Gio Linh, Quang Tri (14 March 2023) — During the greening ceremony held at the special national historical relic of Hien Luong – Ben Hai on Tuesday evening, Irish Ambassador to Vietnam John McCullagh delivered a symbolic key to the Project RENEW’s representatives to officially hand over a mobile clinic donated by the Government of Ireland.

Witnessing the handover of the mobile clinic included the leaders from Quang Tri Province, Vinh Linh and Gio Linh Districts, staff members of mine action organizations operating in Quang Tri, and Trung Giang Secondary teachers and students who were attending the Hien Long Bridge Greening Ceremony – an event co-organized by Quang Tri Provincial People’s Committee and the Irish Embassy in Viet Nam to celebrate the 27th anniversary of Viet Nam – Ireland diplomatic relations and St. Patrick’s Day, aka National Day of Ireland (March 17). For the second time since 2021, Quang Tri has been selected as the only locality in Viet Nam to host the greening ceremony.

Prior to the event to light up the Hien Luong Bridge, Ambassador McCullagh together with 120 runners from RENEW/NPA, Quang Tri Mine Action Center, PeaceTrees Vietnam and Trung Giang Secondary School students took part in the “We Run We Share” race covering a distance of 1,500 meters.

Since 2015, the Government of Ireland via the Irish Embassy in Viet Nam has sponsored Explosive Ordnance Risk Education and Victim Assistance programs which are parts of Project RENEW’s comprehensive and integrated model to address the war consequences in Quang Tri. Thanks to Irish funding, RENEW runs a mobile rehabilitation program that has provided prostheses and assistive devices to nearly 2,000 disabled persons, helping them reintegrate into the community.

According to Dang Quang Toan, Manager of Project RENEW’s Victim Assistance/Disability Program, the brand-new mobile clinic with mounted machinery and equipment, and technicians will enhance the program’s capacity to serve the communities through a 10-day outreach every month for examination, casting, and delivery of prostheses to disabled persons.

“In addition to putting this mobile clinic for our rehabilitation outreach, the van will also be used to support our monitoring and evaluation and other activities related to risk education and disability support of Project RENEW,” said Dang Quang Toan.