Winter 2011 - Vietnam Friendship Village Project USA

Viet Nam Friendship Village
Winter 2011
Newsletter of the U.S. Committee for the Vietnam Friendship Village Project
PHOTO BY PAUL WICKER
Delegates Gather for 13th International Meeting
L to R: Raphaël Vahé (France), Sigemitu Ahara (Japan), Rosemarie Höhn-Mizo (Germany),
Major General Do Cong Mui (Vietnam), David Rocovits (USA), Carol Stewart (Canada).
Eight delegates traveled to Hanoi
in 2010 to attend the International
Meeting held on October 28 and 29:
Carol Stewart (Canada), Raphael
Vahé (France), Sigemitu Ahara and
Nakahara Mami (Japan), Brigitte
Müller and Rosemarie Höhn-Mizo
(Germany), and David Rocovits
and Paul Wicker (USA). Major
General Do Cong Mui represented
the Vietnamese Committee at the
head table and other members of
the Veterans Association of Vietnam
and the Vietnam Friendship Village
staff were also in attendance.
In touring the village and hearing Director Dang Vu Dung’s report,
delegates were all impressed by the
progress of the education and vocational training of the children, the
care of the veterans, and the steps
that have been taken to repair the
effects of the 2009 flood.
Updates & Proposals
Director Dung first reported on
the main activities of the Friendship
Village from 2008 through 2010,
and then presented proposals for
the next two years.
The total funding goal for 2011
and 2012 is $703,640 with 49%
coming from international sources.
Director Dung outlined major
plans to construct three two-story residences plus a three-story
building, add a second floor to the
school, repair Building G2, resurface
the roads, and install new fencing
within the village.
During this construction, the
number of veterans will be temporarily reduced from 40 to 28 in 2011,
continued on page 3…
PHOTO BY david rocovits
by Paul Wicker
and then in 2012, the number of veterans will be increased to 60. This
added capacity will help address the
increased need for veterans services
in Vietnam due to the advancing age
of the veterans. The number of children will remain at 120 and the staff
will be maintained at 60.
The village has established ties
with local medical facilities to access advanced treatment for the
children and to provide professional
development opportunities for the
staff. Besides the care provided to
residents, the village now offers economical outpatient care for people
in the local community.
In addition to the five special
education classes currently offered,
there is a plan to add a class for
hearing-impaired children so they
can learn to communicate by using
sign language. Initially the village
will rely on the services of a professional who will provide instruction
High-energy songs and skits performed by the children, as well as special guests, has
become a tradition at the Friendship Village’s biennial international meetings. In
this number, kids wave flags representing all the countries represented at the meeting.
VF VP Contacts
U SA
Vietnam Friendship Village Project USA
• Becky Luening, President, Portland, Oregon
• Don Blackburn, Bandon, Oregon
• Bill Dean, Corvallis, Oregon
• Liliane Floge, Derwood, Maryland
• Judy Moss, Anchorage, Alaska
• David Rocovits, Reno, Nevada
• Dan Ryan, Olympia, Washington
• Carl Stancil, Arcata, California
• Paul Wicker, Manhattan Beach, California
P.O. Box 599, Arcata, CA 95518-0599
Tel: 503-774-9197 (Becky Luening)
Web: vietnamfriendship.org
Email: info@vietnamfriendship.org
CA N ADA
Vietnam Friendship Village Project Canada
Don Flaxman Memorial Bench
Right: International
delegates unveil
the Don Flaxman
memorial bench,
sponsored by VFVPUSA board members.
David Rocovits had
the stone bench made
in Hanoi, and then
worked with Dang Vu
Dung to find a place
for it at the village.
Don Flaxman was a
well-loved member
of the U.S. Committee before he passed
away in early 2009.
• Michelle Mason, President • Krista Riley
• Tom Boivin
• Jeff Schutts
• Marina Percy
• Carol Stewart
Above: The unveiling ceremony
was held on the first day of the
meeting. L to R: Unidentified
woman, Paul Wicker, Dang
Vu Dung, Raphaël Vahé, David
Rocovits, Rosi Höhn-Mizo, and
Ahara Sigemitu.
906 Salsbury Dr., Vancouver, BC V5L 4A4
Tel: 604-253-3544
Web: friendshipvillage.ca
Email: friendshipvillage@shaw.ca
G E R MANY
Dorf der Freundschaft
• Rosemarie Höhn-Mizo, President
& International Committee President
• Hanna Bladt • Rainer Hub
• Birgit Grau • Brigitte Müller
• Thomas Hoffman • Albrecht Ottmar
Pfarrstraße 3, 74357 Bönnigheim-Hofen
Tel/Fax: +49 7143 24891
Web: dorfderfreundschaft.de
Email: dorfderfreundschaft@web.de
FRAN C E
THREE TOP PHOTOS BY david rocovits;
photo of young women below by paul wicker
l’Association Républicaine des Anciens
Combattants et Victimes de Guerre
(ARAC)
• Raphaël Vahé, Président National Délégué
• Georges Doussin, Vice President
2, place du Méridien, 94807 Villejuif cedex
Tel: +33 01-42-11-11-19 • Fax: +33 01-42-11-11-10
Email: raphael.vahe@wanadoo.fr
Over the next few days, Friendship Village residents tried out
the new bench. In one photo
(above left), three kids pose with
U.S. Committee members Paul
Wicker (L) and David Rocovits (R).
JA PAN
Vietnam Friendship Village Nippon Committee
• Ahara Sigemitu
• Nakahara Mami
c/o Nippon Vietnam Friendship Assn, Tokyo
170-0005 Tokyo-to, Toshima-ku
Minamiootsuka 2-17-10, Japan
Tel & Fax: +81 042-421-9157
Email: asige@kc5.so-net.ne.jp
V I E T NAM
Vietnam Friendship Village
• Dang Vu Dung, Director
• Nguyen Ngoc Ha, Foreign Visitor Manager
Tel: +84 4 38374527 • Fax: +84 4 37650213
Web: langhuunghi.vn
Email: friendshipvillage18398@hn.vnn.vn
2
The mission
of the Vietnam Friendship Village Project is
to cultivate reconciliation and heal the wounds of the Vietnam
War by uniting veterans and caring citizens through international
cooperation in the building and support of the Vietnam Friendship
Village, a living symbol of peace.
Viet Nam Friendship Village Project USA
by Paul Wicker
One of the most timeless and universal interests of
all human beings is the study of stars and other celestial bodies. The inhabitants of our village share in this
interest.
These days the heavens over Hanoi seem a bit closer
because Friendship Village now has an astronomical
telescope.
How did this happen you might ask? I must first
disclose that for the past dozen years I have traveled
around using the name, “The Galileo Guy.” I am pretty well known in fifth grade classrooms in Southern
California where I appear dressed as the seventeenth
century astronomer Galileo Galili who in 1609 introduced an elementary telescope to the world which
has sparked interest in the mysterious night sky for
centuries.
Last year I was at an event with representatives from
Celestron, a local telescope company. As frequently
happens, somebody from Celestron asked me where I
had been traveling recently. Of course I mentioned that
I had been to Vietnam and informed them about the
Friendship Village and about the wonderful work that
is done there.
I said that I would be going to the Friendship Village
in October for our international business meeting and
asked if Celestron would be willing to provide a telescope for me to take as a gift for the children. Celestron
gladly agreed and subsequently provided one of their
FirstScope models.
This quality Dobsonian-style telescope features a
76mm aperture, reflector optical tube and is an ideal
entry-level astronomical telescope. It is very easy to use.
The observer simply navigates the night sky by moving
the tube in the direction of their desired object, making
International Meeting Report
…continued from page 1
for hearing-impaired children while
training members of the staff in sign
language.
In order to provide professional
development for the teachers and
enhance their skills, the Friendship
Village is also planning to increase
exchanges with other special education institutions, organizing visits
to other schools and offering training courses for teachers. The village
can serve as a prototype for facilities
with similar objectives throughout
Vietnam.
the viewing experience a snap!
Astronomy is a pastime that requires knowledge, so
I also took some books on the moon and the constellations. The telescope even comes with a special moon
filter. I also provided a CD with a slide show about the
solar system and planetarium software.
When the kids and other villagers saw the telescope
they were all very anxious to try it out. Celestron advertises the FirstScope as a table-top design. Well kids will
be kids and you can see in this picture that they adapted
the telescope to their own circumstances.
I will have to tell Celestron that the FirstScope is the
world’s first laptop telescope.
PHOTO BY david rocovits
Heavens Over Hanoi
Sixteen-year-old Nguyen Thi Oanh looks through the telescope
donated by U.S. Committee member Paul Wicker (right).
Beginning in 2011, every child
will get a notebook in which to record personal education plans from
the time they enter the village until
they return home. Furthermore, the
staff plans to emphasize the role of
drawing and painting in the classes
because of its positive influence on
the children’s creativity and mental development, which provides a
foundation to enable them to attend
mainstream schools in the future.
In addition to traditional schooling, the village continues to maintain
its four current vocational education
in sewing and tailoring, embroidery,
flower making and computing skills.
Depending on their abilities and
aspirations, children may be sent to
vocational training centers, including the vocational training school of
the Veterans Association of Vietnam,
to study for jobs in many different
fields, such as electrical, telephone,
computer repair and hair styling.
The Vietnam Friendship Village
administration has been asked to
provide a list of small projects and
their associated costs to assist the
fundraising efforts of the national
committees. We have our work cut
out for us!
Winter 2011 Newsletter
3
Friendship Village Serves as Resource for Educators
Teaching about Consequences of War by Becky Luening
Annual reports from the Vietnam
Friendship Village always mention
hundreds of visitors, from all over
the world, along with an accounting
of donations made by those passing
through, and on occasion we have
received a list or a few business
cards with American visitors’ names
and addresses. But for the most part,
unless we know someone personally who is traveling to Vietnam, we
rarely hear from visitors themselves.
That’s why it’s always gratifying
when cards or calls some our way
from people who have been there.
It’s interesting to learn about different motivations for people’s travels
and to hear about their experiences
and impressions of the village.
SPICE
Carl Stancil, VFVP-USA board
member in Arcata, California where
our P.O. box resides, faithfully picks
up the mail and collects the checks
we receive for the Friendship
Village. Once in a while he will forward correspondence to me. One
such note I received late last summer from Ms. Se-Woong Koo, who
wrote, “Thank you for accommodating Dr. Rennie Moon and my visit.
We learned much during our time
at the Friendship Village site in Van
Canh. That knowledge will greatly
enhance the project we are undertaking here at SPICE.”
This note puzzled me, so I turned
to my trusty search engine and soon
found SPICE online. SPICE stands for
Stanford Program on International
and Cross-Cultural Education. I discovered that Ph.D. candidate SeWoong Koo and Dr. Rennie Moon
had visited the Friendship Village on
a research trip in preparation for the
development of a comprehensive
curriculum unit titled “Legacies of
the Vietnam War.” The curriculum
4
will be available to high schools in
the U.S. and independent schools
abroad. The educators also visited
other organizations in Vietnam
working with Agent Orange victims,
as well as non-profits working with
landmine survivors, museums and
contemporary art spaces, international schools, foreign companies
operating within Vietnam’s special
industrial zones, and Viet Kieu*–
owned shops and businesses. The
interviews they conducted will be
used to compile updated information, materials, resources and ideas
for student activities to take into
consideration while developing the
six-lesson unit, which will specifically address the U.S. History Standard
2C, “The student understands the
foreign and domestic consequences
of U.S. involvement in Vietnam.”
Friendship Tours World
In early October 2010, I received
a call from Alethea Paradis, Founder,
Director and Program Leader of
Friendship Tours World, formerly
called Friendship Tours Vietnam.
She was calling to request a reciprocal link to her educational organization on our website. To quote
Alethea, Friendship Tours World is
“a small educational tour and community service program for students
to travel and learn with their own
teachers in countries of our former
enemies. Students can earn college
credit…, but the life-long education
always comes from the volunteer
work. Indeed, we named our program after the Friendship Village, as
our work there was the most inspirational part of our journey through
Vietnam.”
Alethea went on to explain, “In
2004, as I was teaching the Vietnam
War seminar, my class was reflecting on our military commitments
in Iraq and Afghanistan, musing if
[only] we had ‘learned the lessons
of Vietnam…’ Inspired by this inquiry—timed to launch at the 30-year
anniversary of the ‘Fall of Saigon’—I
founded this program with the mission of experiential learning for
kids through community service
in formerly war-torn Vietnam. We
have now expanded to Cambodia,
Laos, Thailand and Myanmar—all
of which have experienced war on
their soil. Still, Vietnam is our most
popular tour.” Friendship Tours
World donates 1% of each of these
students’ trip cost to the Village.
Their website has linked to ours for
several years, and we now have a
link to theirs, which can be found
under Links
Vietnam Travel.
*Literally translated “Vietnamese sojourner,”
Viet Kieu is a term used by people in the
Socialist Republic of Vietnam to refer to ethnic
Vietnamese living outside of the country.
Happy New Year!
Graphic by chinese paper-cutting artist wang zi gan
Viet Nam Friendship Village Project USA
On the occasion of the Tet holiday
(Vietnamese Lunar New Year, which
begins on February 3 this year), our
friends at the Vietnam Friendship
Village wish everyone very good
health, happiness & prosperity.
In the Vietnamese Zodiac, 2011
is the Year of the Cat.
Check Out Our New Website!
<vietnamfriendship.org>
This summer our small, all-volunteer U.S. Committee achieved something we’d been working toward for
years—a revamped website design.
After several false starts and much
frustration, the new site was built
utilizing Wordpress, an open-source
content management system designed for blogging. Starting with
a simple template, tech consultant Erim Foster tweaked the color
scheme, added multi-level menus,
a sophisticated photo gallery and
sidebar links, and then fine-tuned
the site to our satisfaction.
Meanwhile, Ulrich, the German
Committee’s webmaster, designed a
new international portal containing
links to all six national committees’
websites or information pages.
We encourage supporters to visit
our new site, explore all the pages
and sub-pages, and send us feedback. It’s a work in progress—more
photos will soon be uploaded and
we will be striving to increase the
frequency of blog entries as a way
to provide up-to-the-minute news
related to the Friendship Village.
Coming Soon: Email Updates
VFVP-USA recently subscribed to
a professional email tool enabling
regular updates to be sent to many
supporters at once. Our plan is to
send no more than one message
per month. The sidebar of our website contains a sign-up form for the
list. We will combine these with the
email addresses we have already
collected for our initial message,
scheduled to be sent soon after this
print newsletter goes out. Our goal
is to eventually send more newsletters via email than postal mail; money saved on on printing and postage
will in turn will be passed on to the
Vietnam Friendship Village.
O
n November 12, 2010 the Austrian
Embassy helped celebrate the 1,000year anniversary of Thang Long (the city of
Hanoi) by staging a Viennese Charity Ball
with a live orchestra, benefitting the Vietnam Friendship Village! Read more on our
website…
Those Beautiful Cards
Anyone who has made a donation to the
Friendship Village recently will have received one of
our new, full-color thank you cards, which feature
eight different photos taken by board members
Bill Dean and David Rocovits. These beautiful cards were
printed by CORE Communications, an innovative printing company based
in Corvallis, Oregon. Board member Bill Dean introduced us to CORE. In
addition to doing great work, they offer us a significant nonprofit discount,
helping to reduce our printing costs. We are now exploring the possibility
of developing a set of eight blank cards featuring scenery of Vietnam as a
premium for our donors. Stay tuned for details…
Touching Lives
…continued from page 12
Agent Orange. After a wonderful
lunch we were blessed to spend the
afternoon with the veterans.
“I think many of the therapists were a bit perplexed at first
because we had been so intensely
focused on children, but the veterans quickly won them over and by
the end tears were shed and many
deep insights were gained. Many
of the women said it was the first
time they realized what a powerful
role they could play in healing the
effects of the Vietnam war.”
Rachel elaborated:
“I was working in a smaller
room with a second set of veterans, but one experience that had
everyone reeling was when a couple of the therapists began to sing
Beatles songs as they were massaging the vets which brought the
vets to tears which in turn brought
the singing therapists to tears.
Everyone was on cloud nine after
leaving Friendship Village!”
I was really touched by Rachel’s
message and decided to share her
story with the VFVP-USA community because I found it to be
such a great example of the reconciliation that is made possible
by the existence of this place that
we support with our work here in
the USA. I emailed Rachel to ask a
few follow-up questions, and soon
received a reply from her, as well
as a message from another participant on the journey, Jacquelyn
Pannullo, who wrote:
“For me, being at Friendship
Village was the most profound healing experience during the entire
trip. I have been working with children in less than ideal situations for
over 10 years and my passion lies
with helping them find the strength
in themselves and to move beyond
their current situations. However,
continued on page 10…
Winter 2011 Newsletter
5
David Rocovits shows Ms.
Ha and Director Dung some
of our past newsletters.
Physical Therapy
Mealtime
Physical Therapy
Refurbished net house,
funded by U.S. donations
6
Viet Nam Friendship Village Project USA
New desks in the
computer classroom
Flower
Making
Japanese Committee members Ahara
Sigemitu and Nakahara Mami (looking at
camera) join VFV entertainers on stage
ALL PHOTOGRAPHS ON PAGES 6 AND 7 WERE
TAKEN BY EITHER DAVID ROCOVITS OR
PAUL WICKER, OCTOBER 28–29, 2010.
Sewing / Tailoring
Advanced
Embroidery
School
David Rocovits
poses with a group of
Vietnamese veterans
Winter 2011 Newsletter
7
by Becky Luening
In early November I received a
call from Jacki Ochs, director of the
1983 film, Vietnam: The Secret Agent,
which documents the health effects
of Agent Orange on American veterans and their impending lawsuit,
which was settled out of court in
1984, just after the film’s release.
This powerful hour-long documentary includes excellent background
information on chemical warfare,
solid scientific data about the toxic
herbicides sprayed in Vietnam, historic war footage, and tragic personal stories of veterans and their
families.
Vietnam: The Secret Agent is narrated by Max Gail and features music by Country Joe McDonald. It received the Special Jury Prize from
the Sundance Film Festival among
many other honors. At the time
of its release, the Boston Globe described it as “the year’s most terrifying horror movie” and the Los
Angeles Herald called it “one of the
most incisive and damning documentaries ever made about corporate abuse in this country.”
Jacki called to tell me that a
new, “authored” version of the film
would soon be re-released on DVD
with extra features and a resource
list that will include the Vietnam
Friendship Village. She was looking for a few good photographs to
use for this purpose, which I gladly
provided. I immediately ordered a
copy of the DVD for my personal
library. I highly recommend it to
anyone who wants to learn or educate others about the history of
Agent Orange and the dangers of
dioxin contamination in Vietnam
and elsewhere. To purchase a DVD
for home use, visit the film website:
www.vietnamthesecretagent.com.
8
DEDICATIONS received since our last newsletter
Donor
Janet Ashford
Nancy Anne Bailey
James & Jane Baraz
Bill Motto VFW Post 5888
Richard Blanchfield
Lisa Brown & Kevin Johnson
Yvonne Byron
Debbie Cahoon
James Conway & Sylvia Nieto
Constance Corson
Lydia Darby
Dedication
In honor of Chet Boddy
In memory of Colonel Robert N. Bailey
In memory of Don Flaxman
In memory of Chris Matthews and Bob Hall
In celebration of hope!
In appreciatioin of healing and peace
In appreciation of the Village’s work
In memory of Walt Byron
In memory of Chris Matthews, VFW Post 5888, Santa Cruz
In memory of Chris Matthews
In memory of Ned, Bill, Marine
In celebration of Suel Jones and Michael Cull and
the healing work they have done
Gene & Paul de Benedictis
In appreciation of all Vietnam veterans
Ray Doherty
In memory of all Vietnamese victims of the war
Austin W. Eastridge, Jr.
In memory of Sing Nyg
Jan Eldred & Peter Szutu
In memory of Jeff “Paco” Huch
Liliane Floge & Stephen Crawford In memory of Franklin P. Floge, Vietnam veteran
Liliane Floge
In memory of Don Flaxman
Tom Gale
In celebration of George Mizo and John Schuchardt
Esther Faber
In memory of Rueven Mordecai Ben Mosheh
Kitty Graham
In memory of Chris Matthews
Johanna Hawley
In memory of all that USA destroyed
Norman & Sallie Hogg
In memory of Ruth Mary Hogg Hurst
Sophia Holloway
In honor/appreciation/celebration of all the dedicated
Friendship Village volunteers and workers
Earl Huch
In memory of Paco Huch
Florence Jones
In memory of George Mizo
Tara Kaiserman In celebration of Judith Moss Bartee’s 61st Birthday
Barry Koch
In memory of Kalgin Koch
Carol Konyha
In memory of Christine Konyha
Margaret Koster
In celebration of all who work for peace
Huan Le In memory of Mr. Le Sau & Mrs. Ton-Nu Thi Dien
Jim Lewin
In memory of Sandy Alexander
Steve Little
In memory of Daniel Rodriguez, U.S. Army
Becky Luening & Brian Willson In memory of George Mizo
George & Susan McAnanama
In memory of Rosemary McAnanama
In honor of Amy Fleming
Elaine McGillicuddy
In memory of Francis A. McGillicuddy
Judith Moss & William Bartee In honor of those who fought – Vietnamese & American alike
Edward Nef
In honor of U.S. veterans
Thank You Rocovits Family & Friends
David Rocovits has maintained a deep and abiding interest in the Vietnam
Friendship Village since he was first introduced in 2001 by his brother Dan,
a long-time resident of Hanoi. Over the years,
David and his wife Amy have raised a significant amount of support for the project in Reno,
Nevada, where they live. When David and Dan’s
mother passed away in 2009, the family directed memorial donations to VFVP. And when
David returned to the village in 2010, he took his
daughter Ilin and son David II along with him
(see photo). We are grateful for the Rocovits
family’s ongoing, heartfelt contributions.
Viet Nam Friendship Village Project USA
photo by david rocovits
Vietnam: The Secret
Agent an Excellent
Resource
Christine Nguyen
Paul & Mary Nichols
In memory of Tonthat Le
In appreciation of all the good work the Vietnam Friendship
Village does
Thomas O’Malley & Beverly Arsem In honor of Greg Starkebaum
Lissa Onderdonk & Paul Shannon In memory of Howard Zinn
George Ow, Jr.
In memory of Chris Matthews
Elizabeth Peterson
In memory of Christine Scott
Margaret Peterson
In memory/honor of Capt. James W. Peterson (Vietnam 5/22/71)
Rita Powell
In honor of Alexis & Kathryn Countryman
Janet M. Powers
In honor of Liliane Floge
Coral Reiff
In appreciation of Steven L. Patton
Cal Robertson
In memory/honor/appreciation/celebration of all concerned
Bill Roller
In memory of Jack Shankwiler, two-time volunteer as physician in
Laos and Vietnam
Judi Rose
In honor of Sunny & Erika Rose
Peter Rubin
Nguyen Thi Minh Khai
Dan Ryan
In honor/memory of my mom, Mildred A. Ryan
Andy Sehic & Mark Dubrow
In celebration of Becky Luening’s 52nd birthday
Jayne Senecal
In celebration of Phil Aaronson
M. Shekinah & Clive Shephard
In memory of Don Flaxman
Amira Bramson Spendlove
In memory/honor of George Mizo
William R. Spendlove
In memory/honor of George Mizo
William R. Spendlove In honor of all the great workers of VFVP – Thank you all!
Robert & Becky Spitzer
In memory of George Mizo
Paula L. Steffen
In memory of Ralph W. Bedell
Ann Sugrue
In memory of Jim & Abbie Sugrue
John Taylor
In honor of all American and Vietnamese soldiers
Larry Timmons
In memory of Casey Londo
Shala Todd
In memory/honor/appreciation/celebration of all who are lost,
who suffer from Agent Orange
Shala Todd
In honor of my father, William Bartee
Rick Tracy
In memory of Mary Jo Tracy
Dave Tschoepe
In memory of George Mizo
Tran Tuyet
In memory of Christopher N.H. Jenkins
Bich Vu
In celebration of children and people in the Friendship Village
Marlene Warneke
In memory of CWO Ronald J. Fulton
Charles Waugh
In celebration of the Rhodes Family
Niki Wells
In honor of Jim Mulherin
John & Barbara Wodynski
In memory of HM3 John Edward Laning
Daniel Young
In memory of Paul Blue, Veterans For Peace Chapter 11
Donor name lost
In memory of Gilbert Ketzler Jr.
Donor name lost
In memory of John Christian Stamp
Donor name lost
In appreciation of all the soldiers on both sides who fought
in the Vietnam War
Remembering a Special Donor
by Judith Moss, VFVP-USA Board Member, Anchorage, Alaska
Mr. Lawrence Clark, a very dear friend of mine, passed away last year at
the wonderful age of 94. He was independent, lived by himself until the day
he died. He was a true pioneer in spirit and in deed. After Mr. Clark’s release
from the military at the end of World War II, like many veterans he wished
to live in a world without war, and subsequently took a stand against the
Korean Conflict and for diplomacy. As he became closer to his roots of farming and orcharding he saw a way for world harmony, and thus was deeply
disgusted with our involvement in Vietnam, which he saw as an unnecessary and shallow attempt to rekindle the righteousness of World War II. We
spoke to him of the Friendship Village and he thought it was a just cause to
be helping people. Being a man of little means he was honored to be able
to donate $10, inspired by the brochures and videos we shared with him.
Make Agent Orange
History: The Power
of Collaboration
by Becky Luening
When I spoke with Jacki Ochs
(see article on facing page), she suggested that the Vietnam Friendship
Village Project USA look into joining
a new web-based project launched
in 2010 called Make Agent Orange
History. This is a collaborative effort
to raise awareness of the long-term
effects of Agent Orange in Vietnam,
highlight solutions to the problem,
and connect individuals, foundations and non-governmental organizations with opportunities to get
involved. Make Agent Orange History
is a project of Active Voice, an association of “communications strategists who harness the power of film,
television and multimedia to spark
social change,” and has received
support from the Ford Foundation.
One of the project’s strategies
is to frame the long-term effects
of Agent Orange in Vietnam as a
humanitarian concern. The opening animated video on the project
home page does just that. The website lists “Champions,” individuals
who are championing this persistent
issue; “Resources” for learning more
about it; and “Partners,” humanitarian organizations such as Vietnam
Friendship Village Project USA that
are actively involved and offer ways
for people to plug in. As a partner,
VFVP-USA will also help spread the
word through its own networks.
One small first step individuals
can take is to sign an online pledge
to support a Plan of Action. There is
also an event-planning kit available
for those who wish to take action
in support of Vietnamese families
by hosting an event. VFVP-USA will
provide extra support to hosts of
events benefitting the Friendship
Village. For more info, please visit
makeagentorangehistory.org.
Winter 2011 Newsletter
9
VFVP-USA Financial Summary
for Fiscal Year 2008-09
VFVP-USA Financial Summary
for Fiscal Year 2009-10
Oct. 1, 2008 – Sept. 30, 2009
Oct. 1, 2009 – Sept. 30, 2010
TOTAL ASSETS beginning of year
$13,466.58
TOTAL ASSETS beginning of year
$ 10,214.51
INCOME
Individual Donations & Grants
$ 40,640.01
Interest from Savings
16.98
Total Income
$40,656.99
INCOME
Individual Donations & Grants
$ 37,568.98
Interest from Savings
5.91
Total Income
$37,574.89
EXPENSES
Bank Fees
$
Printing
Postage
Mailing Service
Nonprofit Reg. & Incorp. Fees
Telephone (Board Conf. Calls)
Website Development
Total Expenses
$
EXPENSES
Bank Fees
$
75.00
Printing
452.00
Postage
448.47
Mailing Service
327.78
Telephone (Board Conf. Calls)
755.00
Friendship Village Souvenirs
100.00
Website Development
375.00
Total Expenses
$ 2,533.25
VFVP FUND TRANSFERS
To VN Friendship Village
37.00
2,095.00
1,405.35
317.00
45.00
878.31
1,131.40
5,909.06
$38,000.00
TOTAL ASSETS end of year
Savings Balance as of 9/30/09
$ 7,745.72
Checking Balance as of 9/30/09 2,468.79
Total Assets
$ 10,214.51
Detail: VFVP-USA Fund Transfers to VFV
• FY 2008–2009
• FY 2009–2010
11/12/08
$18,000*
2/10/09 20,000
12/17/09
$ 10,000
2/25/10 14,000
4/13/10 4,000**
7/13/10 12,000
*$10,000 of this amount was earmarked for the wastewater
treatment system.
**Earmarked for greenhouse/irrigation project.
NOTE:
VFVP-USA is an all-volunteer
effort, as are all the national
committees that support the Vietnam Friendship
Village in Van Canh, Hanoi, Vietnam. VFVP-USA
board members make substantial contributions of
their time and/or money, and occasionally organize
fundraisers for the Friendship Village in our locales.
We are always looking for ways to cut down on expenses so that a greater percentage of the donations
we receive can benefit the village.
WE CURRENTLY HAVE A VACANCY ON OUR
BOARD. If you have skills to volunteer and would
like to join our team, please don’t hesitate to contact
us. We are especially interested in people with fundraising skills, or experience with social networking.
(See page 2 for contact information.)
10
Viet Nam Friendship Village Project USA
VFVP FUND TRANSFERS
To VN Friendship Village
$40,000.00
TOTAL ASSETS end of year
Savings Balance as of 9/30/10
$ 3,297.39
Checking Balance as of 9/30/10 1,958.76
Total Assets
$ 5,256.15
Touching Lives
…continued from page 5
the moment when we were singing ‘I want to hold your
hand,’ I turned to look at the man being massaged to my
right and the sight of the tears in his eyes moved me to a
place of hope and love, that we can heal old wounds and
create a world where there doesn’t have to be war. What
we were doing was the opposite of war and for me that is
the most important, to not destroy others or ourselves.
That was the pinnacle of my experience there.”
I am so grateful to Rachel and Jacquelyn for sharing
their stories. Reading Rachel’s original message added
sparkle to my New Year, reminding me of the unique
role the Friendship Village plays in healing the wounds
of that old war. I was also glad to find out that Liddle
Kidz plans to return to Vietnam at the end of this year
to continue the work of sharing nurturing touch. Lastly,
in the process of connecting with these great folks, I serendipitously discovered that Jacquelyn lives in Portland
and is interested in joining our VFV support network!
“The practice of peace and
reconciliation is one of the most
vital and artistic of human actions.”
—Thich Nhat Hanh
Vietnam Friendship Village Project USA Donors
Thank you for your support!
Below is a list of all who made donations between July 1, 2009 and Dec. 31, 2010. VFVP-USA is a 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofit.
NOTE: Please help us keep our database accurate by emailing Paul Wicker at thepeaceguy@gmail.com with any corrections to your name or address.
Philip & Marsha Aaronson
Jared Aaronson
Larry Abbott
Dennis August Almeida &
Suzanne St. Amour
Ruth & Phillip Adler Ruder
Herbert Albert
Eugene Albin
Eugene Alexander
Jim Anderson & Mary Morris
Beverly Arsem &
Thomas O’Malley
Janet Ashford
Regina Ayars
Nancy Bailey
David Ballard
J. Baraz
Dorothy Barenholtz
Susan Barniak
Carol Bartee
Jim Beckenhaupt
Cynthia Becker
Valerie Belt
B. Benson
Sara & Ed Berg
Donald Blackburn
Richard Blanchfield
Agnes Bledsoe
H. Boss
Hugh Brady
Amira Bramson
Peter Braun
Jill Brethauer & David Samuel
Walter & Martha Brethauer
John & Patty Brissendon,
Sorensen’s Resort
Lisa Brown & Kevin Johnson,
Solutions
Eva Brunner
David Buck
Yvonne & Walter Byron
Debbie Cahoon
John Calkins
Frank Cannon
Rev. F. Andrew Carhartt
Dale & Mei Jen Castleton
John-Paul Catusco
Yin Mei Chen
Scott & Karen Chen
Su-Fen Chen
Conny Chuan
James Coffey
Thomas & Noël Congdon
David Conley
John & Lenore Cooney
Constance Corson
Stephen Crawford &
Liliane Floge
Robert & Lois Crowley
Lydia Darby
Chaitanya Dave
Paul de Benedictis
Betty Deutsch
Mimi Do
Ray Doherty,
Vermont Campaign
to Ban Landmines
Rose Donovan
Thomas Dooley
Laura Dunn
Austin Wesley Eastridge
Marcia Eckman
Helen Eidemiller
Jan Eldred & Peter Szutu
Claire Englander
Esther Faber
Diego Fazi
Marjorie Feldman
Thomas Ferguson
Jane Fessenden
Robert Fischer
Leonard & Janice Foreman
Elizabeth Frost
Thomas Fugere
Thomas Gale Jr.
Gregory Garcia
Nate Goldshlag
Carolyn Goldwasser
Kitty Graham
Nita Greene
Bernard Greening
Gail Gremse & David Rose
John Gretzinger,
Cars Plus Auto Group
Alfred Griffith
Jacquelyn Griffith
Greg & Cathy Grigsby
Phillip Hall
Patrice Hanson
Richard Hastie
Rebecka Hawkins,
Closet Capers
Johanna Hawley
Todd Hayton
John Henson
Jim Hoffmeyer
Sallie & Norman Hogg
Sophia Holloway
Liang & Shu Hsu
Earl Huch & Lois Eldred
Fred Hummel
Ruth Hunter
Yorick Hurd II
Bruce Hyman
Craig Ihara
Chih-Hui Jan
T. Jefferson
James Jeffery III
Robert Jensen
Sandy Johnson
Franklin & Florence Jones
Janice Jordan
Pete Jussel
Tara Kaiserman
Barry Koch
Carol Konyha
Margaret Koster
Jeffery Krater
Noreen Larinde
Carolyn Laskowski
David Lauten
Dung Le
Huan Le
Bette Lee
Arnie Leff, M.D.
Andy Leimer
Jim, Jade & Jasper Lewin
Stephen Little
Mary Lopez
Roni Love
Robert Lovitt, South Sound
Buddhist Peace Fellowship Becky Luening &
S. Brian Willson
Tony Lyang
Thomas Macchia
Grace & Jim Malley
Raymond Manning
Jessica Marie
Mark Maxwell
Susan & George McAnanama
Marguerite McBride
Tim McCormick
Elaine & Francis
McGillicuddy
Randolph McMurtry
Darren McPhilimy
Jeffry Merrick
Greg Miller
Virginia & Bill Miller
Mai Mine
Richard Moore
Deanna Moore
Richard Moran
Steve Morse
Judith Moss & William Bartee
Gary Mukai
Jim Mulherin
Theresa Mulkey
Joseph Murray
Meili Murray
Thomas Nawrocki
Deborah Nearhoof
Edward Nef
Andrew Neher
Thi Nguyen
Van Anh Nguyen
Van Thu Nguyen
Candy Nguyen
Christine Nguyen
Hana Nguyen
Xuan Hoa Nguyen
Thi Nguyen
Paul Nichols
Sylvia Nieto & James Conway
Ryan Olson
George Ormsby
Charles Osburn
George Ow Jr. &
Gail Michaelis-Ow
Susan & Paul Paprocki
Peak Stucco & Stone
Gwen Perry-Crawford
Margaret Peterson
John & Nikki Peterson
Elizabeth Peterson
C. Peyton
Toan Phan
Rita Kirk Powell
Janet Powers
Lee Powers
Philip Poythress
Carol Pridgeon
Francis Quinn
J. Coral Reiff
Chris Reynolds
Kevin Richmond
D. G. Ridenour
Cal Robertson
Robert Robey
Liza Robinson
David & Amy Rocovits
Esther Rocovits
Dagny Rodriguez
Bill Roller
Judi Rose
Wolfgang Rosenberg
Peter Rosenwald
Peter Rubin
Dan Ryan
Pamela Schaffer
Elaine & Dan Schwartz
Steve Seawell
Jayne Senecal,
Earth Care Farm Pamela Shackelford
Paul Shannon
M. Shekinah &
A. Clive Shephard
Karen Shepherd
Ruth Sheridan
Jo Slaight
Ken & Tina Slosberg
Melinda Small
Ann & Doug Smith
Michael Smith
Nikolai Nicky Smith
Sandi Smith
James Snodgrass
Bruce Sollenberger
Jeff Spalin
William Spendlove
Amira Spendlove
Bob & Becky Spitzer
Stanley Stahl
M. P. L. Steffen
Dennis Streed
Ann Sugrue
W. Gary Suttle
Adam Swidler &
Gigliola Xhemali
Peter Szydlowski &
Milena Wong
John & Susan Taylor
Willow Teegarden
Mr. & Mrs. Amy Thai
June & Bill Thompson
Larry Timmons
Shala Todd
Richard Tracy
Minh Tuan Tran
San Tran
Thai Trong, Luther College
Dave Tschoepe
Tran Khanh Tuyet
Hurd Twombly
Alyssa Urish
Cecelia & Christopher Vance
VFW Bill Motto Post 5888
Minhhue Vo
Bich Vu
K. Van Waggoner
Charles Waldrop
Catherine Walling
Jason Wang
Marion Ward
Marlene Warneke
Charles Waugh
Josef Weber
George Weber
Jeff Wells
Niki Wells
John Wenger
Judith Whittaker
Paul Wicker
Kathryn Willard
Jonathan Wittwer
John Wodynski
Stephen Wolff
Jean & David Woo
Carol Woodyard
Daniel Young
H.P. Zieler
Winter 2011 Newsletter
11
Vietnam Friendship Village Project–USA, Inc.
P.O. Box 599, Arcata, CA 95518-0599
photo by PAUL WICKER
Return Service Requested
Greetings from the
Vietnam Friendship Village!
The Beauty of Reconciliation: Touching Lives
wrote, “but at the end of the trip it all came full circle
with a visit to Friendship Village.
“We started the morning with an infant massage
class for the staff and then spent one-on-one time
with some of the children and young adults affected by
continued on page 5…
photo by RACHEL M. BEALS
On January 2, I received an inspiring email message from VFVP-USA board member Dan Ryan. It was a
forward of a message written by Rachel M. Beals, a
massage therapist from Washington state. Rachel had
just returned from a journey to Vietnam with 17 other
healing professionals (massage, occupational, acupuncture, and yoga) sponsored by the Liddle Kidz Foundation,
a group that organizes groups of healthcare professionals to give their time, care and compassion to the children of the world through hands-on global outreach
programs. The main focus for the group’s December
2010 Vietnam journey was to bring nurturing touch to
orphans throughout the country.
Rachel had participated in a healing journey the previous year, 2009, with an organization called Soldier’s
Heart, and the two trips followed a similar route and
utilized the same Vietnamese tour guide, Song, who
has a deep dedication to working with American groups
to support the healing of Vietnam. In Rachel’s words,
“Song did an amazing job at helping us feel welcome
and at ease in some difficult environments.”
“It will take some more time for me to fully articulate
what it was like to be with the children we met,” Rachel
by Becky Luening