The Da Nang Association of Agent Orange (AO) Victims has been very busy in the lead up to the Tet Festival appealing for cash donations to buy gifts for local AO victims to help them enjoy a warm and happy Tet.

The Association has received numerous donations from generous domestic and foreign individuals, organisations and businesses.  Most notably, the Singaporean billionaire Harold Chan Soo York recently visited 50 poor families in Hoa Vang District’s Hoa Lien Commune and gave Tet gifts to them.  He also paid a visit to a residential home for 20 AO children in the Shelter No 3 of Da Nang’s Care Centre for AO Victims and Disadvantaged Children.  He paid the 1.4 billion VND construction cost of the home.

Forty-five-year-old Van Thi Hue, an overseas Vietnamese in the Czech Republic, donated 1,100 USD to the Association, and pledged to appeal for more generous donors to help AO victims.  In addition, Mr Nguyen Trong Luat, a Vietnamese expatriate living in Germany gave 25 million VND to buy Tet gifts for AO-affected victims.

Local pupils presenting Tet gifts to AO victims

In addition, the football club of the Da Nang Advertising Association, and the city’s Bicycle Club, organised numerous sporting activities and auctions to raise funds for the victims.

Many generous donors have also helped the AO victims but they prefer to remain anonymous.  In particular, over the past 10 years, a director of a local business has provided monthly free food to 80 poor AO victims at a cost of 150,000 VND per person.

To date, the Association has bought Tet gifts for 200 AO victims to help them celebrate Tet, and it is appealing for more donations to buy gifts for another 300 needy AO victims.

In addition to these generous donors, on 31 January a total of 120 pupils from 10 senior high schools in Hai Chau District visited the Shelter No 1 and No 3 of Da Nang’s Care Centre for AO Victims and Disadvantaged Children.  Most of the high shool pupils come from well-off families, and each of them gave some candies, jams and other items to the AO victims.  They also played and had lunch with their new friends, and took part in other activities.  Thanks to this, they had the opportunity to understand more about the difficulties of AO victims and learn how to share their love with disadvantaged people.