By Friday evening, nobody wanted to leave. That might be the simplest measure of what the 2026 Opening Retreat (1-7 March, 2026) accomplished: twenty people who arrived in Hue as strangers sat together at a farewell dinner and felt, with some surprise, that something real had been built.

The Equity Initiative is marking its tenth year, and this cohort steps into a fellowship with a decade of practice behind it. The design of the week was grounded in the history of EI and experience in bringing people together. As Elizabeth Chong (2026, Malaysia) noted, "What surprised me most about my cohort was finding my tribe. I did not expect to meet people who shared such a deep passion for social justice and who could also hold space for one another. I thought the program would feel more like networking, but it was so well curated to create room for meaningful connections."

Fellows came from ten countries across the region: Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Timor-Leste, Thailand, and Viet Nam. The Opening Retreat at Pilgrimage Village was their first time in the same room, and the program wasted no time asking them to show up honestly.

Exploring the Kien Trung Palace in Hue together.

A cultural visit to Hue's ancient citadel on the first day set an early tone. The Fellows used the city's layered history as a lens for thinking about leadership, power, and community. Walking through it together, they began learning who they were walking alongside.

The River of Life exercise asked each Fellow to trace their own story and share it with people they had just met, building connections almost immediately. Nang Kham Naw (2026, Myanmar) said, "I was amazed by how quickly people from different countries, diverse backgrounds, and fields of expertise became connected. It was eye-opening to see the potential for us to forge a shared path toward advancing health equity through collective effort."

Lee Edson P. Yarcia (2026, Philippines) laughs with Bui Thi Thanh Tu (2026, Viet Nam) during Empathy Box.

The Empathy Box workshop, developed in partnership with the empathy training company Tribeless, gave Fellows a structured way to practice something that resists structure: genuine listening. In small groups, one person placed a word in the center and spoke from it while everyone else stayed silent, responding only through cards, which made real attention possible. As Fellow Tarcisio Maria Amaral (2026, Timor-Leste) noted, "One thing I took away from the week was the chance to share our stories and listen deeply to one another. Hearing the journeys of fellows from across the region reminded me that our experiences shape who we are and inspire us to lead with empathy and a stronger commitment to equity."

Thanasak Thumbuntu (2026, Thailand) (right) and Lee Yarcia (2026, Philippines) (left) practicing peer mentoring.

The Peer Coaching workshop and the EI Buddy System built a structure for Fellows to grow in. Each Fellow was paired with one peer for the induction year, across countries and disciplines, with the intention of building a steady relationship. During the retreat, Fellows had their first chance to practice coaching with their buddy, using skills introduced that week. The pairings are designed to be complementary rather than comfortable, bringing together people whose contexts and expertise can genuinely stretch each other. Over the course of the year, these pairs become a place to process, reflect, and stay anchored when the work gets hard.

Friday brought sessions on Health Equity Concepts and Frameworks alongside Second Year Project Ideation, grounding the week's relational work in thoughtfulness and strategy. Fellows left Hue with a clearer sense of the landscape they are working in and the people they are working with: "There is some level of self-doubt, even for myself, on the difference we can make for others. Perhaps the nature of the work we do in health equity can be unseen and isolating at times. But we have this community to spur one another on. And when that happens, embrace it,"  said Brandon Chua (2026, Singapore)

A group of Fellows taking a break during Opening Retreat sessions.

The 2026 cohort inherits a fellowship that has been shaped by the ten years of the people who came before them, and will in turn shape it for those who follow: The retreat is over. The fellowship has started. Fellow Peng Linqian (2026, China) left us with the thought, "I want to be a leader who turns the ideal of equity into action- someone who listens deeply, empowers others, and builds connection and understanding across differences. Through this fellowship, I hope to inspire collaboration, resilience, and compassion in every space I enter."