No day for me is ever quite the same. Different projects come up and impromptu trips to the field are common. My mornings however seem to start the same. I wake up at around 6 am, then realize that this is far too early and go back to bed. Sounds of chickens and construction workers tend to wake me up for good around 7 though, which means it’s time to start my day with……….

Vietnamese Coffee

Vietnamese Coffee

Honestly, I’m not sure I’ll be able to go back to real coffee. I’ve drank my weight in this stuff and I’m a little concerned nothing will ever compare.

After my injection of concentrated caffeine, it’s a short walk to the AEPD office where I get to work with amazing people. Like these guys….

AEPD Staff Members

AEPD Staff Members

The gentlemen in the photo are both outreach workers. Mr. Luu has an amazing life story that a previous peace fellow (Simon Klantschi) has written about. I’d highly suggest checking it out here. In the middle is the amazing Mrs. Nga, the monitoring and evaluation officer for AEPD. She is always with me during my field visits, and I owe her a huge debt of gratitude for all her help.

Generally I have some office work to do in the morning. Editing reports, writing profiles of their beneficiaries, and whatever else comes up. The Vietnamese workday generally go’s from 8am – 6pm, but with a longer lunch break. This gives plenty of time to take in all the sights and sounds of Dong Hoi, which is best done on the seat of motorbike.

Mr Tuan, IT specialist and aspiring philanthropist

Mr Tuan, IT specialist and aspiring philanthropist

Mr. Huan the Engineer

Mr. Huan the Engineer

Mr. My who is blind, provides weather updates for local fishermen with his radio

Mr. My who is blind, provides weather updates for local fishermen with his radio

Every time I go to the field I meet the most interesting people, but Mr. My is exceptional. Born blind, life is a constant struggle for him. His family is always struggling financially, yet he finds the time to volunteer as the weather liaison for the local fishermen of his commune, providing updates on approaching storms. There’s no way to know how many lives he’s saved in total, but fishermen often go to his house to provide him gifts in appreciation. I’m planning on writing a much more in depth profile on him, so stay tuned.

Central Vietnam isn’t exactly known for it’s nightlife. Most shops close down by 8 or 9pm. This has it’s advantages and disadvantages. After living in a place like Cairo however, it’s nice to be in such a serene place. Generally I do some more writing in the evening before dinner, then I enjoy the views from my balcony and call it night.

Another great day in Dong Hoi.

Collaboration and Solidarity

Disaster relief project with AEPD, Caritas and CTC

By all accounts, 2010 was a terrible year. It brought us awful films like the remake of “Clash of the Titans”, the ear cringing sounds (I hesitate to use the word music) of Ke$ha, a second season of “Jersey Shore”, rising unemployment, continued wars and occupations, cats and dogs living together (Murray, Bill 1984) and the list goes on. The Mayan prophecy of 2012 seems to be right on track. As if the cultural, economic, and political downward spiral weren’t enough, it was a hellacious year of natural disasters, which also means that it was a particularly bad time for Persons with Disabilities (PWD’s), who are amongst the most vulnerable groups during these events.

Depending on what indicators you use, 2010 may go down as the worst year ever for natural disasters. Most sources cite a figure of nearly 300,000 deaths and financial costs of up to 130 billion US dollars. The earthquake in Haiti of course takes up a significant share of the casualties but there’s there were many other disasters that also contributed to these mind boggling numbers. Floods in Pakistan, blizzards in China, quakes in Chile, Russian wildfires and sub-zero temps in Peru are just a few of the 950 natural disasters from 2010. Somewhat lost amongst all these events were the historic floods that wreaked havoc on central Vietnam during October of last year. Flooding is simply a part of life for those who live on the coast and central highlands of Vietnam, but the severity and erratic patterns have caused great concern for the region, forcing communities to become more aware of climate change issues and how it affects their lives.

The floods of October 2010 mostly affected Quang Binh province, which is where AEPD is headquartered. Total deaths are unknown but the figure most often reported is around 80 with some dozens still missing and presumed dead. Quang Binh took the brunt of the storm with 45 deaths and over 100,000 homes submerged in water. Moreover, entire fields of rice and other crops were swept away in the flood water, crippling the base of the region’s economy. Further complicating the issue is the disproportionately high level of PWD’s in the area, which account for nearly 5% of the province’s total population. Along with the elderly, PWD’s have greater risks than others during disasters like flooding. For those in the US, we need only to look at our experience during Hurricane Katrina as proof. Paralyzed civilians were left behind, nursing homes were deserted, and the overall lack of planning and coordination concerning this vulnerable community was unfortunately brought to light. Check out this article from CNN for an overview of the problem.

Emergency relief after natural disasters is not an easy endeavor. Many times resources aren’t mobilized fast enough, are misallocated, or wasted. There’s also an oversaturation issue. There are simply too many cooks in the kitchen, dispensing either unneeded or impractical relief, like during the tornadoes in Alabama earlier this year when broken toys and used underwear were donated from across the country Yes, this actually happens. check it out here. The world simply hasn’t quite perfected emergency relief quite yet. Here in Quang Binh however, I’m seeing a level of coordination in response to natural disasters that makes me a little envious. If enough people comment on this post, maybe we can persuade some of them to work for FEMA.

AEPD  Disaster Relief Movie Part 1

AEPD  Disaster Relief Movie Part 2

Learning and reflection

Mr. Tran of the District People's Committee talks about lessons learned

Recognizing that a large sector of the community wasn’t benefiting from the various relief programs provided by the government and NGO’s, AEPD partnered with Caritas Switzerland, Challenge to Change (a UK NGO) and various authorities from the communal and district authorities. Caritas was very smart to seek out AEPD. They’ve been working with the PWD community for over 7 years now in Quang Binh, and have their fingers on the pulse of the PWD community. They knew exactly where most of the PWD’s lived and what types of assistance they’d actually need. They also have some of the most professional and dedicated staff in the area, as their team of outreach workers constantly had their boots on the ground, evaluating and monitoring the execution of the project. AEPD was constantly in contact with Caritas who funded the project, as well as various local government departments ensuring distribution of aid was efficient. When it was all said and done, 16 tons of rice and 400 kg of dry fish were given out to 860 needy households in 3 different communes. It also provided 250kg of seed and 75 tons of fertilizer to produce crops on 50 hectares of land, which is enough to support the dietary needs of nearly 1800 people. The project also focused on home reconstruction, with an aim to make them more resilient in future storms. 30 homes were repaired, along with 3 heavily damaged kindergartens. For a complete overview on the storms of October 2010 and the relief project, check out part 1 and 2 of a film produced by AEPD posted above.

I had a chance to talk with many representatives from Caritas, Challenge to Change, local government personnel and the project beneficiaries themselves during an experience sharing workshop held a few weeks ago.  Mr. Lan who heads the Caritas Vietnam office reaffirmed my sentiments about the project. He has ample experience in disaster relief operations and was very pleased with the outcome of the project “Access to information and coordination of different agencies is always a challenge” he told me. “Not this time though. The cohesion amongst the government and NGO’s was exemplarily and a big reason for the project’s success”. This feeling was also shared by Mr. Tran of the District Peoples Committee. “The big lesson I learned from this workshop was the value of planning. We had great criteria and beneficiary selection because we listened to the community and various organizations closely. This is something we must continue to do in the future”.

Boots on the Ground

The outreach workers of AEPD reflecting on their experiences

I was skeptical when I first heard that AEPD was branching out into emergency relief and climate change advocacy. I feel that when NGO’s try to take on too many projects, their core function gets diminished. After learning more about AEPD’s role in the disaster relief project however, I realized there simply isn’t a better organization around that could fit the role the project required. Caritas wanted to fund a project that helped vulnerable people after the October flood, particularly PWD’s, so AEPD was an obvious partner. Not only are they able to identify at risk individuals and raise awareness on climate change, but they have earned a stellar reputation in the community and have strong relationships with local government offices. Not every PWD is so lucky however. Try and think of your own hometown. Is there a group working to protect the vulnerable in your area in case the improbable happens? Do you think the elderly, single mothers, or PWD’s would be well provided for in case of a natural disaster? If you can’t name a group besides the Red Cross or FEMA, than perhaps your neighborhood should be taking the pre-emptive steps like the people of Quang Binh Vietnam. It’s not the most pleasant thing to think about, but failing to do so could lead to tragic outcomes.

It’s been a while since I’ve gotten to go into the field and meet the  people that AEPD supports. There was an issue with our vehicle and the staff and I have been busy preparing for a workshop on climate change (blog post to come) that just recently finished, so I was very eager to get back out there. I wasn’t disappointed with my latest visit. I met three extraordinary individuals who deserve more than a simple blog post to tell their stories, but it’s my hope that I can convey how truly inspiring I found them to be.

All three beneficiaries I met with were former members of the Vietnamese military and two of them are veterans of the American war. There’s something about the camaraderie and brotherhood experienced in the military. Unless you’ve served yourself you probably couldn’t totally understand. I knew beforehand that the people I would meet were all soldiers at one point, so it was my intention not mention my time in the US Army. I just wasn’t sure if there would be any bitterness or resentment towards me. People in Vietnam are very inquisitive though. When they began asking me about my life, it became really difficult to explain the 4 year gap that I left out of my biography. So I reluctantly shared that I too was a former service-member. The reaction was far better than I could have anticipated. Usually they responded with “That’s great, I was too”. So just like that, I felt like I was back at Fort Bragg hanging out with my old Army buddies sharing war stories. I immediately felt a connection with them the same way I would with a US veteran, which made our conversations together very personal. Here are the brief, but amazing stories.

Mr. Hoa, with a tattoo indicating the date of his UXO accident

Tattoos and the Army go together like peanut butter and jelly. Airborne soldiers in the US Army prefer a pair of wings, Marines have an affinity for the Tasmanian devil, and Air Force PJ’s display a green footprint on a body part that shall rename nameless. Today there is a somewhat disturbing trend of returning US vets inking the Arabic word Kafir (Infidel)  on their bodies, which I hope is just a fad. Much to my mother’s dismay, I also have a permanent memento from my army days on my back. So when I saw some faded blue ink on Mr. Hoa’s left arm, I immediately assumed it had something to do with the Military. “April 2^nd 1975” he told me. That is what was etched on his forearm and was the day that altered his life forever, when an unexploded bomb claimed his right leg. It’s not as if he needs a reminder that he is a person with a disability (PWD), but whenever he looks at it, he told me it gives him energy. It’s a personal reminder that he has to work harder than everyone else if he wants to succeed, which from my viewpoint he definitely has.

He earned his fortune with a forestry business growing various trees in a plantation about 12 km from his home where he’s lived for over 20 years. He amassed quite a bit of money from this business, but the road to get there was full of hardship and struggle. Twice all his crops and fish ponds that he used as a source of income were swept away by floods and  he lost his first born son when he was still very young. With the help of a government loan and a land grant, Mr. Hoa turned an untamed plot of forest into a vibrant and profitable plantation. Now he focuses his attention on helping others like him, providing vocational training in producing votive paper (or “ghost money”) which is used during ancestral worship in Buddhist ceremonies. With the support of AEPD, he’s provided free training to over 200 persons with disabilities. He’s also the head of the Bac Nghia club for people with disabilities, managing the 42 person organization and distributing loans for business startups for the members, all of which comes out of his own pocket. Like me, Mr. Hoa joined the Army when he was 18 years old, and is very proud of his time in the service, showing me numerous awards he received. While I have much in common with Mr. Hoa, I hope one day I’ll fully possess his qualities. A heart filled with compassion and an unbreakable spirit.

Mr. Can and his prized tree

When I came to Mr. Can’s house, there was an imposing miniature tree outside the gateway with vibrant pink flowers. This must be the house of the “bonsai master” I’ve heard about. He was in incredibly high spirits when we met, as he just learned his daughter gave birth to a healthy son, making him a grandfather for the first time. After congratulating him on his good fortune, he showed me around his expansive garden. He told me he had somewhere around 150 bonsai trees in his shop. “It’s my passion” he explained. “I’ll do this until I can no longer move”. Mr. Can fell in love with bonsai trees during his time in the Army in the 1980’s, where he led an element of 40 men (something similar to a platoon). He came across a book written in Japanese about the art of bonsai, and was instantly intrigued, furiously reading books on the topic whenever he could. He’s been trimming and caring for bonsai trees for over 15 years now, and his eyes lit up whenever I asked him a question about the techniques he uses. His passion hasn’t come without pain however.

One day he ventured deep into the forest searching for young bonsais he could cultivate when he stumbled upon one of several thousand unexploded bombs still scattered in the country, losing his right hand. Now this might cause many people to question how they spend their leisure time, but not Mr. Can, as he took his passion one step further by making it his vocation. He saw there was money to made from bonsais, so why not combine his love of bonsais with his livelihood? He also mentioned how he was still quite capable of performing the necessary tasks with one hand, and it was the one outlet he had besides his family that distracted him from the pain caused by his accident. He’s also been in touch with the staff of AEPD, and received a grant to open a workshop where he makes clay pots to house his magnificent trees. This new aspect of his business has been more profitable than the bonsai’s themselves, and he now provides free training to PWD’s in the community. This is a recurring theme with people I meet through AEPD. An intense desire to give back to the community and empower others, encouraging PWD’s not to live in the shadows of society. While helping others has rivaled his passion for the bonsai trees, it’s still clear how important they are to him. “Sometimes my wife complains that I love these trees more than her” he joked. “This isn’t true of course” he assured me.

Mrs. Phon trimming her beloved bonsai

Had Mrs. Phon been born in any other country, I’m quite sure she could’ve been a general. A 19 year veteran of the Vietnamese Army, she led a unit of over 30 other women in an air defense battery during the American War. As we began talking, she started reminiscing over her time in the service and began showing me several accommodations she received and also a group photo from 1966 where she was standing next to famed Vietnamese General Vo Nguyen Giap. Like most veterans of war, she seemed to have mixed emotions about her experiences. Trying to remember the good times and forget the painful ones, which is almost impossible. She was injured during a devastating air strike during the war, losing many members of her unit but escaped with only minor injuries. It was much later in life when she experienced her life changing accident. There’s something almost perverse about living through intense combat and avoiding injury only to be severely wounded later during peacetime, but this all too often seems to be the case in Vietnam. She lost her hand when an industrial sewing machine malfunctioned and caught on to her clothing, pulling her arm into the dangerous contraption. She struggled early on coping with her injury and trying to support her family with her husband, eventually finding the art of bonsai as a healthy outlet and a source of income.

She’s been perfecting her craft for 30 years and her skill is quite evident as you walk through her garden. One tree she recently agreed to sell for 60 million VND (about $3,000 US), which would probably sell for 3 times the amount in the US. It’s bitter sweet for her, as she has grown attached to this particular tree which was one of the first bonsais she ever worked on. Part of her doesn’t want to let it go. This is the problem with the bonsai business model. The payoff can be huge, but the time span to earn the returns can sometimes be decades. So she needed to find alternative sources of funding, and found that AEPD was willing to assist. She raises poultry and pigs nearby her home and also built a small building for ceremonies and meetings that brings in significant revenue. All of this was sponsored by AEPD, which when supplemented with her bonsai business, has allowed her to support her 6 children who all went to college.

Mrs. Phon, decorated soldier standing next to famed Vietnamese Genral Vo Nguyen Giap

Mrs. Phon, decorated soldier standing next to famed Vietnamese Genral Vo Nguyen Giap

This was a great experience for me. As a combat veteran, it’s easy to dehumanize “the enemy”. I suppose for soldiers, this is a necessity, an almost survival instinct that gets drilled into your mind during training. After the fighting stops though, these feelings can still linger which is a completely unhealthy and irrational habit. Feelings of resentment towards America by the Vietnamese have seemingly disappeared  judging from my encounters with these veterans. I would like to think that if any US veterans from the war still held on to any feelings of animosity, their opinions would quickly change if they met the great people I have. Their determination is inspiring, and the way they’ve handled themselves against incredible adversity should be lessons to us all.

Generally speaking, I consider myself rather well informed on topics dealing with landmines and unexploded ordinance (UXO). I would never call myself a subject matter expert, but there are usually very few major developments within mine action that slip by me. So it surprised me when I came across this rather sensational story of a Norwegian theatre director who has organized two beauty pageants featuring female landmine survivors from Angola and Cambodia. According to the creator of the “Miss Landmine” beauty pageant, Morten Traavik, the goal of the show is to raise awareness of the landmine problem and to empower its female victims while challenging traditional notions of beauty. As you could imagine, reactions have been mixed. Some have applauded Mr. Traavik’s innovative form of advocacy while others have been appalled. (This story is several years old at this point, but has resurfaced due to a new documentary film that recently opened. Check it out here)

The debate is rather straightforward. People against the Miss Landmine pageant would likely be opposed to any type of beauty pageant. It objectifies and exploits women, and suggests that being physically attractive is the main contribution that women can make to society. Dr. Jean Chapman who was a guest writer on the blog politicalminefields.com made an interesting observation echoing the main critiques against the show. She pointed out that men with disabilities have totally different avenues to empowerment. For example there is Oscar Pistorius (The blade runner), who is known as the fastest man without legs. He’s a double amputee from South Africa, who with the aid of carbon fiber prosthetics can run nearly as fast as world class Olympic sprinters. She cites a slew of other athletic events mostly catering towards men with disabilities that provide a healthy and inspiring way to empower persons with disabilities. Naturally she scoffs at Mr. Traavik’s beauty pageant, asking the question, “Is the only option for women amputees their objectification?” Furthermore, there are imperialist undertones within the show, which involves a privileged rich European male coming to developing nations and propagating what he considers empowerment, advocacy, and beauty.

Promotional photo for Miss Landmine Angloa Pageant

Promotional photo for Miss Landmine Angloa Pageant

Judging from the comments that most people leave on blogs and news sites about this topic, supporters of the project seem generally inspired by the courage of the landmine survivors, generally agreeing with the pageant’s motto, “Everyone deserves to be beautiful”. Other supporters simply don’t see the harm in having such a pageant. After all, nobody gets hurt, the women all supposedly volunteer for the event, and the mine action sector gains the attention of the international media. Also the winner gets a cash prize and is fitted for a state of the art prosthetic limb.

I myself had mixed feelings about the Miss Landmine pageant, but I eventually came to the conclusion that this is a terrible idea, although not for the reasons stated earlier.

Certain topics within international development and humanitarian action go in and out of vogue, leaving the public’s consciousness when something more chic comes along. We the public, have in general, very short attention spans. So every once in a while, something dramatic and sensational is exactly what a cause needs to recapture the world’s attention. The Miss Landmine pageant almost fits this model, except I’m very skeptical about the supposed awareness it actually raised. While many stories in the media that reported on the show paid some lip service to the landmine problem, it was mostly concerned with the controversies involved with the pageant and its creator Mr. Traavik. The terms Bizarre and Circus were probably the most common words used by writers to describe the pageant, which isn’t something I would deem beneficial when dealing with landmine and UXO survivors. It indeed grabbed the spotlight for a short while, but mostly the light was cast on the pageant organizer Mr. Traavik, which I suspect was the entire point all along for him. While I believe the pageant ultimately failed in its stated goal of advocacy and empowerment, I’m more perturbed for a different reason.

Participants in the Miss Landmine Cambodia pageant

Participants in the Miss Landmine Cambodia pageant

This show was a colossal waste of resources. The first pageant, Miss Landmine Angola in 2008 was sponsored by the US government as well as other development organizations. The 2009 show, Miss Landmine Cambodia which was eventually held in Norway, received funding from the Norwegian government and other donors. I can only speculate as to how much it costs to run a beauty pageant like this, but I imagine it wasn’t cheap since it required funding from a number of different government and non-government organizations. The final prize for the 2009 show winner was a custom prosthetic limb. I have to wonder, that instead of wasting money on a frivolous beauty pageant so a small elite group of people can pat themselves on the back, if all of the 20 participants could have been fitted with prosthetic limbs. I imagine they would choose this rather than the feeling of empowerment they gain from parading around in evening gowns and swimwear. This money could have been put to good use in so many other ways. Even if it didn’t go to landmine survivor assistance, I can think of a million different worthy causes that could have made a huge difference with just a fraction of the funds.

In the end, I can think of one benefit from the Miss Landmine pageant experiment. While it didn’t necessarily raise meaningful awareness of the landmine and UXO problem, it did show some weakness in worldwide survivor assistance, one of the main tenets of the ICBL’s Ottawa treaty. If it takes something like a beauty pageant to get the world’s attention, then clearly not enough is being accomplished.

“If a man has no chance of obtaining work he is in a desperate position, not simply because he lacks an income but because he lacks this nourishing and enlivening factor of disciplined work which nothing can replace”

The above quote is from one of my favorite books of all time, Small is Beautiful by E.F Schumacher. This particular quote comes from his essay “Buddhist Economics”, where he outlines his ideal economic system that conforms to a Buddhist world view. One of the main points of his work is that labor shouldn’t be a robotic series of movements where workers are paid as little as possible so producers can maximize profits. Work should first and foremost allow people to exercise their faculties and creativity, join people together in a common task to overcome their own egos, and produce goods and services to live a comfortable existence. AEPD’s economic empowerment model seems to follow this idea very closely, attempting to connect their beneficiaries with meaningful employment where they can both support their families and also take pride in their labor. This became quite evident during my latest excursion to the Bo Trach district of Quang Binh.

AEPD supports many different business models for their beneficiaries, but one that particularly caught my attention was beekeeping. I guess I was curious about this because of the fairly recent phenomenon of colony collapse disorder, where honey bees seem to be vanishing in parts of Europe and North America. So I was particularly excited for this trip to the field where I would meet Mr. Phong, an apiculturist who I was told had a strong reputation in the area, and even earned the moniker of “The King Beekeeper”. Nicknames like the King are usually well earned, so maybe the King could shed some light into our disappearing bee problem.

Mr. Phong, King beekeeper of Bo Trach (3)

Mr. Phong showing off one his particularly strong hives

I was half expecting to be immediately engulfed by an irate swarm of insects upon entering Mr. Phong’s home, but this of course didn’t happen. His house is peaceful and serene, and he was a more than gracious host. Mr. Phong, like many of AEPD’s clients is a landmine survivor, who lost part of his right arm during the American war (he wasn’t reluctant to talk about his injury, but I got the impression he was a man who mostly thought about the future, not dwelling on the past). Unable to continue his work as a farmer to support his family, he turned to beekeeping, which is a traditional business in his hometown.

Lacking the necessary funds to start this new venture, AEPD was there to provide him with much needed capital and paid for the costs for his training. Before AEPD’s support, he didn’t have any full hives in his colony. AEPD provided him with the materials to support 3 bee hives, which he then turned into 36 hives in less than 6 months. In a good month, he can collect 30 liters of honey, selling them for 350,000 VND per liter. That’s equivalent to about $500 US a month, which is very high for this area. Not only has he become a successful businessman, he’s someone who commands great respect in the community. He’s the manager of a support group for persons with disabilities, and also heads the association of beekeepers for the Quang Binh Province. He’s regularly consulted by various Commune People Committees (CPC’s) so they can establish their own apiculture farms. He is also a regular guest lecturer in neighboring provinces, imparting his knowledge and experience to aspiring beekeepers.

Mr. Phong's wife helping him suit up for work

Mr. Phong's wife helping him suit up for work

I was curious to get Mr. Phong’s opinion on Colony Collapse Disorder, but he was unfamiliar with the problem. He told me nothing like that has happened to him or any other beekeepers in Vietnam that he knew of. Hives can become weak for a number of factors he explained, but there must be outside factors causing these problems. I asked him if changes in the environment could be a cause, and he suggested that’s most likely the case. “Bees prefer a pure environment. I know some people in the west use chemicals a lot, but I’ll never use them.” He even described a natural method to encourage the production of queen bees to create new hives, where he uses ants to burrow into the colony to create a larger crevice where eggs are stored. This encourages the queen to produce more offspring, and will likely cause the birth of a new queen. Judging from the success of his thriving bee yard, this natural method may be the way to go. A recent article from the Guardian outlines the challenges facing the bee population, and seems to agree with Mr. Phong’s assessment. Check it out here.

Mr. Phong thoroughly inspecting one of his hives

After our discussion, Mr. Phong let us sample some fresh honey as well as some homemade rice and honey wine that he makes. One my colleagues enjoyed it so much she bought a liter to take home. Mr. Phong seems to have truly found his niche. He’s a successful business man who’s able to live well, and takes tremendous pride in his work. He is constantly giving back to the community, giving free training and often sharing hives with other persons with disabilities in the area. He’s a man of great generosity and determination, and I think I understand how he earned his illustrious nickname.

It took a 10 hour bus trip, 13 hours of flight time, and a 12 hour train ride on the reunification express, but I finally arrived at my destination in the picturesque town of Dong Hoi Vietnam about a week ago. Besides the typical adjustments a foreigner usually has to make in a new land,  I’ve had plenty of time to get to know the staff of my host organization and learn about their expanding role in the community, plans for the future, and how I can best serve them during my short time here.

Quang Thuan commune gate

While the staff at AEPD have done all they could to fill me in on all their current projects, there’s no substitute for seeing it up close with your own eyes. So this past Tuesday, I was taken out for my first trip to the field to see the impact that AEPD has on the community, meeting with 3 individuals who’ve been supported by AEPD. Accompanied by Mr. Luan, one of the 7 outreach workers for the organization and Mrs. Nga, the monitoring and evaluation specialist who will undoubtedly be acting as my translator for the majority of my trip, we traveled to the Quang Thuan commune about an hour away from Dong Hoi. There is a beautiful gate at the entrance of the commune, with an inscription that roughly translates to “Nothing is more realizable than freedom and independence”. The slogan no doubt is in reference to Vietnam’s complex history that has endured occupations by the Chinese, French, and Americans, but after meeting several of AEPD’s beneficiaries, this could easily serve as the motto for the organization.

The first gentleman I met was Nguyen Ha. Mr. Ha is a disabled veteran of the third Indochina war when he fought for his country in Cambodia. Ironically, it was after the war when his injury happened. A bomb landed close to his hut in central Vietnam and he lost the bottom half of his right leg, and now makes due with a prosthetic limb. When he is wearing trousers, you probably wouldn’t even realize he’s disabled. He moves swiftly around his farmland, and in general seems perfectly mobile. Ha received support from the government for his injuries, but with rapidly rising prices it was not a sustainable income. He owns slightly less than 4 acres of farm land that he uses to cultivate rice, working around 8 hours a day. AEPD in 2010 provided Mr. Ha with 6 million VND to purchase a cow. It may not seem like much, but it makes his labor much more productive and he’s seen his income rise from 1 million VND per month to 1.5 million. Also, the cow’s value has nearly doubled since it was purchased as a calf. He plans to eventually sell the animal for a small profit and invest the returns in his business and buy new livestock.

Nguyen Ha

A short drive from Mr. Ha’s home we met with another AEPD client, Le Thi Be. Unlike Mr. Ha, Ms. Be is not survivor of UXO or landmines. She contracted an extremely high fever when she was 3 years old that caused her right leg to become paralyzed, which she described as having a “heavy leg”. AEPD’s role has expanded greatly since it became an independent organization last year, serving not only landmine survivors, but all persons with disabilities in the Quang Binh and neighboring provinces. Be operates a tailoring shop inside her home in the Quang Thuan commune, and is a single mother to her 3 year old daughter Taang. AEPD helped Ms. Be purchase a sewing machine, workstation, and display case for her shop. While her income is still very low, it has risen by 40% since she received support from AEPD, and she expects it to steadily increase throughout the year.

AEPD beneficiary Le Thi Be

For our last stop, we visited Mr. Nguyen Van Thanh. Thanh used to work as a farmer and served as a high ranking commune officer until he was victimized by a landmine while he was working in his rice field, losing both his hands and one of his legs. He was 36 years old at the time and his life took a drastic turn in the blink of an eye. He went from earning a comfortable living, able to support his mother and disabled father, to receiving just 560,000 VND per month from the social services unit of the government, which wasn’t enough to support 3 people. Luckily, AEPD was able to reach Mr. Thanh and supported him with free training and a 10 million VND grant which he used to purchase chickens and netting to build a coop. Poultry farming has significantly raised his standard of living, nearly tripling his monthly income.

Nguyen Thanh

I’ve never been a fan of explaining currency figures in terms of US dollars, as it distorts true purchasing power and takes some issues out of context, but that’s just the economist in me talking. It can however be a powerful tool to provide some frame of reference for those in the western world. The exchange rate for VND to USD is approximately 20,000/1, and for VND to EUR 29,000/1. If you consider Ms. Be’s monthly income in terms of USD, it’s about $25 per month. Before she received assistance however, her monthly income was around $15. Mr. Ha’s labor currently nets about $75 a month, an increase of $25 monthly. If these amounts seem like a meager wage, that’s because they are.

Whenever I hear these kinds of figures, I usually ask myself how it’s even possible to survive on such low incomes. The answer is complicated, and I’ll probably never truly comprehend the struggles it entails. Prices are of course low enough in the commune where they are able to buy essential items and they often will get help through neighbors or friends when times get really tough. I think it’s important to consider how much more difficult life would have been if AEPD hadn’t reached out to them. In some cases, their incomes increased by over 50%. I find it remarkable how a simple sewing machine or a cow could have such an impact on their livelihoods. For the disabled in Quan Binh provence, AEPD is more than an NGO. It’s an avenue to a better life, not though charity, but through their own faculties and determination. This short trip was invaluable for me. It’s one thing to read about what the AEPD does in a brochure or on a website. Meeting their beneficiaries face to face has provided some much needed context.

When I first came across the Advocacy Project’s website, I was amazed by the truly global reach of the program. As I began browsing the various campaigns that AP would be involved with in 2011, there was one that immediately stood out for me, and that was the opportunity to work with landmine survivors in Vietnam and the Association for Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (AEPD, formerly Survivor Corps).

Unfortunately, I will not be starting my work with the AEPD until the first week of June. While the majority of my peers in the peace fellowship program are already in their respective countries, I’m still wrapping up my spring semester with final exams and research papers. I’ve been studying in Cairo Egypt for the past year and had the good fortune of having front row seats to what many are dubbing the “Arab Spring”. Amazingly, my university (The American University in Cairo) only had to delay the beginning of the semester by 2 weeks. All things considered, I think this is an accomplishment in and of itself. Because of the slight delay, my semester continues on until the end of the month, but just as the corrupt regime of Mubarak came to end, so does this school year.

Millioneya

Revolutionary Child

I can’t really begin to express how excited I am to be working with the AEPD in Dong Hoi Vietnam. Issues related to landmines and unexploded ordinance (UXO) has become something I’ve intensely focused on in recent years. I first became aware of the problems UXO pose on communities in 2003 during a deployment in Iraq, back when I was in the army. Since then, I’ve taken every opportunity given to me to research and explore areas within the mine action sector. While many of my classmates have rightfully been preoccupied with the revolution and exploring topics related to civil society, I was in the library learning about the UXO situation in Northern Sinai or the complexities of the mine action sector in South Sudan.  If a professor gives any sort of creative freedom for a research topic, it almost always comes to back to land mines. This blog isn’t about landmines specifically though; it’s about the AEPD and the amazing work that they do. For an extensive crash course on the socio-economic impact caused by explosive remnants of war, check out the International Campaign to Ban Landmines website.

In a nut shell though, Landmines are cheap to produce and expensive to disarm and remove (not to mention dangerous). Because of this, landmines and other UXO (like cluster munitions or bomblets) often can lay dormant for decades after a conflict. They don’t distinguish between combatants or civilians; they injure or kill thousands every year and are an impediment to development. There are so many unknown factors within this issue however. Any figure of how many landmines remain underground in a particular area is at best an educated guess. Surveying land is complex and expensive and the amount of landmines, or metric tons on UXO in an area is largely unknown. What we do know however is that there are thousands of landmine survivors throughout the world. The land mine issue may go in and out of vogue in western media, but the legacy of war lives on regardless. This is what drew me to apply for the fellowship. Survivors assistance has a genuine impact on communities effected by landmines. So much of the mine action industry focuses on clearance, or improved technology, while survivor assistance is of secondary importance. I argue that it should be the other way around, which is why the spotlight needs to be on organizations like the AEPD.

Judging from the blogs shared by past fellows who worked with this program, I have no doubt that this will be a truly rewarding experience. Vietnam seems like an incredible country and the relaxed beach environment of Dong Hoi will be a nice change from the busy streets of Cairo. I can’t wait to get started with my work in Vietnam. There’s so much that I’ll be able to learn from the staff at AEPD, and it’s my hope that I can match the contributions made by my predecessors.   See you next week in Vietnam.