Project RENEW is a Vietnam-based, non-government organization founded by members of VFP’s Hoa Binh Chapter 160, but now directed by Vietnamese, with a mission to address the unexploded ordinance and Agent Orange legacies of the U.S. war in Vietnam. In July 2014 Project RENEW approached Veterans For Peace with a request that VFP serve as fiscal sponsor for a large grant they are seeking from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). USAID is the foreign aid arm of State Department.
The purpose of the grant would be to provide therapy and services to Agent Orange-disabled Vietnamese individuals and their families. USAID grants require a U.S. 501c3 fiscal sponsor.
In January 2015, the VFP Board of Directors voted on two motions relating to Project RENEW. The first motion, to serve as fiscal sponsor for Project RENEW (absent any concerns about specific grants) passed unanimously, 12 to 0. The second motion, to serve as fiscal sponsor for a USAID grant being sought by Project RENEW, was hotly debated, and passed 8 to 4.
In May 2015, USAID sent a letter to the Veterans For Peace national office informing us that they had reviewed Project RENEW’s initial Concept Paper and would not be inviting them to submit a Full Proposal. USAID said it was rejecting Project RENEW’s request on two grounds:
1) Quang Tri Province, where Project RENEW is based, had not been identified as one of the provinces where USAID would be directing such funding, as it was not considered to be most in need, and
2) The therapeutic regime proposed by Project RENEW did not match up with USAID criteria, including that it did not include speech therapy.
Project RENEW strongly disagreed with both of the USAID rationales and they have appealed to relevant authorities in both the U.S. and Vietnam. As a consequence, USAID officials may possibly reconsider. USAID officials in Vietnam have encouraged Project Renew to remain in the process of pursuing this grant.
At the 2015 VFP Convention in San Diego, VFP Vice President Gerry Condon submitted Resolution 2015-08, Veterans For Peace Should Have No Relationship with USAID, reflecting the concerns of many VFP members who believe it would be a mistake to sign a contract with a U.S. government agency well-known for its covert actions around the world.
Many other VFP members, including a majority at the VFP Convention business meeting (53 to 33 straw vote), believe that the greater good of facilitating much needed aid to Vietnamese victims of the U.S. war trumps all other concerns.
All VFP dues-paying members – veterans and associates – will have the opportunity to vote on this issue, when they receive their ballots in the mail in October. The Board recommendation, Convention debate and straw vote, and Pro and Con statements will be provided on the VFP website, along with information about other Resolutions and Board candidates.