St. John's University Athletics
RedStormSports.com E-Journal...St. John's Student Athletes in Vietnam
| E-Journal...St. John's Student Athletes in Vietnam June 4, 2004 The past two days have been days of breaking previous misconceptions. First and foremost. we took a tour of a Nike factory in the Saigon area, then we met with the Global Alliance, an independent group charged with research, program formation and worker development, both directly and indirectly, of Nike contracted factories. Being a Nike sponsored school, St. John's has taken great pains in working with Nike and other government and non-government organizations to promote fair and just factory conditions and worker development programs that are consistent with both Catholic and Vincentian teachings. I can state this, because I know a great deal of research has been done, in particular by Fr. Maher to ensure that it is such. Organizations, such as the Fair Labor Association (www.fairlabor.org), the Workers Rights Consortium (www.workersrights.org) and the Global Alliance for Workers and Communities (www.theglobalalliance .org) work toward maintaining quality work conditions and developing social programs for factory workers in countries such as Vietnam. It does not however end there, as there have been multiple trips by University students and administrators to visit these factories to ensure that they are consistent with the positive teachings and mission of St. John's, as well as the church. Being a student-athlete who has seen the working conditions first hand, I can report that I was pleasantly surprised. Nike itself does not own any factories in Vietnam; instead they subcontract out to other foreign companies. This particular factory was owned by a group of Korean investors. Therefore, there are many levels of monitoring in a Nike factory, including government, the Global Alliance, and Nike. It's actually quite a complicated process. But now I will discuss some of my findings at the factory. To begin, the average worker makes around $55-$70 (US dollars) a month, with the average college educated government employee making around $30. With the national poverty level set at $120 a year, the average Nike line worker makes very good money for Vietnam. One might even say that this is not enough, but the purchasing power of the American dollar in Vietnam is worth approximately twenty times what it is in America. You do the math. In addition to the pay, the workers receive a myriad of other benefits, ranging from health education and clinics to free meals and free motorcycle repair. Nike also focuses on social investment, they have taken a large stock in the community, by opening playgrounds for local children, and pioneering a very interesting program for poor women. Nike will give out micro-loans to area women who have a great need, and desire to start their own business. The loans are interest-free and are on average $100. The money starts businesses ranging from rice paper production to farming. It is truly an unique and incredible program. Getting back to the factory it was very interesting to watch a pair of sneakers be made. The officials at Nike said that it takes approximately 7 days and 200 hands to make a single pair of Nike sneakers. We saw the entire process, from the raw rubber being forged into the sole to the sowing of the upper parts. It was remarkable to see the speed and accuracy of the thousands of people hard at work to produce the products that we as athletes too many times take for granted. So the next time you lace up a pair of Nike sneakers or any other shoe, just think about the hundreds of people that went into the production of that shoe. They take great pride in their product. For me this was a definite highlight to my trip here in Vietnam, and one that I will never forget. It truly changed my impression of what I believed a Nike factory to be. However, not every factory here in Vietnam has the same regulations as Nike, and much more work still needs to be done. Nike is a leader in the industry, and has the corporate responsibility to lead as such. Today I had another opportunity to visit a fire department; this time in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City). I was impressed with the one in Hanoi, but this particular one blew me away. For such a developing country, they truly have an amazing fire system. In their arsenal of fire fighting apparatus I discovered the second tallest tower ladder in the world of some 250 feet. With the average American tower ladder reaching 100 feet, this was truly an amazing piece of equipment, one I never expected to find in Vietnam. Not only was I impressed with their apparatus, but also by their training methods. I witnessed them time and time again ditch and don their gear, as they were being timed. This isn't a simple putting on or a coat and boots, but instead includes a very complicated repelling harness, air supply, light supply, and tool kit. It was fascinating to watch the amount of skill and precision it took to put on this equipment. Which I can say from personal experience is no easy task. One of the moments that truly touched me on my trip to Vietnam was when I was leaving the firehouse. My interpreter (another SJU student) asked the commanding firefighter why he agreed to see me and show me around. The thing is in Vietnam it is incredibly difficult to gain access to any government run institution. Usually letters of reference are required, and much planning needed. But once we explained that I was a student and volunteer firefighter in New York they simply waved me in. The commander explained to Hanh (the Vietnamese student) that the bond between firefighters (as he called it a brotherhood) is far stronger then politics. It was such a great over all feeling. (The last section is written by Jillian) Being that today was our last day, we tried to cram in as many things as we could. Our final oral research project was due today. Dan and I chose to do a report to the class about the Botanical Gardens and Zoo. Both of us were really skeptical about visiting a zoo in a country that is still developing. (Looking back I would have rather skipped the trip there.) It was a very depressing experience. The only cool thing about the whole zoo was that I got to feed an elephant. A little elephant slobber never hurt anyone right? For the most part the animals were kept in less than desirable conditions. Reptiles and amphibians had very little water, while the lions and tigers looked emaciated. And most of the habitats the animals lived in needed to be less concrete and more grass or dirt, whatever would be in the animal's natural habitat. Overall, it was just something that I wish I hadn't seen. It's hard to look at a zoo from the prospective that we would normally look at it. There is a choice you have to make, whether to feed the people of the country or the animals. Entrance to the zoo cost 8,000 Vietnamese Dong, which is considerably less than $1 (U.S. dollar). The cost of meat, such as chicken or beef is too expensive so the carnivores suffer the consequences. For me, although the economic dynamics are different here, it is simply impossible for me to get past the idea that these animals live in such poor conditions. I love animals and I think that there should be some kind of global regulation amongst zoos. Leaving the zoo, I just wished there was something I could do for them. Later in the afternoon we headed back to the market. I absolutely loved the Ben Thai market. We visited it earlier in the week and I had forgotten to write about it before. This market had everything you could think of. There were meat and animal organs, which were actually really gross to see in an open-air market, but once we got passed that part of the market I had a great time. The market consisted of coffee, clothing, produce, silk, and souvenir shops. My personal favorite stand was a fruit and nut stand. We bought dried coconut strips that were delicious. It has been the closest thing to candy that I have found on this whole trip. Shopping at the market is fun because you can bargain most of the prices. Dave has gotten pretty good at it, he looks at it like a game. Where if someone tells me a price, I usually just accept it, and am too embarrassed to haggle. All in all, it was a very good last day minus the zoo experience. The market was fun, and then we had a great group dinner. I cannot fully comprehend my experience in Vietnam yet. I just know that I am extremely proud to have participated in this program. Our next entry will be back in the states, and I can't wait to write about my last impressions of Vietnam. Until then, see you back in the states! If you have been writing us thank you. If we haven't gotten back to you, we've read your e-mails and expect a response from us soon. Thank you for taking an interest in our trip and our writings. Please look for our final entry sometime this weekend. And as always, e-mail us at david.harrow01@stjohns.edu and jillian.sandoval01@stjohns.edu. |