Laos Unaided Victims
LUV - Laos Unaided Victims - an overview
Our LUV project started out as "Laos UXO Victims" where we previously had been giving substantial financial donations to COPE in Vientiane to make prosthetic limbs for those who had lost limbs through UXO Bomb Explosions. These donations came from generous donations from individuals, companies and service clubs and we ensured the delivery of the funds and that the funds were spent on prosthetics for bomb victims. This is still an extremely very worthy cause and one in which we are fully supportive. At this time we were only giving financial help as we were all still living and working in Australia after having visited Laos several times.
The loss of lives and limbs is still happening today through bombies coming to the surface and we still ask for donations and ensure it is spent on prosthetics. Strangely this situation is not well known and is still one of the tragedies of today in Laos and the world. Laos had more bombs dropped on it than all countries combined in World War I and II. There were more than 580,000 bombing missions on Laos from 1964 to 1973 during the Vietnam War and Laos was not even in the war. Bombing by USA took place every 8 minutes for 9 years.
Some additional facts:
Please understand that Global Support Association Inc. is not anti USA, or political, nor do we want to offend anyone but this did happen and by education and understanding what happened, hopefully it won't happen again by any nation, anywhere, ever again.
We need to stop the loss of innocent lives for any political agenda.
This atrocity has been kept quite secret since the war and is now known as the "secret war". The following You-Tube is a short 46 second video on the actual cluster bombs falling. Even though it is in Lao language you will understand.
Once that is finished there are other You Tubes to watch on the subject. The ABC one is particularly good.
The loss of lives and limbs is still happening today through bombies coming to the surface and we still ask for donations and ensure it is spent on prosthetics. Strangely this situation is not well known and is still one of the tragedies of today in Laos and the world. Laos had more bombs dropped on it than all countries combined in World War I and II. There were more than 580,000 bombing missions on Laos from 1964 to 1973 during the Vietnam War and Laos was not even in the war. Bombing by USA took place every 8 minutes for 9 years.
Some additional facts:
- Over 270 million cluster bombs were dropped on Laos during the Vietnam War (210 million more bombs than were dropped on Iraq in 1991, 1998 and 2006 combined); up to 80 million did not detonate.
- Nearly 40 years on, less than 1% of these munitions have been destroyed. More than half of all confirmed cluster munitions casualties in the world have occurred in Laos.
- Each year there continue to be over 100 new casualties in Laos. Close to 60% of the accidents result in death, and 40% of the victims are children.
- Between 1995 and 2013, the U.S. contributed on average $3.2M per year for UXO clearance in Laos; the U.S. spent $13.3M per day (in 2013 dollars) for nine years bombing Laos.
- The U.S. spent as much in three days bombing Laos ($51M, in 2010 dollars) than it spent for clean up over 16 years ($51M).
Please understand that Global Support Association Inc. is not anti USA, or political, nor do we want to offend anyone but this did happen and by education and understanding what happened, hopefully it won't happen again by any nation, anywhere, ever again.
We need to stop the loss of innocent lives for any political agenda.
This atrocity has been kept quite secret since the war and is now known as the "secret war". The following You-Tube is a short 46 second video on the actual cluster bombs falling. Even though it is in Lao language you will understand.
Once that is finished there are other You Tubes to watch on the subject. The ABC one is particularly good.
Global Support Association involvement
Now that some of our volunteers have retired and some are spending all their leave time in Laos, we are spending substantial time (more than 6 months at a time) in Laos with volunteers and now find we can do more than just provide financial help. While the financial help is still very significant and necessary, we find that by spending time in Laos and looking after the Suan Luang Facility, we are also finding victims in isolated villages who are not only victims of the bombs, but victims of accidents and also some who are victims of polio and other issues. These people are unaware of any help available in Vientiane and Luang Prabang and think that nothing can be done. They sit for years being handicapped and provided for by their families. Prosthetic and rehabilitation aids come free of charge by the Laos government through the COPE organization which is funded by financial donations from associations like ourselves, other countries and other aid. Hence our change of the LUV acronym logo to "Laos Unaided Victims" as we are widening our help to victims who are not only bomb victims but other victims who need some prosthetic, rehabilitation or physiotherapy help and have previously been unaware of the free help available. We want to help the victims become real survivors.
What we are doing is helping those victims to get free help from COPE centres in Luang Prabang and Vientiane. We locate victims who with a bit of help can have their lives changed substantially. We seek out potential victims, visit, take photos, get a preliminary assessment from the photos, organize to collect them and their carers from their villages, pay for transport, hospital, food etc. and give encouragement and support to the victims and their families. This way the victims and families can get substantial help for their lives but the cost to Global Support Association Inc. is minimal and free for the victims. It is like an introduction service - so to speak - matching victims with available help. We can also match blind people and deaf mute people with facilities to help and we will be expanding these services whenever we can.
We have Lao volunteers who look for such victims in their normal travels through work - such as "tour guides." This reduces the cost of finding victims and also adds some additional fulfillment and purpose for the Lao drivers who are taking tourists or foreign workers to and from their jobs - such as mines. Win-Win-Win.
What we are doing is helping those victims to get free help from COPE centres in Luang Prabang and Vientiane. We locate victims who with a bit of help can have their lives changed substantially. We seek out potential victims, visit, take photos, get a preliminary assessment from the photos, organize to collect them and their carers from their villages, pay for transport, hospital, food etc. and give encouragement and support to the victims and their families. This way the victims and families can get substantial help for their lives but the cost to Global Support Association Inc. is minimal and free for the victims. It is like an introduction service - so to speak - matching victims with available help. We can also match blind people and deaf mute people with facilities to help and we will be expanding these services whenever we can.
We have Lao volunteers who look for such victims in their normal travels through work - such as "tour guides." This reduces the cost of finding victims and also adds some additional fulfillment and purpose for the Lao drivers who are taking tourists or foreign workers to and from their jobs - such as mines. Win-Win-Win.
Global Support Inspiration was meeting Peter Kim - real name Phongsavanth
|
Peter Kim is a young man we met at COPE in Vientiane. He was sixteen and playing in a rice field with a friend when the friend threw what he thought was a ball to him. It wasn't it was a "bombie". It immediately exploded when he caught the object and left Peter with the loss of two hands and part of his lower arms as well as becoming totally blind.
While he can't have prosthetics or an eye replacement, this has not stopped his life. He was given a lap top and from that he taught himself English. He uses his tongue to operate the mouse pad and holds the computer in his upper arms close to his ears to hear. When asked about religion he says he is a Buddhist but would also like to be a Christian. When asked why - he says Christians get Christmas presents. What an inspiration. He is a true advocate of COPE and was chosen to speak with Hilary Clinton on her visit to Laos. He was invited to USA to speak. On June 2nd 2013, 1,300 people gathered at the Lao National Cultural Hall for a festival organized by the US Embassy and New York's Battery Dance Group and he performed a break dance with the help of some friends. Global Support Association wish to find others who would not normally have the chance who can gain from Peters story and reach their full potential. |
|