With his great love and deep sympathy, and as an active volunteer for the Da Nang Care Centre for AO Victims and Disadvantaged Children, Mr Matthew Keenan, 68, from the USA, has actively been engaged in giving material and spiritual assistance to local Agent Orange (AO) victims.

Mr Matthew Keenan (wearing Vietnamese conical hat) posing for a souvenir photo with AO-affected children at the recent inauguration ceremony for the sewing training facility

Recently, Mr Keenan attended the recent inauguration ceremony for a sewing training facility for children with disabilities and difficulties at the Shelter 3 of the Care Centre for AO Victims and Disadvantaged Children.

The Hue City branch of HanesBrands Vietnam, the subsidiary of the world’s leading marketer of basic apparel, has donated 20 industrial sewing machines and given funding for preparatory work for the opening of the sewing training facility at a total cost of about 3,500 USD.

The donation was part of this company's Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme for this year.
In addition, the Hue City branch of HanesBrands Vietnam has also provided the newly-opened sewing training facility with needles and threads and other sewing accessories.

Also, 5 sewing trainers from the Centre have been attended a 5-day training course in Hue to enhance their professional skills.

This freshly-inaugurated sewing training establishment aims to help the disadvantaged children access necessary vocational skills for making garments in a bid to earn their living after they leave the care centre. 

Mr Matthew Keenan and trainers introducing the disadvantaged children to sewing skills

Mr Keenan used to serve in the American war in Viet Nam, and currently suffers from cancer which he believes is a result of his exposure to Agent Orange, a potent chemical that was spread by US troops during the war and has been linked to many profound health issues and birth defects.

Deeply touched by some of the images of AO-affected children with mental disabilities and physical deformities, the kind-hearted US man always keeps in his mind that he must do his part to heal the wounds of war to bring peace to his soul.

In his mind, decades after the war ended, it is still not over for these unfortunate children, and for those like him that were affected by its consequences.

“I only found out the consequences of what we did 40 years ago recently when I came back to Viet Nam and saw what the children here have to go through. I feel guilty, and I’m doing the best I can help pay back for what we have done.”, Mr Keenan said.

Vice Chairman of the Da Nang Association of AO Victims (DAVA) Tra Thanh Lanh said, Mr Keenan has lived in the city for 5 years, and he is now one of the foreign volunteers who are involved in caring for, supporting and offering free vocational training to AO-affected children at the Centre’s shelters.

Encouragingly, the US veteran has enthusiastically appealed for donations for the Centre from a large number of organisations and individuals in Viet Nam, Australia, Japan, South Korea, the US and Canada.

Alongside, the US man has also called upon numerous domestic and foreign charitable organisations to pay visits to shelters of the Centre in a bid to relieve the mental and physical pain of those affected by AO - a bitter legacy of the war.

As an AO victim, Mr Keenan remarked there is no denying the fact that the profound humanitarian love itself helps to relieve the pain of AO victims rather than the provision of financial support to them.

Apart his kind concern and substantial material and spiritual support for the disadvantaged children, Mr Keenan’s good deeds also demonstrate his strong support for Viet Nam’s righteous struggle for justice for AO victims.