About The Peace Village

The Thanh Xuan Peace Village in Vietnam is located outside the Hanoi city-center and provides shelter, food, health check-ups, education, supervision, and love for over 100 second and third generation children who are the victims of dioxin (or agent orange) used during the American-Vietnam War.

The full extent of the effects from the dioxin is still being researched in Vietnam. An estimated 3 million Vietnamese were exposed to the chemical and roughly one million suffer from health problems. The effects of dioxin on human beings is both physical and mental, but worst of all, trans-generational; which is to say that once in the human bloodstream and environmental air supply of an effected region, dioxin can effect children born generations from now.

Victims of Agent Orange suffer from a tremendous range of defects, it is common to be born without eyes, limbs, organs. Other victims suffer from nervous/ spinal disorders or mental disorders comparable to severe retardation or autism.

Established in the early 1990's by a German non-profit organization, the village receives partial funding from the Vietnam government and is now heavily dependant on private donations. JWOC has partnered with Cane International, led by Jessica Wilson and Alexandra Krockow, who brought the needs of the village to the attention of JWOC.

Good Works

The main purpose of the Village is to give the affected children the opportunity to lead normal lives. This is not an easy task given the circumstances under which the children lead their lives. The Peace Village has made some tremendous improvements in the students’ lives and continues to do so.

Facilities at the Peace Village include a dining hall, dormitory residence, two physical therapy treatment rooms, an aqua-therapy pool, playground, classrooms, technical training, computer lab, and health clinic. The school has a staff of caretakers, physical therapists, massage therapists, teachers, cooks and doctors. A very caring group of people, they work long hours with little pay for the sake of the children. The children are always well-fed and properly attended to in the classroom or doctor’s clinic. The Peace Village is a very loving and happy place where children run freely and speak freely and can find a warm meal each day.

The children form friendships with one another as healthy children do, and in most cases can respond to teachers and family members with reciprocation. Hugs don’t seem to be forgotten at the Peace Village, and there is always lots of laughter echoing the hallways.

Needs for the Peace Village

Just like a small family has many needs, so does a big family need even more. The Peace Village is a great example of this, and listed below are a few of the most needed items.

Restroom Repairs
There are eight bathrooms at the center, each divided for men and women with a toilet, sink, and shower. The condition of these restrooms varies, and the ones most in need are used the most frequently, namely by the children. These bathrooms are badly damaged by their constant use and have poor drainage causing pungent smells. The bathrooms are also not wheel-chair accessible and lack hand-rail supports.

One bathroom is locked with one door that is marked in Vietnamese, “Damaged, can not use.”

There are four bathrooms that are in need of immediate attention and repair. Contractors have given an estimate of the costs and are estimated at $1200 per unit. Improvements would include non-slip tiling on the floor. The door ways would be expanded to allow wheel-chair access. Longer-lasting plastic doors would be installed along with hand-rails and new drainage.

Kitchen Health Standards
The presence of rats and vermin around the kitchen facilities is particularly worrisome for the health standards in the preparation of the food. Pots and pans are scattered throughout the kitchen and waste is left in open bins outside promoting the manifestation of rats and pests.

Air-tight cupboards would be particularly helpful to store food and prevent food contamination. New waste bins, garbage bags, and traps would also drastically help to reduce the numbers of pests. Total cost for improvements is $700.

Hydrotherapy Pool
Donors from Japan generously donated a hydrotherapy pool to help improve the mobility of the children through aqua exercises. Not only is the water treatment helpful for the development of the children’s mobility, but the children also extremely enjoy playing in the pool. Currently, the pool is unused due to a lack of funding. The cost for water and operating the pool during the summer is $21 per day.

An economical approach would be operating the pool 3 days per week, thus making the cost $250 per month. Use of the pool during the summer months does not require heating of the water, and is most cost-effective. Four months of operation 3 days per week would total $1,000.

Increase Staffing
The patience and compassion of the staff is amazing. They are asked to perform an extremely demanding job and do it with an amazing amount of understanding and commitment. However, the staff is paid very low wages and many share accommodation and food to save money. The average pay for each staff member is less than $50 per month. Currently there are about 4-6 staffers on the night watch and with 90 children sleeping on the premises we would like to see more.

Blankets and Fans
Hanoi fluctuates in temperature between cool in the winter and hot in the summer. Both blankets and fans are needed to help the children during the different seasons.

Pharmacy
A pharmacy at the Village holds a strong potential. The idea is to offer medicine to the general public for a small profit which is used to support the children and give an extra needed income to the Village. At this time, a business plan has not been developed and would require sizable start-up capital.

Meet the Children & More Photos