"The Resilience of Children": clip from The Friendship Village by Michelle Mason

Film distributed by: Bullfrog Films
Film website: http://www.cypress-park.ca
TRT: 51 min

The Friendship Village was created near Hanoi by a group of Vietnam War veterans for children with Agent Orange-related birth defects. This powerhouse 2002 documentary weaves the riveting battlefield experience of Village founder George Mizo into an inspiring account of ordinary people moved to make a difference without waiting for their government or a well-funded charity to step up.

In this clip, Friendship Village founder George Mizo and other Vietnam War vets who contributed to the facility's initial work with Agent Orange victims share their motivation and compassion.

Filmmaker Michelle Mason visited the Friendship Village for the first time in 1998. "It was really clear how much the Vietnamese do with so little," she recalls. "At that point, only a certain amount of dollars had been raised and [yet] they'd built half the village. Through a lot of simplicity they were achieving great things. One thing that stood out for me was that the Vietnamese government was years and years behind when it comes to disability issues. To have kids come and learn some really basic skills -- like how to feed themselves -- was significant. It was through this journey to self-reliance that these kids were shaping their own lives and people's perceptions and attitudes."

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• vietnam
• dioxin
• agent orange
• defoliant
• health
• herbicidal warfare
• victims of agent orange
• rainbow herbicides
• Monsanto
• Dow Chemical
• Diamond Shamrock
• Resilience of Children
• Friendship Village
• Michelle Mason
• Make Agent Orange History
• US-Vietnam Dialogue Group
• Plan of Action
• conflict-resolution
• environmental impact
• public health
• children's health
• children's rights
• humanitarian concern
• toxic
• poison

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