Message from the President

Since the founding of Health and Education Volunteer (HealthEd) in 1993, my main goal has been to work toward obtaining satisfactory shelter and nutritional support, medical care, educational opportunities and job training for a group of children in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. This pilot project for HealthEd, generously funded by the US Agency for International Developmer (USAID), supports the Da Lat Displaced Children's Celter in Lam Dong Province, five hours northeast of Ho C
Minh City (Saigon). Starting from scratch a little over a year ago, working with our supporters in the United States, the national govemment. and our local government and community counterparts, the Center currently houses approximately 100 children and cares for another 130 children in the Da I at and Bao Loc communities.

HealthEd has served as a catalyst to rally impressive local community support. The Da Lat University and D: Lat Hospital both provide critical services for the children. Local schools, churches, and private citizens contribute generously to the care of these precious children need. We are rightly proud of how we are helping to touch the lives of so many in an effort to expand our activities. HealthEd and its sister organization VietNam Assistance for the Handi-
capped (VNAH) have recently embarked on two new
projects. Firstly, recognizing the potential devastation expected from an unchecked spread of the HIV/AIDS virus in Viet Nam, HealthEd is working with various key players in Viet Nam to design a program aimed at educating the public about the dangers of HIV/AIDS. Toward this end, the first activity will support an International Conference on HIV/AIDS in Hanoi in mid-September.

The second new project area secks to promote "Barrier Free Access" for the disabled. HealthEd/VNAH seek to assist in the creation of a comprehensive disability policy that will target legal, physical, and attitudinal barriers facing the Vietnamese disabled. To rally support for such a program, HealthEd/VNAH sponsored a widely attended congressional breakfast in March of this year.

Since then, support has been received from numerous
veterans, disabled, and other groups. Much of our success is due to the support of outside contributions. For this, on behalf of the children, the disabled, and the disadvantaged that we serve, we are extremely grateful.

Beginning To Break Down
The Barriers

Beginning with a basic concern for the need to provide the disabled with "Barrier Free Access" to buildings in Viet Nam, HealthEd along with sister organization Viet Nam Assistance for the Handicapped (NAH) jointly sponsored a congressional breakfast. The breakfast, held in the Senate Dirksen Building, was attended by senators, government officials, representatives from non-profit organizations, and other distinguished guests. HealthEd/VNAH seek to assist in the creation of a comprehensive disability policy that will target legal, physical, and attitudinal barriers that face the Vietnamese disabled.

With the explosion in building growth, HealthEd/VNAH would like to seize this opportunity to provide barrier free access to the disabled. Viet Nam is now undergoing the largest post-war reconstruction in the history of the country New buildings and transportation systems can easily be configured during the design and construction phase, to provide accessibility, greatly reducing the need for costly alterations in the future. Our aim is to secure in Viet Nam the kind
of mobility and dignity that our elderly and handicapped have achieved here in the United States. We are rallying the support of groups both here in the U.S. and in Viet Nam for the idea of barrier free access for all to housing, work places, government services and public transportation and facilities.
In this we are working with the President's Committee on Employment of Persons with Disabilities, Paralvzed Veterans of America, the American Legion and many other U.S. groups. In Viet Nam, we are working with the Ministry of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs, the Parliament, and other private groups
In May, we brought a delegation of Vietnamese professionals to the U.S. to see and learn how we have addressed this issue over the past few decades. In September, we will guide a group of American experts to Vietnam to meet with ministries of government, the Parliament, and architects and planners from the private sector.
Our end goal is a sensitized and educated Vietnamese public that calls for all citizens to have access to all places in Viet Nam with dignity and ease.

HIV/AIDS In Viet-Nam

The HIV/AIDS pandemic continues to expand at an accelerated pace in the Asian region. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that by the year 2000 this region will be the most affected by the epidemic. For variety of reasons, Viet Nam is increasingly vulnerable to the spread of the HIV/AIDS virus. To assist in these efforts, HealthEd intends to work with the Vietnamese authorities to create a program aimed at educating the Vietnamese public on the dangers of the disease and the threat to their communities. The first step in this education process would he to learn from those currently battling the disease elsewhere. The GOV thereby intends to host the first International Conference on HIV/AIDS to be held in Hanoi in mid-September of this year. The primary purposes of the conTerence are os-bring together local, regional, and international expertise to plan how best to meet the HIV/AIDS challenge. encourage a more proactive national role clearly granting top priority by the GOV toward creating an elective campaien to prevent the spread of the disease, and -call for coordinated efforts by the international community to support local prevention efforts.