Australia Announces Special Fund for Vietnamese Disabled

April 13, 2011, during a visit to the Ho Chi Minh City Orthopaedic and Rehabilitation Centre, Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Kevin Rudd announced US$4 million over four years for the work of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Special Fund for the Disabled in Vietnam and other landmine affected countries.

 

Vietnam is one of the most mine contaminated countries in the region with an estimated 100,000 mine survivors. Over 20 per cent of the country is estimated to contain some 800,000 tonnes of explosive remnants of war which continue to kill and maim scores of Vietnamese every year. This new investment in the ICRC special Fund for the disabled will help centres such as HCMC Orthopaedic & Rehabilitation Centre assist more men and women with prostheses and rehabilitation, giving them the opportunity to work to support their families and fully participate in their communities.