LAHN & FRIENDS

Four of the five girls in this photo have hearing and speech impediments, yet their beautiful smiles make them seem so normal. The Vietnamese by culture are friendly, outgoing, and love groups of friends, so most of their free time is spent with friends, drinking green tea while eating snacks of fruit or sweet cake if one happens to have some money. Yes, that's Lanh in the front, never one to miss a photo opportunity.

Quenh (second from right) had knee operations performed in Hanoi (with support from the Swedish Aid Agency) and will be returning to her family a much happier girl. Her five siblings all have physical problems. Her father and mother are farmers and seasonal wage earners. They are very poor because of the added dependence of six disabled children. The Vietnamese Government would like to do more, but because of the large number of Agent-Orange families, resources are stretched thin.