Thursday, July 7, 2011

Globe Gazette - April-June 2011

Dear GLOBE supporters,

It is with great pride that we are able to share with you the April-June 2011 edition of the GLOBE Gazette. We hope that the GLOBE Gazette will allow you to follow the program's accomplishments, keep up to date on our events, and learn more about microfinance. Above all, we wish to thank for your continued support and for being a friend to GLOBE!

Warmest regards,
GLOBE & GLOBE GAP





Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Pictures





Here are some pictures that I promised.
Not Satisfied?
There's about 300 more on Facebook

Check them out: http://www.facebook.com/pages/GLOBE/57267978673?sk=photos

Saturday, May 28, 2011

The Last SAMA-rui

So, today was our last day in Vietnam. Today was also the day I learned of Sama's family tree (some what). This made me think of a rather excellent nick name for her, the last sama-rui. But I digress.

Our last day in Vietnam was a little sad. We made so many new friends, people we will never forget. People who dropped everything to come say bye to us. I am forever grateful for everything our Vietnamese friends have done for us during this trip.

Yesterday, Friday, was our last "business" day for this trip. We traveled to the Mekong Delta to visit a credit union. We visited the home of a man who is part of group borrowing. We learned about their operations and how group lending works. Myself, Dr. Sama and Alina all had the light bulb spark in our heads thinking, "maybe we can help through a group loan here in Vietnam." What was special about this visit is that we needed to take motor bikes into the village. Yes, Dr. Sama herself, looking all Vietnamese with her conical hat, reluctantly sat on the back of a motorbike for our trip. And who would have thought, she absolutely loved it!

After we spoke with the group we had lunch and then visited the house of a very poor man part of the group lending. This man has polio and is disabled. He makes bamboo baskets for a living, with an income of $1 per day. Yes, $1. $1 a day to feed his family, consisting of himself, his wife, and his 2 young children. But, I think it is looking very hopeful that GLOBE will extend him a loan! We will receive his application at some point during the summer. We will look to lend him $300 dollars to purchase a machine that cuts the bamboo to make the baskets. This will not only make the job easier on this disabled man, but it will lead him to be more productive, and hopefully provide for his family more than he does now.

I can't say it enough; this trip was a huge success. We will be coming home with applications, and our ties with Vietnam will shortly begin. This is a great step forward for GLOBE. Our operations will spread from home in the United States, through Africa and all the way on the other side of the world in Vietnam. It is such a great feeling that I directly helped in the process of gaining these ties. I am excited for future GLOBE managers to start reviewing applications and to begin the process of lifting people out of poverty.

This was a truly remarkable trip; a trip that I will never forget. It was a short trip, but great nonetheless. A big success!

Good riddance,
Marco

Goodbye =[

So this is it, it's our last night in Vietnam. I'm already starting to get nostalgic. It's been a short trip but we've seen and learned so much. Yesterday was especially eventful, and not just because Dr.Sama rode on a motorbike, but because we may actually have met a possible borrower in Vietnam. Thanks to the Daughters of Charity we met with the Credit Union in the Mekong Delta area. The Credit Union uses the group model of micro-finance and it was nice to see it in action. We met with one of the groups and they treated us to lunch at the group leaders house. They also took us to see one of their poorest members. This member who we visited was actually adopted into the group. He and his wife are both disabled and they live in a house that belongs to the government.They make baskets for a living, and they earn about a dollar a day. They use the bamboo growing on the property where they live to make the baskets. His production is very limited because his legs are paralyzed and he must use his hands to cut the bamboo. He needs to purchase a bamboo cutting machine for about three hundred dollars to be able to make more baskets which will result in a greater earning. This makes him a perfect candidate for a GLOBE loan. Since we actually saw him make the baskets we know he is capable and definitely fits the need requirement for the loan. Thanks to the Daughters of Charity, he will fill out an application and depending on the information provided he may actually be our first borrower in Vietnam. The prospect of this is obviously so exciting for Marco, Dr.Sama, and myself because if it weren't for us being here in Vietnam we may have never met this man and his family who clearly need our help. Having seen where he lives .... his children's faces ... his obvious skill, makes it that much more important to see his application through.

So as we pack our bags and get ready to say goodbye. I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to all the people who have made this trip so wonderful. Thanks to Nike, Women's Union, The Daughters of Charity, Ladies of Charity, Lovers of the Holy Cross, Habitat For Humanity, our good friends Spring and Alan and anyone else in Vietnam who made this trip so amazing. A big thank you to all of you for following along, this experience would be nothing if we couldn't share it.

I know I promised pictures but technology failed me in that respect. However, I promise I will post pictures and a few videos as soon as I get back to New York. Till then cảm ơn (Thank You in Vietnamese) for your patience.

A country of paradoxes

Is it possible that our trip is winding down to an end? It feels like yesterday when we arrived, gawking and lost in a haze of jet lag -- and yet sometimes, it seems like weeks that we have been here, so adept have we gotten at crossing the harrowing, motor-bike filled streets and so many have been our encounters and strange experiences.  This is just one of the many paradoxes that come to mind when I think of this place, this journey...  A journey for which I am already nostalgic, while of course aching a bit to be home where all is familiar and my friends and family, much missed, in close touch....  This place of tastes that are simultaneously sweet and sour, of movement that is simultaneously quick and slow, of progress that is at once fast-paced and inevitably delayed, of people who are unbelievably kind, and yet incredibly determined to make a profit from you whenever they can.  This is a wonderful, exciting and welcoming place, with such promise, and so much to lose if that promise goes unfulfilled.  If we can do our small part to bridge the gap between those who are wealthy, and those who have so little, and between the east and the west, we have then made an impact of which we can be proud.  Whatever the outcome, we have learned so much, that my mind is exploding with all the possibilities. 

The last week has been a grand success in terms of our key objectives for this journey. We made so many terrific connections -- first with Habitat for Humanity on Monday, who are keenly interested in our program and how we might help them with their micro-credit efforts (the loans for which are used for the poor to improve their homes).  They are especially eager to learn what we can share with them about financial literacy training, so our newest initiatve at STJ in that regard will be a great source of information and inspiration for them.  The afternoon at the Single Mothers Home was a fascinating visit. We learned that in Vietnam, there are more abortions than live births, due to the negative stigma associated with pregnancy out of wedlock.  Many young mothers have nowhere to turn, and seek late-term abortions that are often unsafe.  This home, run by the Daughters, provides a safe haven until the child is born and a bit afterwards (we witnessed one young mother return to the home with her newborn just after we arrived).  While there, they are taught basic skills that they may then translate into household skills or business skills when they return to their, often rural, homes.  The Daughters and staff also work with the mothers' families to accept them back, with their child in most cases.  We purchased a few items that the young mothers had made and sell for a small profit.  The Daughters seem to believe that there may be a good application of GLOBE for these women, and we are excited to pursue this opportunity.  A special ed teacher from the US (Vietnamese-amercian), Dawn, who is volunteering with the Daughters (she is ending her year there in June) was particularly helpful in translating our program goals for the Daughters and sharing her excitement about our program with them.  This bright young woman was a wonderful assist for us, and is a delightful person.  She shared a great deal about her experiences in Vietnam with children who have special needs, and the educative process needed to get the families better prepared to handle their challenged children and to allow them to be more self-sufficient.

The students have shared much about Da Lat and the visit with the Daughters there.  They were very excited about our program and are intending to work with us, as the students' blogs reflect.  They were so gracious to us, inviting us back in the evening for dinner, at which time I brought my USB and downloaded the needed loan forms to their computer  The lovely Therese Lien, my contact from Natalie Boone (thanks, Natalie) and a Lady of Charity volunteered to translate the application into Vietnamese for the Daughters.  Sr. Leonide was a joy, as were the many Daughters we met there who operate all manner of activities, including Vocational Training, several classrooms including those for the deaf and for autistic children, gardening, and even the making of wine. 

Our return to Saigon brought us back in touch with the Daughters there for a full day on Friday.  We finally met Sr. Pascale, who is an extremely intelligent and talented Sister and who knows much about operating a microcredit program -- they have one already (a group lending model) in the Mekong Delta, in the town of Cai Mon.  We traveled with them (again, Dawn accompanied us and helped with translations, but as it turns out, Sr. Pascale is completely fluent in English!) to Cai Mon on Friday, leaving at 7 am and returning around 5pm.  The Delta is a lush, verdant region famous for growing coconut and various fruits. many of which we sampled while there (we politely declined the embryonic duck egg).  The borrowers homes were a bit off the beaten path, so the group leaders came to the church parking lot in the center of Cai Mon to pick us up on their motorbikes.  Off we went on the back of these bikes to the borrowers homes. We spent an hour or more conversing, with Sr. Pascale ably translating, so we could understand how their model works.  They have been successful in having loans made and paid back, and also have a very robust savings program.  All we have learned about the value of group lending applies here, and it was so interesting to see first-hand  how this model works in reality.  Sr. Pascale is adamant about loans being re-paid.  She is convinced that the borrowers learn nothing and gain no dignity by being forgiven the loan.  They also pay back with interest.  So our ability to work with them would be faciitated by all that has gone before.  We have some minor issues to work out, but I think we made important progress in introducing our program to her.  After a wonderful lunch made at the house of the local group leader, we visited one man, stricken with polio -- one of the poorer members of the cooperative in fact -- and he spends his day in near total paralysis making baskets from bamboo that his wife must cut for him.  He has two young daughters who appeared to be sorely under-nourished, but happy.  When I arrived on the back of the motorbike, the littlest girl of 5years quickly got me a stool to sit on, and seeing that I was distressed from the heat, ran in to get a bamboo paddle fan and started fanning me.  How cute is that???  In the end, Sr. Pascale suggested that this man might be a good start for our efforts to work with them. He will ask for a loan of $300 to buy a machine to cut the bamboo, which would significantly increase his production capability.  Currently he earns about $1/day from his craft.  So we will probably be getting a loan application this summer.  We are so excited at this prospect. 

Our last day today in Vietnam is one of well-deserved rest, and we visited Spring's "souvenir" shop in central Saigon.  The first floor is a shop, the second a foot massage and manicure salon, the third a massage parlor.  Quite an outfit!! We were treated to foot massages.  AHHHHH!  Tonight, we are meeting with a few of Alan's students one last time, who want to ask me more questions about studying in the U.S..  They are all hungry for an American education.  Something so many young Americans take for granted.  It gives one pause....

It is impossible to imagine leaving, and equally impossible to imagine staying.  We are foreigners here, and our aspect will always make us so. But we were welcomed as family and friends nearly everywhere we went.  For that, the memory of Saigon and environs will linger happily with us for a long time to come. I hope that my own road takes me back here in the not too distant future, and that the students too may have a chance to visit again.  Heraclitus is credited with saying that no man steps in the same river twice, since the man will change and the river will change.  How true that would be of my next visit to Vietnam. It is changing so quickly, and experiences like the one I have enjoyed these last two weeks change me inevitably too, as they will continue to do.
Thanks to everyone who made this trip possible, and to all my new friends and colleagues in Vietnam.
Signing off from my temporary home at the Nhat Ha -- see you all soon!
Linda (aka "Teacher Linda" here in Vietnam!)

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Beautiful Da Lat

To call Da Lat, Vietnam beautiful would be an understatement, but it is really the only word that Dr.Sama, Marco, and myself kept saying in our two days there. We did so much it is hard to know where to begin.

Well I guess the beginning is the SEVEN hour bus ride from Saigon to Da Lat. Even though it was seven hours long, it didn't feel as long because the views were amazing and the ride was comfortable. On our first night in Da Lat we went for a small walk. Our "small" landed us outside district one of Da Lat, so it wasn't very small after all. It was really easy to walk around Da Lat because the weather was cooler and there were a lot less motorbikes. The next day we got up bright and early to visit the Domaine de Marie Convent. We were welcomed by the Daughters of Charity in Da Lat, as well as a few Ladies of Charity from the communities in Da Lat. We got a full tour of Domaine de Marie, including the school for the deaf and the school for kids with Autism. Both of which are run by the sisters at the Convent. The kids were all so welcoming ... not letting their disabilities keep them from enjoying life.

Despite the power being out at Domaine de Marie, we were able to shop at the store there ... which included some wonderful articles of clothing, all handmade by the girls in the local community who take part in the vocational training at the convent. The girls are all so talented and as we were told by the nuns, many are orphans. Their skill set and need make them ideal candidates for GLOBE loans. In fact even before we could mention that they would make good borrowers, the nuns brought it up. It still amazes me that they caught on to the concept of microfinance so quickly. They asked all the right questions and seemed so intrigued by our program. We even left an application with the Daughters at Domaine de Marie which will be translated by one of the Ladies of Charity to Vietnamese. We may even have applications from Vietnam before the fall semester starts (YAY!!). Just the idea of having borrowers from Vietnam is so exciting for Dr.Sama, Marco, and myself because we see people who can clearly benefit from our program. At times the poverty is masked by the "show" that's put on for tourists, but with every visit and with every meeting we see the poverty clearer. It is unfortunate that many people may come to Vietnam and get a different experience from ours. However, it is important to remember that although not everyone will be able to see the injustice that we see, our experiences will have a far greater impact because we are able to share them with all of you.

We are now back in Saigon from Da Lat and although we miss the gorgeous weather, we are all so excited because tomorrow we meet with more daughters who have shown a real interest in GLOBE. So till then Good Night or in your case Good Morning.

We did it!

These past few days have made this trip a success. As everyone knows, the reason for our trip to Vietnam was to try and open relations here, and to hopefully come back with some applications. Well, we did it!

We have been in Da Lat the past 3 days, which is why we have not posted in a while. While there, we met with daughters of charity at the Domaine de Marie. Also with us was a lovely lady of charity, who acted as our interpreter. The daughters of charity spoke very good english, but the lady of charity helped to explain all the fine details of GLOBE. From the start of our conversations, the daughters seemed very interested and were asking very good questions. They understood our operations and even understood our interest rate structure! Before long they were asking how many applications they can send us. What great news! All we need to do now is to wait for the lady of charity to translate the application into Vietnamese and the daughters will get to work. It is such a great feeling that this trip is a success. We had a mission prior to leaving for Vietnam, and we will be coming back knowing it was a success!

Prior to leaving for Da Lat, we went to a home for single mothers. We met with daughters of charity here in Ho Chi Minh City and a volunteer who is from California. On the way to the home, we learned that there were more documented abortions than live births in Vietnam recently. This was startling to me. This number does not include the abortions that occurred outside of hospitals either. It is very sad. The women living at this house were basically ostracized from the family, and looked down upon. These are ladies who were abandoned by everyone once they learned they were pregnant. Luckily, the daughters of charity were here to help. While at the home, we saw that the women living here sew different items during the day, which were all for sale at the home. Another amazing opportunity for GLOBE to make a presence in Vietnam. Once these women safely give birth and they are ready to have their families let them back home, we can provide them a loan to continue the trade they learned so well.

I can't stop reminding everyone of the success our trip to Vietnam has brought. We have met a numerous amount of great people who bend over backwards for us here. A memorable trip, and a successful one at that. It is exciting that future GLOBE managers are going to have new applications to vet from the work that myself, Alina and Dr. Sama did here. The trip is not over though, and we have one more meeting tomorrow with another daughter of charity. Hopefully she likes what we have to say and we will have even more applications coming back to the States.

Marco, out.

Monday, May 23, 2011

As I read Marco's and Alina's posts, I relive the last few days' experiences through their eyes, and understand the true value of the GLOBE Student Fellows Program.  To experience the various faces of poverty, as well as the helping hands that work so hard to improve conditions for those living at the margin of modern society, is an extraordinary opportunity for these young people, as it is for me.  We have learned so much, and in doing so, we increase our awareness about the "other" in the world. We get outside of our own perceptions to challenge them in the context of a new framework.  Everything here is different, yet, as Alina wisely said yesterday, we are ultimately the same.  It is a gift to be here....

All readers of this blog have no doubt grasped the enormity of the kindnesses here. It seems the less people have to give, the more they give.  It makes us realize how fortunate we are, and how much more we need to do to make the world a more just one -- one in which goods are distributed more equitably, and peace is the byword of all encounters.  This last point was driven home yesterday as I watched our friend Alan, a Vietnam vet, meet the father of one of his students who had been a Viet Cong soldier during the war, and who had fought against Alan in a battle they both remembered vividly.  The meetng was pre-arranged, and Alan was clearly anxious about it.  But as someone who came of age in the late 60s and early 70s, witnessing that scene yesterday was, for me, the epitome of grace and the best evidence of why we need to educate our children and our children's children about the value of every human being's life, without regard to differences in culture, customs, or perspectives.  If only....

While I am less optimistic about GLOBE's ability to operate here in Vietnam, since the Daughters would likely have to register as an NGO with the government to work with us, and the red tape may be constraining, it is nonetheless a most instructive trip.  And there are opportunities here for partnering and cooperation that could involve GLOBE.  In speaking with Habitat for Humanity today, the microfinance director made it clear that student interns from GLOBE could be valuable for their organization, as would any tools or instruction materials we could share regarding literacy training. I explained that St. John's is in the process of launching a national literacy training center on campus, to train the trainers domestically, and that there may be useful aids derived from that effort that we could share. They were quite happy and also very impressed with GLOBE.  Every visit has taught us so much, and the students have soaked it all in and ask very good questions. 

To describe life here in Ho Chi Minh city (or Saigon, as most natives still call it) is nearly impossible.  Navigating the sidewalks is a challenge, as you sidestep crouched merchants who are busily selling their wares or fruits, or eating a bowl of pho with chopsticks.  Crossing the street is literally life-threatening, although I have to say, we are getting rather fearless about it. This may not be a good thing! The markets are hot and crowded, filled with color and smells that overpower the senses.  The people are kind and also shrewd business people, eager to increase their incomes through sales to westerners, and driving a hard bargain in the process.  As mentioned in a previous blog, they are a people focused forward, on the future, on progress.  Construction is everywhere you look. This is a city on the move and motion is everywhere.  Yet I harbor this nagging concern that the very poor, who lurk in every corner and alley and exburb of the city, may get left behind in the lustful pursuit of this concept of "progress" -- which in the end would not be progress at all. 

I am so grateful for all the wonderful people we have met, from Alan and Spring who greeted us at the airport with huge bouquets of flowers, to Sr. Kim and her fellow sisters at the Lovers of the Holy Cross, to the women borrower of the Women's Union in Cu Chi who generously let us impose on her production of rice paper to try our hand at it, to the taxi driver who, noting I had given him too much, returned the excess bills (would THAT happen in NYC???), to the Habitat for Humanity staff who hosted us warmly and shared their expertise. And of course the Daughters of Charity and their many good works -- the Embroidery Club, the HIV/Aids home (what an amazing and hopeful place, yet filled with pain...), the Single Mother's Home, and the credit union (these last two we have yet to visit).  We are welcome guests everywhere, and we are blessed to be in such good company.

More later, I hope. Keep us in your hearts and prayers as we continue our adventure...

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Going Forward

We've been overwhelmed with the generosity of the people of Vietnam. Even more the generosity we've been overwhelmed with the amount of food they've fed us. On Saturday we had quite an adventure in Ho Chi Minh City.We spent the first half of the day exploring the beauty that is Ho Chi Minh by walking all the way to the river. There is so much beauty in Vietnam. Beauty in both the people and the landscape. After our little adventure in District 1. We went to a dinner party at our friend Alan's house, which also is the location of his English center.

After sitting in on one of his advanced classes, I saw just how hard some of these individuals have worked to improve in a language that we take for granted.Dr.Sama shared some information about GLOBE all his students listened so carefully, some even taking notes. One of Alan's students is a well renounced doctor in Ho Chi Minh. He travels all over to give talks on medicine, and he expressed that if it weren't for Alan, he wouldn't have the confidence to share his medical expertise. He couldn't even stay for the dinner which also served as a birthday party for Alan. All his students were invited to the party and the gratitude they had for their teacher was overwhelming. They all started pouring one by one armed with gifts. Even though their parents barely make enough to survive. The hugs,cheers, and laughter were many. It was hard to hold back the tears when students young and old came up to all of us and asked us questions in near perfect English.

While talking about his English center with Alan, his wife, and his students it was obvious the passion that was the driving force behind it. His love for Vietnam is also very obvious. When we explained how hard it was to walk the streets with all the motorbikes, he told us to remember that the people in Vietnam are always looking forward. This is their attitude when driving, working, studying.Sometimes it's hard to believe Alan was even in the war because he is so positive and optimistic, as are all people in Vietnam. History can't teach someone to look forward. People have to want to do it on their own. Looking forward isn't usually practiced in America even though we say it is, we're often looking back at our past mistakes and reliving them. Poverty Alleviation would be easier if we look towards the future. I've seen what looking forward can do for the people in Vietnam and hope this can teach something to the people in the U.S.

Sister Act

Do you remember how awesome Whoopi Goldberg was in Sister Act? Well, we encountered quite a few nuns who were MORE awesome than her. We spent the entire day with nuns; first with the Daughters of Charity in Cu Chi, and then with The Lovers of the Holy Cross in Ho Chi Minh City.

Yesterday, we spent the first half of the day meeting with the Daughters of Charity in Cu Chi, where they took us to a home for children living with HIV/AIDS. But, before we started our journey to Cu Chi, I got my very own War Wound (I must have forgetten for the moment that the war has been over for quite a few years). As i was walking across the street (which is an adventure in itself), I clipped my arm on a flag post that had a metal rod sticking out. It didn't hurt at all, but when I looked at my arm there was blood EVERYWHERE. Luckily I got a tetnus shot before traveling to Vietnam. Also, the Daughters of Chairty run a school on their property, so they took me to the nurses office there to stop the bleeding and bandange me up. But I digress, back to the children.

Even though the kids had smiles on their faces, and showed us how they play with each other, it was sad walking around knowing that these kids are forgotten about. For the young kids, they dont even know that they are living with the disease, and the older kids are very shy and timid because they are so used to being looked down upon.

It is amazing to think that there are well over 50 individuals living in this home and only 3 (yes 3) nuns take care of everyone. They cook, they clean, they watch out for the kids; they act as teachers and nurses, but most important they are seen as the motherly figure for these children. We had lunch at the HIV/AIDS home with 2 nuns, our translator, and our driver (very nice guy).

When we returned to the hotel we had just enough time to take a little rest and a shower and wait for Sister Kim to pick us up at our hotel. It took us about an hour during Vietnam rush hour to drive to her convent. This was the nicest convent I have ever been to (out of 2, 1 from Naples in Italy). Additions have been made in the most recent years to house the nearly 300 sisters living there! I can not explain the amount of hospitality Sister Kim and her fellow sisters showed us. We feasted like kings (and Queens for Doc Sama and Alina). I knew dinner was going to be good when one of the sisters cracked open a Heineken for me and poured it into my glass! (Be jealous). Dinner consisted of pasta, fried chicken and french fries, fish soup, broccoli, spring rolls, fried rice, and salad. The sisters reminded me so much of my grandmother, because even though I had more than enough to eat, without asking they would put more food on my plate and tell me that I wasnt finished (how thoughtful of them!). After dinner we had a chance to tour a small part of the convent. We werent able to see the whole area because of the massive amount of rain that appeared out of no where. This was the first time it has rained since we have been there, I guess weather.com has been lying to me since I have checked everyday since March and it showed rain every day.

The most important part about our dinner with the Lovers of the Holy Cross was to introduce our program, GLOBE, to them. We explained to them our operations and that we are hoping to help some borrowers in Vietnam! The sisters seemed very interested, with some concerns of course. They were concerned with what would happen if a borrower could not pay back their loan. We made them understand that the sisters are in no way held responsbile. We also told them that the nature of our program is to help. We could issue the borrower a smaller loan, or extend their repayment period. There was a sigh of relief by the sisters when they understood this.

It is easy to forget that we are not here on vacation, but more importantly on business. We are here to spread the word about GLOBe and try and find borrowers. It was very reasurring that the sisters were so interested. We have noticed that GLOBE will be able to help greatly. Hopefully we can try to explain to the sisters more about our program and the microfinance industry so that they feel comfortable. I think we will definitely be able to open relations with them.

Until next time friends.

Marco

P.S. Many people believe that on May 21, 2011 the world was going to "end". Well, take it from me as I post this blog in the afternoon of May 21, I am safe, and alive!

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Happy Birthday Ho Chi Minh !!

Today was Ho Chi Minh's 121st Birthday. When I first heard about this holiday, I thought what great timing, we will get to share in the experience of a Vietnamese holiday. However, such was not the case as no one seemed to bring it up or do anything special. In fact it was more like a "did you know" kind of thing. However today was special to me for so many other reasons ....

Today we were picked up by Hao, a delightful woman who works with Nike. We drove to the outskirts of Ho Chi Minh ... it took us about an hour and thirty minutes. There was a lot of greenery which was surprising. We arrived in Cu Chi to meet with the womens union. They help distribute loans to women in the city. They talked a little bit about their responsibilities. They have a lot on their plate yet they didn't seem to mind, because after all they were aiding in the alleviation of poverty. Although they currently vet more loans than we do ... and do it with eight employees ... they seem to be really interested in our micro loan program and what our experiences were. As we talked more and more it seemed as though experiences were similar. For example they have had instances where a borrower was approved but never claimed the loan money. GLOBE shares in this experience. Right after out meeting we went to the house of one of the borrowers. There seems to follow the Grameen model, where the borrowers are in groups within their communities. The borrower we met made 1000 rice paper for about three dollars a day. She even let us try to make it. While attempting to make the rice paper in the scorching heat, I realized just how difficult the working conditions were for this woman. Yet she never broke a sweat and a smile never escaped her face ... even though we sufficiently slowed down her production and probably wasted some materials on some poorly made and sometimes horrendous looking rice paper. Apparently our attempt at making rice paper was amusing especially to the children, who came out to see what was going on. It was difficult to walk away from seeing her work conditions into an air conditioned car. As I was walking away I kept wishing I had something to give these kids. I quickly remembered that I had a pack of Juicy Fruit in my bag. I gave the gum to the children who were so excited. The smiles on their faces made my day. Who knew ... Juicy Fruit could make such a difference.

It was such an eventful day especially since we did so much walking and saw a lot of the area near our hotel.It is funny how an hour away theres a world with dirt roads and kids walking without shoes and near us there are Chanel, Burberry, Gucci, etc. stores. Really puts things into perspective. We also received some reassurance from the Womens Union, who shared with us that 6000 plus borrowers from their program have risen out of poverty. It's a pretty staggering statistic for an organization that has only existed since 1998 and has given out loans since then in the amount of 840,000 Dollars. That's a lot less than I could have imagined.

So it really just goes to show that it doesn't take a lot to do a little. Sometimes it can even be a pack of gum.

Goooooooooood Morning, Vietnam.

We finally made it to Vietnam! After nearly a day of traveling, we touched down in an uncharacteristically cool Ho Chi Minh City. We were lucky to have a contact named Alan, a former employee of SJU and a Vietnam Vet pick us up at the airport. I still could not believe that I was actually in Vietnam. All the way on the other side of the world, a totally new country; it is amazing.

One of the challenges we faced early on, and this may seem funny, is crossing the streets. When you have hundred of motorbikes (Vespa's) some cars, the occasional bus and bicycle riders barreling down the street with no stop signs or stop lights, it makes you take a step back onto the sidewalk and think if you really need to cross the street or not. You would think that after the first few trips across the street you would get the hang of it; but no. Every time we cross a street is a big challenge that takes a minute or so in preparation. I've started to get somewhat comfortable with it, kind of just taking one quick glance and going, weaving my way in and out of motorbikes (a very literal statement at that), but i must stand behind and make sure Dr. Sama and Alina make it across too.

When I woke up this morning for our first full day here I couldn't help but think of Robin Williams next to me yelling, "GOOOOOOOD MORNING VIETNAMMMMMMM." The jet lag took its toll and I was wide awake at 6 in the morning with only 4 hours of sleep. The first day was a good one though. We went to Cu Chi, which was about an hour and a half drive north of District 1 in Ho Chi Minh City. A representative from Nike picked us up at our hotel and took us to the Women's Union in Cu Chi, where they have a microloan program. It was amazing to hear the stories that the leader of the Women's Union had to share. A lot of the aspects of her microloan program are related to the practices of GLOBE at SJU. An amazing statistic was that since the program began in 1998, the Women's Union was able to lift 6,000 individuals out of poverty. An even more amazing statistic is that these 6,000 individuals come from the 10,000 borrowers the Women's Union has had since 1998.

After our little meeting, we were able to go and visit a borrower of the Women's Union at her home. We were able to see this lady's operations for making rice paper. In a small hut 3 feet by 6 feet in size, this one lady made 10,000 rice papers per day. DAY. It was all very amazing to just watch this lady do her job, but I was caught by surprise when the lady got up from her station and handed me the instruments she uses to make the paper. Our translator told me that I was to give making rice paper a try. I was nervous, excited and anxious. (I would add a picture of me making rice paper, but lovely Vietnam is not accepting my laptop charger in any of the outlets, so you're going to have to wait until i return to the states) It was such an amazing experience making rice paper. Making rice paper for 3 minutes showed me how hard of a worker this lady is, and to think she is only making $3 per day doing it.

I learned a lot on this very first day in Vietnam. Most importantly how hard of workers people are here. From morning until night, these people are working at 110%. They are never slacking and never taking breaks.

Until next time,
Marco

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Lucky

So we finally made it to Vietnam. It was a really long flight, followed by a short stopover in Hong Kong, and then another much much much shorter flight(Thank God).

I was so exhausted by the end of these two flights that I wasn't even feeling like myself by the time we got to Vietnam. That all changed very quickly when we were greeted so generously by the Nuns from the Holy Cross,Alan Zweifler, and his wife Spring. It was a very warm welcoming ... one which I wasn't expecting.

The Nuns were so sweet and although they knew they wouldn't be able to take us to our hotel with Alan and Spring, they still came down to the airport.I look forward to talking with them some more over dinner on Friday.

Vietnam is breathtaking. Alan and his wife were kind enough to help us get to the hotel and then took us out to eat some real Vietnamese food. Alan takes every opportunity he can to remind us that he is so lucky to have a wife like Spring. However, it is us who are so lucky to have them both showing us the ropes in Vietnam.I was especially surprised to learn that Spring is an entrepreneur. I was also shocked to learn that much of Vietnam earns about a dollar a day. It's a lot to take in with all this jet lag, but I can already see a home for GLOBE in Vietnam.

Tomorrow we are going to meet with Nike and Cu Chi Women Union and some borrowers. I think this will be an insightful look into micro finance in Vietnam.

Till Tomorrow ......

- Alina R. =]



By The Way go to the link to get some background on Alan (he is truly amazing): http://testwww.stjohns.edu/about/news/items/pr_uni_091110.news_item@digest.stjohns.edu/about_us/pr_uni_091110.xml

Monday, May 16, 2011

Wait! I'm going where ?!!

This is it! Tomorrow i'm headed off to Vietnam with two wonderful people.

Anyone who knows me knows that I break things down to every last detail ... it's just who I am. So when I found out I was selected as a student fellow for GLOBE, by my peers nonetheless, my precise words were "Wait! I'm going where ?!!" ... followed by some tears ... some worrying thoughts about where my passport was ... and believe it or not some more crying.

From that day it's been an emotional roller coaster .... I'll spare you the details, but I will say that I am so excited for this journey to begin !

Dr. Sama has worked nonstop to make sure that we see Vietnam for what it really is. From the appointments that have been made with so many wonderful organizations and so many wonderful people I imagine Vietnam to be a place of great generosity. I just can't imagine it be anything less.

So to reiterate what Marco said .... please share in this journey with us. I promise to keep my blog posts exciting and I too will post plenty of pictures. So I'll write to you all very soon! =]

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Fortunate Son

If you haven't seen the movie Forrest Gump, I would like you to take the time to go watch it. For those of you who have seen it, I want you to remember the scene when Gump is flying in the helicopter, about to land in Vietnam. The song that is playing is Fortunate Son by Creedence Clearwater Revival. My friends play this song every time I see them, and it gives me the goosebumps. Knowing that in 2 short days, myself, Dr. Sama, and Alina will be boarding a plane leaving for Vietnam leaves me speechless.

I have not had a chance to think about this trip in much detail, for I have spent the last few weeks preparing for graduation. What an amazing month May 2011 will be. When I look back as I grow older, I will remember being the first person in my family to graduate from University (with honors I must add!) as well as the trip to Vietnam to spread the word about GLOBE. I am so grateful for being 1 of the 2 selected Fellows. I know that I will give it my all to show people on the other side of the world how great of a program we have here at St. John's.

I ask all of you to keep an eye out for blog updates. Please, live vicariously through the 3 of us for the upcoming 2 weeks. I have plans to upload pictures along the way, so keep checking!

-Marco

Saturday, May 14, 2011

To Vietnam with Love

As I browse my travelogue with the same title as this posting, I think how appropriate a title this is for the place we are about to visit.  We have been the beneficiaries of so much kindness at the hands of virtual strangers in preparation for this trip to Vietnam, that indeed it is with love that we anticipate this journey.  We have an exciting time ahead of us, and I know that every memory will be one to cherish.  As a country that is poised to take its place in the global marketplace, Vietnam, and the bustling city of Ho Chi Minh (formerly Saigon) that will serve as our home base for the next two weeks, promises to be full of energy and hope.  Yet, as with any emerging economy, we expect that there will be those left behind, who may benefit from a GLOBE microloan to help themselves and their families out of poverty.  We are so eager to meet the Daughters of Charity and others involved in microfinance and poverty alleviation programs, so we can think about how to best tailor our services to meet salient needs.  I cannot wait to drink in the culture and to learn as much as possible. I am blesssed to be accompanied on this journey by two bright, fun, and engaged GLOBE managers, who will make this trip even more delightful! On our way in only three days!!!

Sunday, April 10, 2011

GLOBE Gazette - March 2011




Spring 2011 GLOBE Class

HAVE YOU MET THIS SEMESTERS GLOBE CLASS ?

Here they are:

Spring 2011 GLOBE Managers

Accounting, Program Audits and Enterprise Development:
Oluwabukola Ayeni, Diego Salvado, Diedre Smith, Qiudan Yu, Alexander Zugaro, Kamya Chandra*

Finance and Risk Assessment:
Elizabeth Janson, Alexander Lam, Rita Mannino, Marco Sementilli*, Mary Sheehan, Victoria Xu

Technology and Communications:
Axel Folz, Kevin Garcia, Joseph Hwalek, Cynthia Shivamber, Alina Rizvi*

Marketing and Fund Raising:
Gamal Ahmed*, Shyon Bose, Katherine Cartagena, David Law, Nicole Tonis

*Team liaisons


Check out more pictures on our Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/GLOBE/57267978673

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Sorry we've been absent for so long ...

Have you checked out our facebook page lately ? 
Check it out: http://www.facebook.com/pages/GLOBE/57267978673


We're also on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/globeSTJ 


We've got so much to show you !!