Friends of Project RENEW

American aircraft dropped over 5 million tons of bombs on Vietnam– the largest bombardment of any country in history– and more than twice as much tonnage as the U.S. Air Force dropped in all of World War II. Over 4 million tons fell on the mostly rural areas of the former South Vietnam, plus 400,000 tons of napalm and 19 million gallons of herbicides.

Since 2008, RENEW has found, removed, and destroyed over 105,000 cluster bombs and other war explosives in Quang Tri Province. In 2020 that total was 8,546, and rapid response teams responded to 645 emergency calls from local people in villages.

Quang Tri Province is about 43 miles square– smaller than the State of Delaware– with a population of rural farmers and two small towns. Yet it was pummeled by the most intensive aerial bombing of the Vietnam War– including widespread carpet bombing by B-52 bombers– making it by far the most bombed province in Vietnam. Besides the 750- and 500-pound bombs delivered by aircraft, many of which remain in the ground unexploded, Quang Tri suffered intense land battles that left the surface littered with a seemingly limitless number of every type of bomb used in ground combat, from cluster bomblets and artillery shells to hand grenades, rockets, mortar rounds and mines. Together they make Quang Tri the most bombed place on earth.

RENEW also collaborates with local government, community organizations, and teachers’ unions to deliver risk education programs to school children and adults. Artificial limbs and assistive devices have been given to more than 2,000 war amputees in the province hospital and by a mobile team in the remotest villages. In addition, RENEW provides micro-credit loans and other income support to families affected by explosions and runs six vocational facilities for blind war victims.

Agent Orange is now being addressed through cooperation between the government of Vietnam and the U.S. government. Dioxin cleanup of key hotspots is underway. Support and interventions, in the homes of severely disabled persons suffering from problems related to Agent Orange, is the next step in bringing closure to this painful tragedy. Project RENEW is preparing to step up to that challenge as well.

Friends of Project RENEW is an active, all-volunteer U.S. organization that works closely with Project RENEW to advance its work in Vietnam, including inspiring support and increasing public awareness of RENEW’s goals and activities. It the main conduit for individual donations to operations in Vietnam. FPR does not take any portion of contributions as an administrative fee or management overhead.

Project RENEW website (Vietnam side): https://landmines.org.vn/