The Belgium - Vietnam Friendship Association, led by Pierre Gréga, its president, recently visited and worked with the Association of Agent Orange/Dioxin Victims in the southern province of Dong Nai.

Grega Pierre Emlile J gives money to support the Association of Victims of Agent Orange/dioxin in Dong Nai Province. Photo: Dacamvietnam

According to Grega, Belgian people always pay attention to Vietnam, including AO victims. In the coming time, the Belgium - Vietnam Friendship Association will continue to carry out accompanying activities to help victims of AO in Vietnam. On this occasion, the Belgium - Vietnam Friendship Association donated EUR 1,100 and VND 10.8 million to the Provincial Association of AO/Dioxin Victims.

At the meeting, Dao Nguyen, president of the Dong Nai Association of AO/Dioxin Victims, said that the province is home to more than 8,000 victims of AO/dioxin, the majority of them face economic difficulties and need assistance and care.

Over the past time, Vietnam and Dong Nai province have implemented many programs to support the victims, providing assistance to them and their relatives, including the participation of international organizations. Therefore, the Association of AO/Dioxin Victims hopes that the Belgium - Vietnam Friendship Association will continue to accompany Vietnam and Dong Nai to overcome the AO disaster and provide assistance to the victims.

Previously, on February 21, the delegation of the Belgium - Vietnam Friendship Association led by President Grega and seven members visited and worked with the Central Committee of the Vietnam Association of AO/Dioxin Victims (VAVA).

According to Grega, the Belgium-Vietnam Friendship Association was established in 1973, its mission is to promote understanding and strengthen cooperation between the two countries. Since its establishment, the association has made many humanitarian and political support contributions to the Vietnamese State and the people. Although in recent years despite socio-economic development, Vietnamese AO/dioxin communities still need more attention and support.

Tran To Nga (R), a Vietnamese French woman and an AO victim, speaks at a get-together and exhibition on Agent Orange (AO)/dioxin victims in Vietnam held in Brussels, Belgium, by the Belgium - Vietnam Association in 2021. Photo: VNA

He also said that at present, the young generation in Belgium does not have much information and understanding about Vietnamese victims of AO/dioxin, so Belgium - Vietnam Friendship Association wishes to contribute information to this issue in Belgium as well as in Europe. Starting from the thought, the issue of AO/dioxin is also a political issue that needs attention, therefore, the Friendship Association has implemented a project to call and mobilize members of the Belgian National Assembly to support the victims of AO/dioxin in Vietnam.

In addition, the association also supports and regularly contacts Tran To Nga, a Vietnamese French woman and an AO victim, who lodged a lawsuit against US firms that had manufactured the toxic AO defoliant used by the US military during the war in Vietnam.

In the past time, Belgium - Vietnam Friendship Association has had many activities to support the VAVA as well as its provincial chapters. Particularly in Dong Nai, from 2020 to 2022, the Friendship Association has provided monthly allowances to four victims of AO/dioxin with a total amount of VND 43.2 million. Particularly, Do Thi Chuong Dai, a member of the Belgium - Vietnam Friendship Association, provided a separate subsidy for one victim from 2018 to 2022 with the amount of VND 16.4 million.

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