Namaste: A week with Marguerite

Synchronicity

“Synchronicity is a manifestation of how the power of the universe helps us achieve our goals and dreams. If you want something important or need to make a dream come true, the power of the universe conspires to organize, or synchronize, us with who or what we want, through what at first may appear to be random or chance meetings.”
Roger Payne

It was someday beginning of April, when reviewing online resources to put in Sustainability Vision website for my thesis, I came across the blog with this little daisy blooming in a blue sky background color: La Marguerite - A girl’s view of sustainability and social media. Memories recalled to me as it had been a long time I was her silent reader and somehow, admirer. But it seemed that she was not there anymore. The last post was written on July 29, 2009. I wondered where and how she is now, why she stopped blogging, whether she has a new blog... There was a mix of emotion in me. I really wished that maybe someday, I can see her writing again…

On Tuesday, 5th of April, I received an email from Marguerite Lacoste via WiserEarth, the Social Network for Sustainability. I was thrilled when seeing her name. She is another Marguerite. It reminded me the story Kelly had told, about a similar kind of serendipity, when God had given to her friend a man with the same name of the one she had loved and had lost. Marguerite Lacoste is a French freelance, working as consultant for sustainable development and fair trade through social and environmental audits (www.ailedupapillon.com). She asked for a translator during her work trip, interviewing workers and poor people in Vietnam from 18th to 23th of April.

What a nice surprise to see that things happen just in time! Sustainability is my big interest and also the topic of my thesis now. Moreover, part of the research for my thesis is interviewing people in slums. Thus, it would be a great experience for me to learn from an expert and from practical fieldwork. Recognizing the clues throughout those meaningful coincidences, I was so happy and grateful to join her, though this would mean an entire week on the work trip while I was quite busy with my thesis writing. However, on the other hand, it was so timely fits as during these days, I didn’t have to go to school and I could manage time myself. If she had come sooner or later, perhaps I couldn’t make it.

Synchronicity reveals messages from the Universe which unfold and guide us through our path of destiny. I had not known her before, but I believed she would be nice and kind. (And she really is, plus graceful, professional, full of confidence, moreover, she is also a vegetarian!). Allowing things to come through synchronicity, I trusted that “the Universe conspires only to give the best to those who dream and work.”

Marguerite in French is also “daisy” in English. So, “yes, we are meant to meet.” ;)

We met each other on Sunday evening, April 17, the day she just arrived in HCMC. We went to a coffee shop, drinking tea, talking a little bit about the mission for tomorrow. We still had a whole week ahead to get to know more of each other.

Audits at furniture factories

As Groupe Pierre & Vacances CenterParcs, a French corporation who owns hundreds of hotels, commits to sustainable development, they would like to ensure that their partners in Vietnam also meet the values in a sustainable way. It is some kind of CSR certification which includes not only environmental but also social criteria (workers having decent wage, humanely treated with social security, no overloaded jobs…). Therefore, the meaning of the audit work at these factories was to check the social and environmental conditions there, in order to find solutions to improve as much as possible the situations.

Monday, 18.4.2011. We met at 8 am in the lobby of New World hotel in central Saigon. Dominique, the representative of Groupe Pierre & Vacances CenterParcs, was there waiting. Then Cyril came and we all took a taxi to the first furniture factory, Rare Dragan Co. in Tây Ninh, near Củ Chi district of HCMC. Cyril had lived a long time in Vietnam thus he knew a lot about the city and the country.

We made first a sight-seeing around the factory. Marguerite especially paid attention to the labor safety, environmental conditions and fire prevention. Then only two of us went for interviewing the workers.

Having lunch with workers in canteen

Having lunch with workers at canteen, we started talking with them, about their daily lives, their families, children, working conditions, social security, health care and insurance, factory’s internal regulation on reward and punishment, their dreams in life... All interviews were kept confidential. At first workers were often shy but Marguerite really had a graceful and gifted nature to encourage them to say more.

After the lunch break, we interviewed some more workers. In the afternoon, we took the factory’s minibus together with their staff to go back to central HCMC. Marguerite, Dominique and Cyril had one more final meeting with the factory’s manager in the evening, to summarize the whole day work and more important, to give recommendation on how things can be improved for better, regarding social and environmental aspects.

Tuesday, April 19. We visited the Sofa workshop of Scandinavian Design, a Danish owned company, located in Hoc Mon district of HCMC. This time we had Patricia also joined with us. The sales director there was a young nice lady just as the same age as mine. There was a small clinic with two nurses inside the area. In addition to lunch break, they also have 2 tea-breaks about 15 minutes in the morning and in the afternoon, which I found very good for workers. They could relax and become even more productive.

Wednesday, April 20. We visited the Indochina Ambiente (Tam Van Nhan Ltd.), a factory in Bien Hoa, making furniture from plastic fibres, plus some water hyacinth and bamboo products. After having a sight-seeing around the factory, Marguerite and me went to canteen. But it was too late, all the food had been finished. However, we still had chances to talk to the workers there. We followed them to the dormitory for those workers came from far away provinces. The rooms there were given free for them, including all water and electricity costs. There was one family came from Mekong Delta, both parents and the older son were working for the factory…

People we met were nice and simple. When asked what are their dreams in life, most of them answer about a decent house, a stable job so that they can earn enough money to live…

***

Patricia's shop on Ngo Duc Ke street

Marguerite is also an interior designer. On Tuesday, while waiting for the final meeting at Patricia’s shop, she suggested some ideas to rearrange the stuffs to make the shop look more lively.

Poverty alleviation and community development

On the last half of the week, we went to Bình Thuận to visit an NGO with its 3 different branches in Đức Linh, Tánh Linh and Hàm Thuận Nam. It is Thiện Chí NGO, whose aim is helping community development, through job creation, micro finance and farming assistance, education and health care projects... The main target groups are the poor and the poorest.

The three day visit had opened another world to me, where many people have to struggle to survive… I was touched by many real life stories that they shared with us and that I had witnessed with my own eyes...

Updated on 15.08.2011:

Our story has been posted on Wiser Earth Blog by Camilla: Blooming Daisies - A week with Marguerite
Tuoi Tre newspaper also has articles on Bernard's work:

- In Vietnamese: “Ông Việt Nam” Bernard Kervyn

- In English: For Belgian man virtue as life purpose

Marguerite and Bernard at Thien Chi, Tanh Linh office

Bernard is the man who has raised Mekong Plus – Vietnam Plus and supporting, advising Thiện Chí from beginning. Coming to Vietnam in 1993 and staying here since then, he has helped a lot of people in rural areas to change their lives for better by his great mind and compassionate heart. I take my hat off with a deep respect to him. He can speak fluently Vietnamese, English and French.

Mekong Plus – Vietnam Plus has been operating in Vietnam since 1994 and in Cambodia since 2007, aiming to help the poorest and community development. Their actions are varied: micro-credit, agricultural techniques, training of para-veterinarians, protection of the environment and forests, plantations, education, development of the employment and the handicraft…
Thiện Chí (Good Will) is a Vietnamese NGO, set up by experienced members of Mekong Plus in Bình Thuân, with similar goals and activities.
Terre d'Oc buys handicrafts from producers organized by Thiên Chí. The profits are reinvested into development programs in the same region.
Vietnam Quilts – Mekong Quilts has four retail outlets located in the centre of HCMC, Hanoi, Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. The shops have a wide range of ready made quilts in many designs for selection. Sales from the non-profit shops, ensure that the project can continue to grow and employ more women and proceeds are reinvested back into the community through scholarships, health education etc.
Mekong Creations is a new social enterprise with the same two goals: create sustainable employment and generate profits to fund the community development programs of Mekong Plus. Their products are pouches, rag rug and handicrafts made from water hyacinth, bamboo, rattan…