SOURCE: Voice of Vietnam, 5/9/04
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An action month for poor disabled people and war victims was launched in Hanoi on Saturday to mark the World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day (May 8).

Present at the ceremony were President Tran Duc Luong, the Vietnam Fatherland President Pham The Duyet, representatives of international Red Cross organisations and more than 1,000 members of Hanoi Red Cross Society.

Speaking on this occasion, Prof. Ph.D. Nguyen Van Thuong said the campaign aims to ease sufferings of Vietnamese people who are the victims of wars, poverty and natural disasters. He said Vietnam now has more than five million disabled people and about one million Agent Orange victims. Of them hundreds of thousands of children are suffering from congenital deformities and living in extremely difficult circumstances.

He called on local and international communities to help local people in far-flung regions build houses, gratitude classes, and safe water supply and hygiene systems through small-scaled projects. Priority should be given to Agent Orange victims to help them re-integrate into the community.

Thuong said during the month, the Vietnam Red Cross Society will offer at least 2,000 wheelchairs, 1,000 gratitude houses, and 1,000 scholarships for the disabled, war victims and children with disabilities.

President Tran Duc Luong asked the Society to pay more attention to humanitarian activities in the remote, border and island regions. He called for practical activities to raise awareness about humanitarian activities among the entire population about the poor disabled and war victims.

Twelve scholarships and five wheel chairs were handed over the beneficiaries at the launch.

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