Success Stories
Funding from USAID Changes Thousands of Angolan Lives
From Demobilized Soldiers, They Became Active Citizens
Photo: USAID/Angola
Angola is struggling to recover from its 27-year-long civil war that ended in April 2002. The country has some of the worst human development indicators in the world. Twenty-five percent of children die before reaching their fifth birthday. Once a net-exporter of food, the country must now import staple foods, and still 45 percent of all children are chronically malnourished. Two million war-affected Angolans (internally displaced, demobilized soldiers and refugees) still require direct humanitarian assistance.
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is addressing critical needs by helping thousands of Angolan demobilized soldiers regain their dignity and become productive citizens in that country. For example, the Vietnam Veterans Foundation of America (VVAF) is running an orthopedic rehabilitation center to help in the social integration of people who have war-related injuries, and especially those injured by mines or other undetonated explosives.
The center is located in Moxico, a province that, along with Bié and Cuando Cubango, is among the most heavily mined in Angola. "We chose Moxico because it was considered one of the provinces most affected by war," says Anita Keller, one of the VVAF coordinators. "On the other hand, it was a region where there was no assistance to victims of mines and other undetonated devices."
VVAF started working in Angola in 1996, but it was not until the war ended in 2002 that the project became a regional force. Activities have now expanded into Lunda Norte and Lunda Sul provinces.
There is tremendous need for this center's services. Estimates of the number of landmines in Angola range from 5 to 10 million, making it possibly the most heavily mined country in the world. Some 70,000 Angolans are believed to have lost limbs in landmine explosions. From 1997 to 2002, some 1,500 prostheses were distributed by the VVAF center. Over 2,000 people have been served and more than 1,800 prostheses produced. In addition to prostheses, the VVAF makes and gives patients crutches and wheelchairs.
When a new patient is admitted to the VVAF orthopedic rehabilitation center, that person's physical aptitude is assessed. The next step is therapy to strengthen the muscles, after which measurements are made of the area where the prosthesis will be attached. Tests are then done to ensure the prosthesis will be adjustable without complications. Finally, more therapy sessions enable the patient to leave the center moving of his or her own power.
This process takes weeks, but only then do the most sophisticated aspects of the patient's recovery begin: economic reintegration. Through partnership with an Angolan non-governmental organization, Centre for the Promotion of Community Development, VVAF is able to ensure psycho-social support to those that come to the centre for rehabilitation. VVAF offers recreational and sports activities through their successful "Sports for Life" program, which demonstrate to both patients and their communities that those with war injuries can still be productive and active.
