Over the winter holidays, 13 AU students and two faculty advisors set off on an alternative break trip to Vietnam to explore post-conflict issues affecting the daily lives of many in the country.
The
itinerary for the Dec. 28–Jan.10 trip consists of visits to various
locations in Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang, according to Chris Diamond, a
senior in the School of Communication and School of Public Affairs and a
student leader for the trip. Justyna Kepa, a senior in the School of
International Service and College of Arts and Sciences joins Diamond as
the second student leader for the program. They will be accompanied by
CAS Professors Max Friedman and Katharina Vester.
Participants will see how the Vietnamese have been impacted by
exposure to toxic herbicides like Agent Orange, used by the United
States during the Vietnam War, and explosive remnants of the war, as
they strive to gain a better understanding of the U.S.–Vietnam
relationship. They will also be contributing to a blog about their experiences throughout the journey.
A
decade has passed since the last alternative break trip to Vietnam, due
to a lack of student initiative in traveling there. Alternative breaks,
which are service learning trips, cannot be organized without direct
action from students, as they are the ones responsible for submitting a
proposal, planning and leading the trips, according to Christine
Gettings, the assistant director of Global Learning and Leadership at
the Center for Community Engagement and Service.
Diamond became
involved in leading this winter’s trip after having studied abroad in
Vietnam in the summer of 2013 and then participating in an alternative
break in Haiti this past spring.
“I was invited to lead this trip
after being a student participant in an alternative break trip to Haiti
in March,” Diamond said. “That was very eye opening and definitely
inspired me to do this.”
During his summer abroad in Vietnam,
Diamond became passionate about issues such as the presence of
unexploded ordnance, which are explosive weapons left behind from years
ago that can still go off and cause harm today. He also learned of
children who were born with severe birth defects caused by the toxic
contaminant dioxin in Agent Orange. Diamond is excited about traveling
back to Vietnam and is happy to be leading the trip.
“I’m looking
forward to being back in Vietnam, and working with the U.S. government
and other agencies. I believe that a lot of good can be done,” Diamond
said. “One of the first things we’re doing in Vietnam is meeting with
the U.S. Consulate and people from the State Department who will be
informing us about the current U.S.–Vietnam relationship.”
The
first half of the trip is focused on Agent Orange while the second half
is centered on unexploded ordnance, according to Diamond. Students will
be learning what effective current cleanup methods for unexploded
ordnance are and work with several organizations, including the United
States Agency for International Development or USAID and Project RENEW, which helps in clearing out explosive remnants and keeping the Vietnamese safe. MAG International
is another organization dedicated to discovering unexploded ordnance
that they will work with. Students will be visiting a hospital to spend
time children who have birth defects and see how they can be better
helped as well.
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