, the second and third generations of those who were exposed to Agent Orange decades ago. Medical evidence indicates that certain cancers (for example, soft tissue non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma), diabetes (type II), and in children spina bifida and other birth defects, are attributable to the exposure. The deadly mark left by Agent Orange on the natural environment of Vietnam includes the destruction of mangrove forests and the long-term poisoning of soil and crops. Currently through the Global Volunteer Network I am able to volunteer and meet some of the beautiful and talented children who have been affected by Agent Orange, they currently are supported in a day centre, where they play and learn arts and crafts while their parents are at work. For more information please visit:
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