Mission: We remove barriers to opportunities so immigrant and refugee communities can flourish without compromising values, heritage or ethnicity. History: Kandelia, formerly known as the Vietnamese Friendship Association (VFA), was launched in the 1970s to support Vietnamese immigrants and refugees by responding to short-term resettlement needs. Over the years, we expanded to meet the needs of all immigrant and refugee communities by focusing on youth development, education and whole family support in order to help our communities thrive. Today, we provide direct programs, opportunities, and tools to address systemic inequities so that immigrant and refugee families can flourish without having to compromise their values, heritage or ethnicity.