At the start of 2012, the team at VIET Fellows would like to thank everyone that contributed to our journey the past two years. As a program we have been lucky to have the full support of wonderful people and leaders working in this humanitarian effort to remedy the legacy of Agent Orange. We have worked closely with and learned valuable lessons from people and children with disabilities connected to Agent Orange/Dioxin, and for that we are also indebted to their kindness and trust.

As our program and the fellows that make up our program develop further into their roles as members of a very diverse Vietnamese-American community, the need to concentrate and network leadership in our communities has become an ever-increasing area of focus. It is through our efforts in engaging and activating the community that we understand there exist many barriers that hinders an open dialogue about the health concerns of both the people in Vietnam and our communities here. It is through this understanding that we are devoting the third year of incubation through AAPIP in meeting these challenges and raising awareness of the legacy of Agent Orange/Dioxin to many diverse parts of our community in the United States.

In refocusing our work for this year, we must announce to any and all possible candidates that applications will not be made available for 2012 in both our Involvement and Engagement tracks. We thank you and understand from the inquiries that there are many dedicated candidates that are interested in our program and the humanitarian work. Although our program will not be open to new candidates in 2012, the campaign to remedy Agent Orange/ Dioxin continues, and if any candidate is interested in learning and collaborating in this effort, please contact us for more information.

Sincerely,

Tony Loung