Marc Yao: Agriculture in Africa

Hi, my name is Marc Yao Kwame. I work on a cocoa plantation in West Africa that I was sold to for five dollars to work. I work from six o’clock in the morning until six at night. I have to carry the bags of cocoa beans on my head because they are taller than I am and are really heavy. If a farmer thinks I am not working hard enough or when I fall, I get beaten. 18 other workers and I sleep in one room together on wooden planks, where they feed us burnt bananas.  There is only one hole in this room for receiving fresh air and once we enter our room for the night, we are not allowed to leave.  When we need to go to the bathroom, we have to go in cans in the room.  We do not get paid with wages, but we get to live here and eat in exchange for the work. I do not see my mother or father, and my brother works on another plantation, so I am also unable to see him. Working in the forests, I get a lot of cuts and scrapes that go untreated, which happens to everyone that works here. I wear rags to work and am given a machete to cut down the cocoa pods.  Since the machete is so large, I often get cuts and injuries from that, also. Because I have to work, I do not go to school, and probably will be working here for the rest of my life.

Sumak: Agriculture worker in Equador

Hello, my name is Sumak Kawsay! I am 21 years old and work in Equador on a banana plantation. I get paid very little, one (US) dollar a day and sometimes do not get paid at all. I have to give all the money I earn to my family so that we can survive. My family took me out of school so I could go work on this plantation. Workers like me are not given any protective clothing, and we are exposed to a lot of chemicals that disinfect and clean the bananas before they get sent out.

Pesticides are sprayed on our plantation, and we are required to leave for two hours while this is being done.  To make more money, however, most of us continue to work through it. I often feel dizzy and get rashes while I’m working, which is likely from the pesticides. When we do not please the plantation owners, they get very angry and sometimes beat us with whips.  I wish I could find other work, but banana picking is all I know, so I will probably be here for a long time.

Thiago: Argriculture in Brazil

Hi there! My name is Thiago Rodrigo and I work on a soybean farm attached to a soybean plantation in Brazil. Soybean farmers like myself experience strenuous labor because we have to pull the entire root of the soybean from the ground. We work from sunup to sundown and we are underpaid by Brazilian standards. I do not wear any protective clothing and I have to use pesticides which often times get on my skin. There is no running water or waste facilities, so the environment I work in is very dirty. With the tools we use, it is very common to get injuries while working. One of my friends who works in the factory on our plantation got his arm stuck in the machine and now he has no arm.  I work carefully, but fast, so I don't lose limbs and can continue working.  This job wouldn't be so bad if we got a little more money for what we do, but I can only keep working and keep my head down on the soybeans.

Wanjohi: Agriculture worker in Kenya

My name is Wanjohi Wambugu. I work on a farm in central Kenya, specifically in the Kiambu district. My district exports tea and coffee. I get paid  0.7 (US) dollars per kilogram that we harvest. Since we often encounter droughts, planting and harvesting our tea leaves is very difficult and unreliable. We start work very early in the morning, and if the weather is poor, we just pray the lightning doesn't strike near us. Tea pickers live in very thin houses that can barely house an entire family, so this forces us to move to rural areas farther away from our crops. I barely make enough money to clothe my family and if I don't start making more money, they might have to move away because I cannot afford for them to live with me.  This is the only job I know how to do, but I hope I start getting paid more for the tea and coffee.

Blood Diamonds: Backround

Blood diamonds have many names. They are sometimes called conflict diamonds, war diamonds, converted diamonds, and hot diamonds, but are  most commonly known as blood diamonds and two-thirds of the world’s diamonds are these extracted diamonds. The countries that have this violent industry include Angola, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, The Republic of Congo, and Zimbabwe. These dangerous diamonds get their name because the diamonds are mined in a war zone and are sold to finance many of the rebellions, invading armies, and warlords in Africa.  These diamonds affect the miners, civilians, and soldiers in these countries. (Drohan, 67)

Ismael Dalramy

Ismael Dalramy may not have been a miner in the Blood Diamonds trade, but in 1996 he lost his hands due to the rebels of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF). (Campbell, 1) He lived in the village of Koidu, Sierra Leone, a center of the production of diamonds in the eastern Sierra Leone. After his hands were brutally amputated, he walked 15 miles before collapsing. (Campbell, 2) A brave villager dragged him into a hut to help cinch off the blood flow before he continued on his staggering journey to a bush hospital. At the age of 40, Dalramy lost more than just his hands; he lost his farm, his home, and his family. The only thing he has left of his family is a ring that his son gave him some time ago. He was able to quickly take off the ring before both of his hands were cut off. (Campbell, 3)

Jean Pierre Mbenga

Mbenga and his five man team are only a few of the miners in the blood diamond trade. They work in Dipumba, once a beautiful village that is now a landscape filled with tiny water wells that men can barely fit into. The only tools these men bring to work at the crack of dawn are an old pick, a rope, and a raggedy sack. These poor men don’t have any gloves, shoes, hard hats or flashlights. Everyday Mbenga climbs down the dark, cold, and dangerous mines where miners are known to be buried alive. Even though he knows this is a dangerous job, his mind is filled with thoughts of his wife and eight children at home that he has to feed and clothe.  Another thought on his mind is his two week old baby boy he is now responsible for. Mbenga once found a rock that was one carat and he sold it for $500. Once he paid his team and the landlord that leases the land they mine on, he got less than $50 for himself. (Koinange, 2006) Unfortunately, this outcome is typical because most miners who find a diamond only get $5 from a merchant who will sell a necklace for $1,000! (Campbell, 10)

Tamba James

Tamba is a fifteen year old boy who is a miner in Koidu which is in the heart of the blood diamond industry. James and his two brothers lost both of their parents due to the war going on. James has to work in the mines to feed his young brothers. His day begins at 6am and he works very hard at the mines until 6pm. With his strenuous work schedule, Tamba is unable to go to school to get an education. He only makes enough money for a small amount of food and the boys are very poor with his wages being about 15 to 60 US cents a day. James is among thousands of child miners, most of them being between 10 and 17 years old. Many horrible accidents happen to the child miners, and although he works at the mines, Tamba has no access to medical facilities (Fofana, 2009)   When a child goes into the blood diamond business, they will most likely continue on in the industry through  adulthood. (Fofana, 2009)

The Change

As consumers, it is our job to help end the blood diamond industry. The Sierra Leone is one of the many blood diamond mining countries and sells about six billion dollars per year in the diamond industry. American consumers buy approximately 80 percent of these diamonds! (Campbell, 23) The worst part is that about 83 percent of the diamond consumers of America don’t ask where the diamonds they purchase come from. Only 56 percent of jewelers have a procedure to prevent the purchasing of blood diamonds. (Schure, 2010) As consumers, we need to be the change of this endless cycle of blood and war and start being more conscientious  about our purchases. Next time you buy a piece of jewelry for you or someone you love, ask the retailer for a receipt that will say if the diamond came from a conflict free source. To further help the cause, you can help out Amnesty International or the many other organizations that are fighting to end blood diamonds. Every time you see a diamond that came from an unknown source, think of the faces of Ismael, Jean, and Tamba and decide if their sacrifice is worth a simple piece of jewelry.

Suhasini: Garment worker in India

Hi, my name is Suhasini Singh and I work in a sweatshop in Bangalore, India. I am 22 years old and am the only member of my family who is able to earn a living. I work long hours in a garment factory doing the same repetitive job of sewing cloth over and over again and with long 16 hour work days, 7 days a week.  I suffer from extreme backaches and some breathing problems due to constant bending over the table and doing the same repetitive motions. The rooms are uncomfortable with humid and stuffy conditions, and I am often dehydrated since the water isn’t suitable for drinking most times.  We aren’t allowed to go to the bathroom often, and if we are caught going to the bathroom too often, we will lose our jobs. I always feel on the edge at my job because one small thing could upset management and it would result in me losing my job! If you have any medical issues or pain, you have to work through them and if you dare take a day off for any reason, your salary gets cut. For instance, a few months ago, a woman a few rows over from me started having premature labor pains and was not allowed to leave work. Since she didn’t reach the hospital in time, she lost her child.  With all of this pressure we face, the low wages and long work weeks do not cover the cost of what we endure.  I only receive about 3,500 Rupees( which is about $87.50 U.S. Dollars) a month, and am forced to take out loans so we can keep the house. I am also a mother of 3 children and the burden of housework, taking care of my children and being productive at work is extremely stressful. I often skip most of my meals throughout the day because I simply do not have time for them and occasionally, I get gastric ulcers as a side effect. However, I need this job to keep me and my children alive. Without it, there is nowhere else to go. Unfortunately, I only have a few more years in this industry because they like to cycle us through as quickly as possible in order to keep productivity at its highest. After that, I don’t know what I am going to do…

Chaoxiang: Garment worker in China

Hi, my name is Chaoxiang Yang. I am 17 years old and work at Ningbo Headwear Co. Ltd. Factory in China. The working conditions here are horrible, but it is extremely difficult to quit ones job because we are fined for quitting before we have served our time at the factory. I put in long 12 hour days, 7 days a week with lower than legal minimum wage in the assembly line. Since I am currently also a student during the school year, I receive 45 RMB or ($7 US Dollars) for an eight hours shift, and about 6.6 RMB ($1 US) as my overtime wage. That is only about 2,000 RMB ($312 US) per month! With all the work I have been putting in, I am exhausted as I swipe my card every morning at 7:00 am and usually almost fall asleep as I swipe it again, sometimes as late as 10:00 pm. By this time of day, I am ready to hit the hay along with my fellow co-workers in the employee housing. Housing is cramped, battered, and old, but I mostly sleep when I am there, so it could be worse. Unfortunately, the food is another story. The factory provides us with a cafeteria to get food from, but there sanitation is not even close to being up to standard! But who’s to tell those in the authorities that? I eat what I can and manage to get by; thankfully they don’t take any medical exams here! However, they really don’t pay much attention to us and always try to keep everything hush hush. For instance, a fight broke out here between two workers and one young worker told investigators what had happened. He was absolutely fired by the factory and wasn’t given his remaining salary he earned that week. I don’t know why he would ever do such a thing… we all knew what would come about if news got out…

Marisol: Garment worker in Mexico

Hi, my name is Marisol Castillo and I work in a sweatshop called “Maquiadora” in Tehuacan, Mexico. I am currently 16 years old, but I started working here when I was 12. Typically, my shift begins at 8:30 am and goes until 8:30 pm, however, if I don’t get my quota done for the day, I have to stay until it is finished without any extra pay.  When I first started, I had to stay late for a month because I was worried I would hurt my fingers, so I worked too slow. On Saturdays, I work from 8 in the morning until 5 pm without any breaks or even lunch. The rules around here are pretty strict, and as soon as work is over, I have to be searched before I am allowed to leave the factory because they don’t want us to steal anything. Also, if you arrive 15 minutes late to work, you have to work for 3 days without pay. So far, I haven’t been late because I don’t want to get docked pay since I only earn an average of $30-$50 per week the way it is. With that small amount, I can barely pay the bills and can't start my life on my own for a long time. The working conditions are horrible, but their isn’t really much we can do about them for now…

Sawai: Garment worker in Thailand

Hi, my name is Sawai, and I am from north-east Thailand. When I was 13 years old, I needed to get a job to help support my family, so I moved to Bangkok to get a job at a garment factory where one of my older cousins worked. The factory was a very small family business and was held within the owner’s home. We earned about 500 baht a month ($16.20 US Dollars), but had to give about 100 baht back for housing and food, which was only cooked rice. If we wanted anything else, we had to buy that separately. Our room we worked in was very dimly lit, cramped and had 5 sewing machines in it. The typical day I endured started at 8 in the morning and went until between midnight and 2 the next morning. I also had to take care of washing clothes, and cleaning the house. I was offered a job to increase my pay after working for a few months in the small house factory, but I refused it since I would sometimes have to work 48 hours without sleep and I was only 13 at the time. I then moved to a factory where there was 20 machines. However, the windows were barred, and nobody could see inside or out.  Since we worked 6 days a week in this room, it got to be very depressing working in such a dark and dingy place.  

Akbar Mannem: India Foxconn Worker

My name is Akbar Mannem.  I have worked at Foxconn in Chennai, Tamil Nadu as an assembly line worker for over five years.  I began working there to take care of my wife and our 3 sons.  I pray every night that my sons don’t someday have to work in a factory as I have had to.  The long hours are stressful, the conditions less than great, and the worst part is the pay.  I have gotten a few raises here or there, but nothing to help me thrive. I make less than what we need to live, and my wife and older son also have to work to keep the family afloat. I feel like a failure as a husband making my wife work, but this is what has to happen for us to keep our home. The only other place I could work is the Nokia plant across town, but they have recently been said to underpay their workers as well.  I thought we were going to lose the house when the plant was closed a few years ago (BBC News, 2010).  My neighbor was one of the 250 workers who got sick from the pesticides that were sprayed, and was in the hospital for two days (BBC News, 2010). I am lucky I did not get sick from the pesticides, but the plant was closed down and we were forced to stop working for a week.  I know the China factory protested about their pay and working conditions, but we make much less than those factory workers at 81,520.94 INR annually ($1,530.80 USD) (BBC News, 2010). I don't have the resources to stop working and protest as they did in China. The only thing that keeps me going is knowing I have my family to take care of.  I just hope I don’t let them down.

Graciela Rodriguez: Mexico Foxconn Worker

Hello, my name is Graciela Rodriguez, and I am from San Jeronimo, Chihuahua.  My typical day consists of waking up, making tortillas for local residents as I have since I was 14, going to work for 9 hours and coming home to be a mother to my 4 children (Monk 2010).  I have worked at Foxconn for over two years now.  I was forced to get a second job because my husband was shot and killed two years ago and I now have to take care of my family on my own. Although a factory worker doesn’t get great pay, I don’t want to be involved in any illegal business, and Foxconn was willing to hire me the day I interviewed because of their need for more people.  I began just as the suicides in China were becoming prominent in the news, but I needed the job, and it wasn’t nearly as bad as the news claimed it was in China.  Things aren’t perfect, and I often need my neighbor to watch my children when I am forced to work late.  I wish I could make as good of money as my husband used to, but I am a woman, which means I only make 84% of what he did (Monk, 2010).  I am doing the best I can for now and will be praying I get a raise soon.

If you would like to help women like Graciela, working women in poverty, you can visit http://www.globalgiving.org/projects/mexican-women-in-poverty/ which educates women in Mexico on health and shows them the opportunities they can have to create a better life.

Tian Yu: China Foxconn worker

Hi, my name is Tian Yu.  I am seventeen and I used to work at Foxconn in Longhua, Shenzhen.  I began working three years ago to support my family when my mother was diagnosed with cancer.  The monthly minimum wage when I began was 1,000 Chinese Yuen, but I was only paid 900 (US 142.85) because I am a minor (Rulliat, 2007). The pay was not exactly what we needed, but it is what I could find.  Soon after I began working at Foxconn, Apple, Inc. came out with the iPad.  I had already been assembling the iPhone for about six months, and was getting pretty fast at it, so I expected this to be somewhat simple.  The demand for the product was so great that my hours were increased by 5 hours per week, with little extra pay. (Rulliat, 2007) We got even less time for lunch and were cut down to two bathroom breaks during any 6 hour period.  This lasted for nearly two months, and by this time, my mother was getting better.  It was no longer necessary for me to work, but I was contractually bound into working with them for two full years. Every day, my boss would tell me to “Work faster…More products!!” I could no longer take this pressure in these horrible conditions! I knew about the suicides taking place and felt that was my only way out of this horrible place.  I failed in my attempt, and am now paralyzed from the waist down, but I don’t regret what I did because it got me out of Foxconn.  Unfortunately, my little sister is now going to have to work sooner than we thought she would because I cannot and my mother is sick again.  I feel bad for what I did to my family, but could not stand working there another day for that small amount of pay.  I realize people use technology for almost everything, but can’t I wish people didn't need it so much so my family and I don't have to work like this.

Photo from:http://www.younilife.com/content/inside-chinese-factories-making-ipads-apple-suicide-nets-toxin-exposure-and-explosions

Foxconn Electronics

Hon Hai Precision Industry Company Ltd produces products for companies including Apple, Dell, HP, Samsung and Sony. (Rulliat, 2010)  The world knows this company as Foxconn because of its stock market ticker.  Foxconn uses much cheaper labor than the United States, and unfortunately is known for its unbearable working conditions that have been driving its workers to suicide.  Foxconn is located in China, Brazil, Europe, India, Malaysia and Mexico and employs almost 800,000 workers! (BBC News, 2010).  These factories assemble almost 40 percent of consumer electronic products in the world! (Foxconn, 2007) Their philosophy is “Speed. Quality. Flexibility.” (Foxconn, 2007) They expect speed from their workers without giving them quality working conditions or flexibility in pay or hours. The problems are mainly happening in China, where it is very difficult to have strong unions, but the problem is present in all Foxconn locations around the world (Rulliat, 2010). Apple got a lot of criticism from the American and British media, along with the consumers because of the Foxconn conditions and suicides.  However, it is the consumers who demanded the technology in such high numbers at a relatively cheap price that lead to long hours and low pay for these workers. Foxconn is slowly raising the pay of their workers because of the new criticism they are facing, but this pay is to keep the workers quiet, not because the workers deserve it. As consumers, we need to be more aware of our purchases so we don’t keep hurting the lives of people in similar situations as Akbar Mannem, Graciela Rodriguez and Tian Yu .

Photo from: http://themoderatevoice.com/142993/apple-foxconn-and-fair-labor-standards/