(MSAVLC)- a British charitable organization- has closely linked with a half-century of humanitarian work in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.
MSAVLC President and Secretary General Peter Lidgard said 2013 was a challenging year for his organization when half of the 8 executive board members had to quit because of health reasons.
However, the remaining members have spared no efforts to take on the mission of the organization to continue operations and medical assistance for the people from Vietnam Laos and Cambodia, especially women and children living in mountainous areas, victims of Agent Orange (AO) and the disabled and orphans.
During 2013 alone, the MSAVLC called for donations from kind-hearted people across the UK with a large amount of funding, wheelchairs and hearing aid equipment for the Vietnam Association for Victims of Agent Orange/dioxin (VAVA) in Hanoi and Ha Tinh.
It also sponsored training programs, medical equipment purchase and healthcare projects for Vietnam’s central and northern provinces and HCM City.
Also during the past year, Peter Lidgard and his wife Mary who is also a member of the executive board conducted a nearly four-month trip to Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia to assess the implementation of MSAVLC-funded humanitarian projects and to learn the practical needs of funding recipients to improve the organization’s operational efficiency.
At the meeting, ambassador Vu Quang Minh spoke highly of the MSAVLC’s long-term operation and practical assistance for the people of the three SEA nations as well as its enduring contributions it made for the past decades to developing stronger relations between Vietnam and the UK.
“The Vietnamese Embassy is ready to serve as a bridge for the MSAVLC to strengthen its connectivity with other organizations having relations with Vietnam under the "Vietnam-UK Network" umbrella. The Embassy is accelerating the implementation of a new fund-raising model to contribute to the association’s fund and hopes the scheme will also receive support from Cambodian and Lao embassies in the near future.
In addition, the Embassy proposed making a documentary about the MSAVLC’s charitable activities in the lead up to the 50th of anniversary of its establishment in 2015.” Minh concluded.
