First off, take a gander at this little teaser...

Feeling bad for me yet? Proceed.

When visiting Saigon this spring, I was profoundly struck by the stories of those affected by chemical use during the Vietnam War.

Not only did the use of chemicals such as Agent Orange and dioxin directly damage the health of those present at the time of the war - killing an estimated 400,000 and causing another 500,000 children to be born with defects - but it resulted in widespread contamination of the land, which will continue to affect those living in these areas for generations to come.

A letter exhibited at the War Remnants Museum was the what catalyzed my desire to help - it personified faceless horror stories through one heartbreaking account from student and second-generation Agent Orange victim Trần Thị Hoan to President Obama, appealing poignantly yet powerfully for awareness and aid for these victims.

I have set $2,880 as a target - enough to sponsor 4 children to attend school for a year at the Kianh Foundation's recently-built school for children with disabilities resulting from chemical warfare in Vietnam. 

Thank you so much for even taking the time to read this, let alone for any gifts or even thoughts that will help me get along the brutal entirety of those 5,000+ steps.

 

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