Tired and humbled: Day 2 in Vietnam

George Washington Carver reminds us about days like this when he said: “How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and the strong.  Because someday in life you will have been all of these.” –

 I started my day by reviewing the major “Goals and Hopeful Outcomes” for this specific Interfaith Delegation’s journey.  Simply stated as follows:

 1) We were determined to see and understand the Agent Orange/dioxin challenges remaining here in Vietnam. What were the issues, contradictions, questions to be explored? How are they best answered?
2) We hoped to grasp the extent of the problem by seeing the bases where Agent/Orange was stored and rural areas where it was sprayed, and talking to some of the affected people and their children.
3) We wanted to understand what is being done about remediation and what the remaining needs are through seeing the process and talking to some NGOS and to Vietnamese and American officials.
4) We planned to return to the United States better informed and ready to assist the U.S. — Vietnam Dialogue Group on Agent Orange/Dioxin to fully implement it proposed 10 year plan of action.

Committed to those goals and after a buffet breakfast at the Norfolk Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City, the delegation left by bus for the Cu Chi District, about an hours drive from the center of town. During the bus ride, Sister Maureen Fiedler led us in a Pentecost reflection from her progressive Roman Catholic perspective.  It was good preparation for what we were about to see and do.

We were joined by Dr. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Phuong, a Member, US-Vietnam Dialogue Group on Agent Orange/Dioxin.  Our scheduled called for us to visit the Center for Children with Disabilities, in Cu Chi.

Upon arrival we were met by the Director of the Center, Father Tu, who led us in a tour of the center.  That sounded easy until we entered by a narrow driveway, stepped out of the bus and suddenly found ourselves embarrassed by a sea of physically challenged children of all ages.  From that moment, our lives were permanently changed.  There were no speeches, no introductions, no need for explanations, no medical reports, JUST children.

I sat on the floor surrounded by children reaching out for love and attention.  One little boy was fascinated by my watch and wanted the touch of another human being. Others just wanted to shake hands or exchange high-fives.  All were curious about this cluster of new faces.  They sang and clapped and sang some more.  (I made them laugh with my dumb magic tricks, especially my disappearing thumb illusion.)  I was having so much fun that I was not prepared for what I was to experience upstairs on the second floor.

In one room, there were children laying on a large floor blanket, many unable to do anything for themselves.  They too, while struggling with every move, wanted to be touched and loved.  Only one little girl, age 11, was able to communicate with several of us in the delegation with her eyes and curious hands.  She reached for Paulette Peterson’s camera and while laying flat on her pack, she figured out how to use the camera and promptly snapped Paulette’s picture. All of us were blessed by her spirit and sparkle. 

In another room, older and larger children confined to cribs or sleeping on the floor under the cribs, captured what was left of our emotions. The Rev. Richard Cizik walked over to one crib where a child leaned over and indicated to Richard that he wanted to be picked up.  Richard picked him up and the boy held on, seeking a hug that he hoped would never end.  WOW! 

No pictures can fully capture the experience.  We knew instantly the challenges facing Father Tu and his staff.  We knew that these were just the tip of the iceberg of human suffering and human need related to exposure to Agent Orange and other crippling diseases effecting children.  The need is so GREAT and the resources are so small.

Stunned and humbled, we left the Center and proceeded to lunch in Cu Chi.  Around small tables, with the help of Father Tu and Dr. Phuong we debriefed the Center visit, asked questions and better understood the urgent need for both funds to clean up the toxic “hot spots” and resources to assist the many families with physically challenged children, attempting to care for their children at home, because of the lack of health care institutions.

After lunch we returned to Ho Chi Minh City to meet with Huynh Minh Thien, the Standing Vice Chairman of the Hochminh City Union of Friendship Organizations.  The delegation had a good conversation with Mr. Thien about how the U.S.– Vietnam Dialogue Group on Agent Orange/Dioxin might be the catalyst at this time in history to spark a major 10 year, $300 million campaign to address this issue.

The current plan is very inadequate.  The hope is to move from $3 million per year of United States funding, mostly ill spent on bureaucracy and minor environmental clean up to at least $30 million per year, for at least the next ten years, split between environmental clean up of the “hot spots” and building the infrastructure needed to support the victims exposed daily to Agent Orange.  Our government supports the environmental work but resists taking responsibility for any direct aid, especially to local organizations needed to provide patient care.  We have our work cut out for us!

After a quick break to recharge our spirits and rest, we went to meet with Madame Ton Nu Thi Ninh, former diplomat and former co-chair of the Dialogue Group.  She was a very articulate, well educated advocate for addressing the Agent Orange issue.  We had a frank and open conversation that helped to put all that we had experienced today in perspective. I had the pleasure of sitting with her during dinner and learning more about the challenges facing the work ahead.  While her passion remains high for supporting the Dialogue Group’s upcoming plan, she is now refocused on creating from ground level a major new “all green” university here in the City.

Many other active NGO leaders and several physically challenged colleagues joined us for dinner.  We spent several hours in face-to-face conversations that put a real personal stamp on the problem.  We ended the evening tired and humbled, but also eager to fact the new day.

Here are two lessons that I take away from today:

*   Current programs reach only a small number of those in need.

*    Generations of children are suffering daily from our inability to take responsibility for damage caused by the defoliation campaign of the Vietnam war.

Shame on us if we do not join hands with the people of Vietnam finally remove the remaining lethal weapons left behind by our actions.

To paraphrase George Washington Carver’s words: today we were tender with the young, compassionate with the aging victims of war, and sympathetic with the good people of Vietnam that are daily striving and tolerant of the weak and the strong.  Tomorrow we must act boldly and collectively to heal the remaining wounds of war…