So What is PeaceTrees Vietnam, Anyway?

It's a lot more than a tree-planting organization.

PeaceTrees Vietnam (PTVN) is a Bainbridge Island-based non-profit organization "dedicated to reversing the legacy of war by working alongside the Vietnamese people to build the capacity for a safe and healthy future for the children and families of Quang Tri Province" (whew! that's a long one!). They do this by...

- Sponsoring land mine and unexploded ordnance (UXO) clearance, which is done by professional teams to UN standards. The UXO team leader's name is -- and I am not making this up -- Major Bang. He's pictured here with a 60mm mortar and other UXO that has been collected in a Quang Tri field.

- Providing medical and economic assistance to accident victims and their families

- Offering land mine risk awareness training for children

- Sending twice-yearly citizen diplomacy delegations to build friendships with the Vietnamese people

- Sponsoring community and environmental restoration projects such as building homes.. and planting trees. These are the types of projects our volunteer team will be doing.

PeaceTrees' work is done in Quang Tri province, which was the northernmost province of the old South Vietnam. Quang Tri is slightly smaller than Seattle's King County, yet more ordnance (mines, bombs, shells, etc.) was used there during the Vietnam War than in all of Europe during World War II -- about 15 million pieces. Given that roughly 10% doesn't detonate (a US Department of Defense statistic), it's easy to see why UXO remains a serious, life-threatening problem in Quang Tri. Children, farmers, and the poor (particularly those who try to make a living as scrap-metal dealers) are at the greatest risk. This is what PeaceTrees is working to change.

In the eleven years since PTVN was established...

- 370 acres have been cleared of more than 13,500 explosive items
- 13,000 children have received mine risk education training
- 600 accident survivors and families have received assistance
- 30,000 indigenous trees have been planted on UXO-cleared land
- a former battlefield has been transformed into a village of 100 homes

This March we'll be adding the David Warner Kindergarten to the list of completed projects. Not bad for a local grass-roots non-profit, is it?

A few final notes. The organization was founded in 1995 by Danaan Parry and Jerilyn Brusseau. Jerilyn is a Seattle native who, like me, lost a brother in Vietnam. She is also the creator of the Cinnabon recipe -- for this reason alone, I suspect many people consider her a goddess. But her work with PTVN is what puts her on my "hero" list. To Jerilyn and those who work with you at PeaceTrees, my heartfelt thanks.