Kim Phuc recognized for helping children of war

TORONTO, October 19, 2004 -- A photograph of a young girl running naked down a road, her skin ablaze with napalm, changed the way the world looked at the Vietnam War, and indeed at all wars and the countless innocent children who frequently get caught in the crossfire.

The girl in the famous 1972 photograph is Kim Phuc. She will receive an honorary degree from York University this Friday, Oct. 22 at 2 p.m.  

This honorary degree recognizes Kim Phuc’s tireless dedication in helping children from war-torn countries recover from their emotional and physical scars, and for telling her story around the world in a bid to promote peace.

 

 “Kim Phuc is a woman of tremendous courage, whose life story is proof that the human spirit can prevail in the face of adversity,” said York University President and Vice-Chancellor Lorna Marsden. “York convocation is a time to recognize the achievements of our newest graduates and to celebrate the contributions of individuals, like Kim, who have made a real difference in the world and in the lives of others.”

 

Kim Phuc was not expected to live. Third degree burns covered half of her body, and she would require many operations and years of therapy. After two years, against all odds and with the help of doctors who were committed to her care, she was able to return to her village, where she and her family began to rebuild their lives. Kim now lives with her husband and two young sons in the Greater Toronto Area, more than 32 years after her harrowing ordeal.

 

Kim expressed her deep desire to give something back to innocent children of war for all the help she herself received as a victim of war. The result was the establishment of the Kim Foundation in 1997 – a private charitable organization that is dedicated to providing funds to support the work of international organizations that provide free medical assistance to children who are victims of war and terrorism.

 

Recipient organizations manufacture prosthetic and orthopedic devices for children; fit children with those devices; provide therapy, medication, wheelchairs, and rehabilitative services; or help families, schools, and other institutions find ways to support the efforts of disabled children to become full members of their communities.

 

As a UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) Goodwill Ambassador for the Culture of Peace, Kim spreads the message of the need for reconciliation, mutual understanding, dialogue, and negotiation to replace confrontation and violence as a means of settling conflicts.

 

Kim Phuc will address York’s graduating class. The convocation ceremony will take place in York’s Convocation pavilion, located between Osgoode Hall Law School and the Atkinson Faculty of Liberal & Professional Studies (off The Pond Road), York University, 4700 Keele Street.

 

Campus maps are available at: www.yorku.ca/yorkweb/maps/index.htm

 

The convocation Website, including live Webcast, can be found at  http://www.yorku.ca/mygraduation

 

York University is the leading interdisciplinary teaching and research university in Canada. York offers a modern, academic experience at the undergraduate and graduate level in Toronto, Canada’s most international city.  The third largest university in the country, York is host to a dynamic academic community of 50,000 students and 7,000 faculty and staff, as well as 180,000 alumni worldwide. York’s 10 faculties and 21 research centres conduct ambitious, groundbreaking research that is interdisciplinary, cutting across traditional academic boundaries.  This distinctive and collaborative approach is preparing students for the future and bringing fresh insights and solutions to real-world challenges.

-30-

For more information or to arrange an interview, the media should contact:

Ken Turriff, Media Relations, York University, 416-736-2100, x22086 / kturriff@yorku.ca

 

YU/000/04