Mission

Founded in 1978, Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation (VVAF) is a humanitarian organization that addresses consequences of war through programs of advocacy and service in Vietnam.

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What VVAF Does

UXO/Landmines

VVAF gets grants from the Department of State and other organizations to conduct landmine clearance projects in Vietnam with Technology Centre for Bomb and Mine Disposal Engineering Command (BOMICEN). In late March 2009, Country Representative Thao Griffiths visited the 12th Annual Meeting for National Mine Action Program Directors and UN Advisors in Geneva, Switzerland. The conference, which serves as an annual meeting ground for mine action stakeholders get together to discuss issues related to landmines around the world, marked the first time a representative from VVAF was present at the meeting.

Report on Vietnam Unexploded Ordinance and Landmine Impact Assessment & Rapid Technical Response
Report: Land Mine Contamination Vast in Vietnam, Associated Press, July 31, 2009

Mental Health

VVAF is working to improve the mental health infrastructure in communities all across Vietnam. The organization works with Vietnamese and international partners in an effort to build mental health facilities in Vietnam and to improve the system of community based health care in the country. The second phase of two pilot projects for the program are currently underway in Da Nang and Khanh Hoa where the organization is working to introduce community-based mental health services into the area. This component is expected to continue through 2011.

Dioxin Contamination (DRIVE)

More than 20 million gallons of Agent Orange and other herbicides were sprayed during the war. With the Dioxin Resolution Initiative in Vietnam (DRIVE) program, VVAF helps residents in ‘hotspot’ areas receive services and information to protect their health, maintain an acceptable quality of life, and contribute to community development. VVAF works with local partners, self-help groups, and foundations such as the Ford Foundation to provide rehabilitation, medical care, vocational training for disabled children and support services for the families.

Education Programs

Since 2006,VVAF has implemented activities in the education sector, which construction of school complexes, a vocational training center for the disabled on the outskirts of Hanoi, as well as introduction of other components, such as construction of computer and language laboratories at selected schools, scholarships for disabled children, and similar activities. VVAF has a grant with Boeing which promotes both its efforts for school construction and its efforts to give scholarships to Vietnamese students.