Support a Family Devastated by Agent Orange

As the AP Peace Fellow to AEPD this year, one of my main goals was to support the next Agent Orange Campaign beneficiary family: Mr. Thin Nguyen's family.

I started fundraising to buy the family a cow and calf in mid-July. With your support and just a little over a month later, the Nguyen family became the tenth Agent Orange Campaign beneficiary! Thank you for following Mr. Thin’s journey and generously investing in his family’s future.

As soon as we had raised the amount necessary to set Mr. Thin’s cow-rearing business plan in motion, Ngoc (AEPD staff) informed Mr. Hoc (AEPD Outreach Worker). Mr. Hoc then let Mr. Thin know it was time for him to get quotes for cows and calves from different salespeople in the region.

All Campaign beneficiaries are required to secure the resource(s) necessary to begin their business plan. The program’s model is set up this way to establish an additional layer of buy-in and to ensure that their resources, in this case a cow and calf, are 100 percent suitable for the family’s needs. For example, Mr. Thin wanted a particular breed and size of cow, etc. that would meet the fertilizer needs of his grapefruit and banana trees because the specific kind of grapefruit Mr. Thin is growing requires a larger quantity of manure.

He received three quotes from local salespeople for a cow and a calf: 28 million VND, 25 million VND, and 23 million VND, approximately $1,200 USD, $1,072 USD, and $987 USD, respectively. He chose to purchase the cow and calf for 23 million VND because it was the most affordable and suitable and of best quality. An additional portion of the funds raised were used to pay the Outreach Worker's salary, travel costs, and minimal overhead. Because the GG campaign was so successful, there was money left over for the next Agent Orange Campaign beneficiary, Ms. Toa.

The cows had arrived before we reached Mr. Thin’s house. The family was so excited about the cow and the calf that Ms. Loan put her son Phan in his wheelchair and introduced him to the cow and calf. Phan was so elated upon seeing them that Ms. Loan put the rope in his hands. She told us that he tried to pull the cow and walk with her in his wheelchair. Lam, her eldest son, hearing the commotion outside, became agitated and Mr. Thin brought him out to see the new animals as well. He seemed equally as thrilled, according to Mr. Thin. To me, the effects of the Agent Orange Campaign and what it represents are best captured by moments like these.

By the time we arrived, Phan, Lam, Mr. Thin, and Ms. Loan had spent a considerable amount of time with the cow and the calf. Their spirits were markedly different than the first time I met them in early July.

We entered their home to formalize the cow exchange and were met by Phan’s smiling face as he lay on the bed (rather than the hammock). Mr. Hoc facilitated the exchange and had Mr. Thin sign the contract and agreement between himself and AEPD. Mr. Tan (the commune's local authority) witnessed the process and formally approved the purchase. Ms. Hue (the cow salesperson) signed additional documentation and received the amount owed to her for the cow and calf.

The family has decided to use the cow and calf’s manure to fertilize their grapefruit and banana tree plantation. Mr. Thin intends to keep the cow and calf and continue to breed them. He will generate additional income by selling calves when he has a large enough herd. He confesses that they have made this decision because they “are thinking about [their family’s] future.” The income will be used for household expenses (food, medical supplies, doctor’s visits, etc.) and to help repay the loan he took out to plant grapefruit and banana trees.

To add to the good news, the family’s grapefruit trees have already started to bear fruit and they have earned 4 million VND (approximately $170 USD) from selling grapefruits this summer.

To ensure sustainability and longevity, we will continue to monitor and evaluate the Nguyen family’s progress as a result of their cow-rearing business plan; Mr. Hoc will continue to visit the family regularly to check-in. I have high hopes for their success. 

Ultimately, the Campaign goes beyond the formal exchange of the cow and the calf. It is human spirit that carries this program forward. Its weight ignites social change with those affected by Agent Orange. Thank you for taking part in this.

Cheers to them, the Campaign, and to your kindness! 

Marcela and the AP Team

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For additional photographs of this visit and my other experiences in Vietnam, click here.

If you wish to continue supporting families affected by Agent Orange, please consider donating to Ms. Toa's family on AP's new GlobalGiving appeal here.

Links:

• Support the 11th Agent Orange Campaign Beneficiary!