Healing the Wounds  

It's thirty years since American military planes dusted Vietnam with huge amounts of Agent Orange. The chemical weapon was designed to strip trees bare, clear jungle canopies and expose enemy positions. But Agent Orange contained dioxin, one of the most toxic substances ever created.

Today, Hanoi is a city graced by small lakes where Vietnamese stroll in the cool of the evenings. Half of the population of 84 million were born after the war ended and those old enough to remember the pre-war era of rice-rationing are just as eager to forget. Even the Vietnamese government gains little from perpetuating the memories of that difficult period. The US is now its primary trading partner. For most Vietnamese, the scars of war are healing.

Thirty years on however and Agent Orange is still at work. Vietnam estimates there may be up to one million of its people who have either inherited genetic disorders linked to the dioxin or who have been born near contaminated hotspots. So thorough was the use of Orange that it remains in the soil today. It seeps into water systems contaminating the very food chain people depend on. It isn't difficult to see how it ends up in humans. The science is complete, testing finished and the evidence is clear. Most conclude that there is simply no other feasible explanation for the unnaturally high levels of dioxin. Little wonder then that the manufacturers of Agent Orange are currently being sued through US Courts. It's a test-case brought by the victims and by their children.

We had travelled many miles to meet these people. They are not hard to find. Some are deaf. Others are blind. A twelve year old girl sits alone in the corner rocking to and fro. She's both deaf and blind. A young boy walks by. He has no middle to his face, no nose worth speaking of and a couple of twisted teeth protruding from nowhere. Then there's Tuan. He's three and severely disabled. His body lies bent and writhing uncontrollably across the floor. Prostate cancer, lung cancer, cerebral palsy, leukaemia and the list goes on. One girl we met had the most enormous black tumour filling her mouth. It looked like she had a mouthful of tar. She was four years old and had only ever taken liquids.

As we wandered through one of Hanoi 's better equipped hospitals, they just kept on appearing. Mother after mother walked out of the wards. Some held a child, others were alone, their loved one simply too sick to be moved. Normally, their lives are short. Few make it beyond their teenage years and in truth, for many, there is very little that can be done.

Somehow they had heard the news. Perhaps it was on a local radio station somewhere. Maybe an advert in a newspaper or a relative had just mentioned it. Weary and heavy-laden, they had brought their children to the city believing there was help available. AsiaLink has been part-funding a very special ministry to Vietnam 's victims. Some are treatable. Indeed, the 7000+ who have had harelips or cleft palates corrected will testify to the new life received. A relatively simple operation but it's THAT huge a difference for them! Now they will look you in the eye. They'll even smile! Others receive wheelchairs and rehabilitation. This can be life-changing. The more seriously ill, those with cancer, tumours too precarious to operate on, others with heads swollen beyond all recognition, they are given whatever care can be offered. For some, it's simply a ministry to the dying.

It's against a complex cultural background that this ministry to victims of Agent Orange is taking place. In Vietnam, faith is costly and witness is difficult. Dealing with the aftermath requires a careful evangelistic response, a wise and practical display of Gospel love. It would be all too easy to see this door slammed altogether but for now it remains open - and all by government invitation. Indeed, such has been the persistent quality of work conducted, the compassion for human need, the professional standards maintained and the simple mantra of receiving all who come no matter how serious, how sick or how desperate, that the Vietnamese Communist government has recognised our partners with the highest medal of honour the country affords. And they are the first to give God the glory!

These people are part of a new generation cursed by an old war. Most are very young and it's utterly heartbreaking to be with them. Their pain is incalculably heavy. Some victims have not even been born yet. Nevertheless, our prayer is that a ministry like this will speak volumes about the Person behind it all – “that there will be gladness instead of mourning and garments of praise instead of despair…all who see them will acknowledge that they are a people the Lord has blessed!” Isaiah 61.

Here's how you can help.

Be sure to pray. Above all, this is a deeply spiritual work demanding spiritual intervention. Ministry in Vietnam is not straightforward. We are trusting God to operate at a level way beyond anything we can do. Sign up for regular SE Asia Updates and we'll keep you informed.

You can help finance this work. Efforts range from minor surgeries to complex palliative care, from supplying wheelchairs to rehabilitation. Simple harelip surgery costs about £40 per child. The average cost for the full range of medical services being offered, is about £100 per child.