In our Cows Project, we raise money to buy breeding cows to make people more self-sufficient. The project raises enough to pay for cows and animal husbandry training for some of the poorest people in central Vietnam so that they might escape their poverty and be better equipped to take care of and support family members suffering disabilities suspected to have been caused by Agent Orange.

In our first cows project we raised enough for 65 households in two communes to breed cows and to give them animal husbandry skills.

The second project bought 25 cows for people in the Phong Dien district. Four sponsors of the trust – Bruce Pearce of Darlington, Western Australia, Liz McGown, Vicki Montgomery and Bruce Montgomery (all of Hobart, Tasmania) – travelled to Vietnam to hand over the second herd of cows bought by the trust.

Sponsors had raised about A$15,000 to buy 25 cows for the people of the commune of Phong Xuan, which is in the district of Phong Dien, an hour’s drive north of Hue in central Vietnam. It was an area heavily sprayed by the US during the war and is the subject of international study and assistance.

As usual, our colleagues at the Vietnamese Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Hue had consulted with the local people’s committee and council to identify the 25 families of Agent Orange victims who should each receive a cow.

The sponsors drove to Phong Xuan on Monday November 24 and beat the cows there by about half an hour. The cows were ordered from a Government-run supplier 550 km to the north and they had begun their journey the previous day, having to stop at the border of each new district to be inspected by veterinarians and given the appropriate sprays. The arrival of the truck sent a buzz through the crowd, already armed with halters and belts to walk their charges home.

The 25 recipients first signed agreements in the local commune hall, in which they pledged to look after their cow and give its second calf to another local family affected by Agent Orange, that second family again identified by the local people’s committee and council.
With the first herd we handed over in 2007 the deal was that they had to give their first calf to another family. This second group of recipients argued, quite reasonably we thought, that it would mean waiting a long time before they received any financial return from their cow. After signing the pledges, the recipients then drew lots to determine which cow they would get. The cows, about the size of young Australian heifers, had numbered ear tags.

With agreements signed and speeches duly given inside the hall, everyone rushed outside, armed with their halter, to watch the performance of the cows being unloaded from the truck, once again inspected by a vet and sprayed by his official assistant. We had hoped for a group photograph once they had all been unloaded, but the cows had a different view. After 24 hours cooped up in the truck, they were pretty toey and a handful for their new owners.

As I said before, the smiles on these people’s faces can never be erased from our memory and makes everything we do so worthwhile. One of those featured in the photographs is Nguyen Nghi (28), who lives with his mother and brother at Phong Xuan.

The following day, the three Hobart sponsors drove to A Luoi, west of Hue near the Laos border, where we had delivered the first herd of cows in 2007 and a truckload of wheelchairs in 2004. The aim was to revisit some of the 2007 cows to see how they were faring. All of the cows we give are for breeding, by artificial insemination, rather than milk production.

We can report that two have died, one from a stomach problem and the other after being hit by lightning, the rest are fine and three are already pregnant with their first calves. We were told one had already calved, but that would have involved a lightning strike from the bull given the time frame so we are treating that with some doubt. Two of the new calves will go to those who have lost cows.

The local officials with whom we deal are pleading with us to continue our cows program, which we shall try to do. If just 20 people could make a commitment to raise a minimum $1000 among their family and friends, this can be an ongoing program. Obviously, I make a commitment on behalf of Vicki and myself.

My deep-felt thanks to all of our sponsors, especially to Bruce Pearce and Liz who travelled with Vicki and me this time, and to the many people in Vietnam who help make this possible.

Bruce Montgomery
Hobart
8 December 2008

• First wheelchairs handed over
• The cows project