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| Port of Call - Danang |
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| Vietnamese people in traditional dress warmly welcome Peace Boat in Danang |
Peace Boat docked in Danang, Vietnam's fourth largest
city for a two-day visit. Participants were able to join one of ten
Peace Boat-organized tours or seek their own adventures. For many
of them, this port of call was their first time in a developing country
and so the warm smiles and waves from unhurried Vietnamese people
on the street came as a pleasant surprise. There were evidently few
other international visitors in sight, so the arrival of several hundred
Peace Boat participants in the marketplace created a flurry of activity
and sales. The intense humidity penetrated the senses, and the rain
clouds suspended low overhead were apparently typical of seasonal
monsoon weather in Central Vietnam. Interestingly, local people hardly
seemed to notice the wet: motorbikes still zipped and weaved brazenly
over the roads and there was not an umbrella in sight. The ubiquity
of Vietnamese women cycling elegantly in their white ao dai traditional
dress and long, black hair was a visual contrast to the muddy, pot-holed
paths and mildewed buildings. Construction of roads, sewerage and
buildings seemed to be taking place on every block. This snapshot
of another, albeit communist, Asian society working towards an improved
standard of living for its people, was a definite eye-opener for many
of the Japanese participants. |
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| Singing songs with Vietnamese children at the Danang Street Children's
Support Centre |
Forty participants spent the day with children
who are being cared for by the Danang Street Children Program (SCP).
This non-governmental organisation provides displaced and impoverished
children with food, clothing, housing, education, health care and
employment skills 'so they can mature into responsible adults and
hopefully, be reunited with their families.' By splitting into small
groups we were able to visit all five children's homes, and interact
with 5 to 17 year olds through games, food and sport rather than rely
on the usual form of verbal communication. The aid division of Peace
Boat, United People's Alliance (UPA), had collected a sizable assortment
of musical instruments, stationery, toys and books while the Peace
Ball team had gathered soccer balls and pumps, so participants were
happily able to hand over useful items over in person. Within minutes,
a backyard game of soccer was bringing together different generations,
helping to overcome the children's initial shyness. Rather than a
busload of tourists dropping past with cameras poised, this study
tour was valuable in providing an opportunity for participants to
laugh and smile together with local people. Not only was the encounter
encouraging for the Vietnamese children to realize that people from
afar are interested in their welfare, but it was also a uniquely educational
experience for Peace Boat participants. Learning first-hand of the
hard working local NGO staff who strive to improve the lives of poor
children, as well as the efforts made by the children to learn life-skills
and gain knowledge, was inspirational and educating. |
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| Jubilant scenes at the Cross-Cultural Exchange Party, Danang Youth Centre |
Peace Boat has been organizing cultural exchange
programs with the support of the Danang Youth Association since 1994,
and this visit was no exception. More than 500 young Vietnamese and
Peace Boat people came together for an evening of self-made entertainment,
ranging from a rave-like Christmas dance party to a futuristic fashion
parade incorporating Vietnamese and Japanese styles; from traditional
Vietnamese dance to a choral performance of an Okinawa farewell ballad.
The atmosphere in the outdoor youth centre grounds was filled with
excitement and optimism. Animated voices speaking a mixture of Japanese,
Vietnamese and English boomed from the stage speakers as well as from
the throng of revelers who clapped, cheered and sang their way late
into the night. Exchanging stories, culture and customs was the objective,
but making new friendships and connections was the resultant bonus
that really made the carnival-like encounter so meaningful. Without
doubt there are several hundred enthusiastic young people anticipating
the next cross-cultural extravaganza in 2003. |
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| First hand testimonies from victims of landmines during the
Cambodia study tour |
A four-day overland study tour to Cambodia to learn
about the impact of land mines proved to be an incredibly powerful
and educational experience, according to the 20 participants who rejoined
the ship in Singapore. Some of the participants had already been involved
in Peace Boat's educational and fund-raising campaign to abolish landmines
(Peace Boat Mine Abolition Campaign or P-MAC), or had become conscious
of the issues through documentaries or while studying. As a result,
traveling to impoverished Cambodia where an estimated four million
land mines remain buried and continue to cause economic and social
disadvantage not only made the harsh reality experienced by the victims
patently clear, but also instilled a sense of humanitarian responsibility
to support the often forgotten victims of thirty years of conflict.
The Peace Boat team spent time at a clinic run by The Cambodia Trust
NGO, where they learnt about the prosthetics and orthotics program
and the movement towards sustainability for Cambodia's rehabilitation
services. The Cambodian Mine Action Centre (C-MAC) also provided a
practical, on-site explanation of the de-mining campaign and the methods
adopted to try and reduce the number of casualties. In addition, Japanese
participants visited the Tuol Sleng genocide museum and the so-called
Killing Fields, a sobering educational site, which reinforced the
brutality and violence that humankind is capable of. Upon return,
the team conveyed to other participants through an onboard lecture
what they learnt and also raised money for the two land mine NGOs
by selling Cambodian-made goods to participants who were unable to
visit Cambodia. |
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| Peace Boat's
40th Voyage index |
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PEACE BOAT is an NGO in Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations. |
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