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Global Spotlight: Working to Protect Garment and Footwear Factory Workers in Cambodia |
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Dear Friends and Supporters, The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated that we must work collectively and take proactive action to protect our most vulnerable communities. How can we work together to prevent unnecessary tragedy and save the lives of those in urgent need? This has been the driving mission embodied by our frontline healthcare and service workers in their courageous response to the COVID-19 crisis worldwide. We express our immense gratitude to the service workers and healthcare staff who are working to deliver life-saving services to protect the many communities in need during these difficult times. We are working to support these communities through our latest protective mask initiative with the support of the FIA Foundation, which you can read about here. In looking at the remarkable selflessness that has been exhibited in countries across the world during the COVID-19 outbreak, we here at AIP Foundation are reminded to reflect on our collective goal of saving lives and protecting the health of those in need. During these challenging times, we are thinking about our shared mission to save lives. How can we use each day to protect, educate, and positively influence communities so that we all make more thoughtful decisions for our health and well-being? Taking proactive action to empower our most vulnerable road users, while exposing the gaps which leave them endangered will remain the key to creating a safer world in which better decisions are made. At this critical moment, when healthcare systems face enormous burdens, we are working to reduce the strain on our hospitals by delivering life-saving road safety information and preventing road injuries and fatalities. At AIP Foundation, we remind ourselves of the importance of protecting vulnerable communities. This newsletter is dedicated to shine some light on our ongoing work with garment and footwear factory workers in Cambodia as they commute to and from work every day. Learn more about what we are doing with our partners to address road safety issues which affect more than 700,000 vulnerable garment and footwear factory workers every day in Cambodia as they commute to and from work. These are not just numbers: they are the stories of real people whose lives have been impacted. Watch 5 case study videos sharing the voices of factory drivers and workers on the issue of road safety. In looking back, we remain humbled by the progress that is yet to be made, and we are also immensely grateful for the support we continue to receive. It is an honor to welcome our three newest additions to the AIP Foundation Board of Advisors, each of whom brings their leadership and expertise in public health, transportation, and injury prevention to our organization. Please join me in welcoming Dr. T. Bella Dinh-Zarr, Dr. David Sleet, and Mrs. Ratana Winther, whose backgrounds and accomplishments can be read below. Thank you all and wishing you and your loved ones safety and good health during these times. Kind regards, Mirjam Sidik
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Table of Contents |
Spotlight on road safety of garment and footwear factory workers in Cambodia |
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Welcoming our newest board of advisor members in 2020 |
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Employment Opportunities
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Spotlight on road safety of garment and footwear factory workers in Cambodia |
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Photo of the Month: Learn about the importance of commuting safety for over 700,000 factory workers in Cambodia in our latest infographic
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Commuting Safety for Cambodian Workers program infographic on the issue of road safety in Cambodia and key activities which have been dedicated to improving the safety of garment and footwear factory workers. |
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Our latest infographic on the safety of commuting Cambodian workers is out! Learn more about the issue of road safety in Cambodia and its impact on over 700,000 garment and footwear factory workers each day and what we’re doing to deliver critical safety interventions at target factories. This infographic was developed for the Commuting Safety for Cambodian Workers program, implemented by AIP Foundation in collaboration with members of the Transportation Working Group (TWG). Commuting Safety for Cambodian Workers aims to mobilize concerned stakeholders in the TWG to advocate for commuting safety improvements with the government and industry stakeholders, such as international brands, factories, and trade unions. The program aims to identify, engage and influence transport safety improvements at the factory level by factory management, supervisors, workers and their representatives, and collective transport drivers. The CSCW program is implemented by AIP Foundation and the Solidarity Center and funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). |
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Case Study 1: Bus drivers in Svay Rieng Province, Cambodia explain their shift to safer transport options
Ngorn Sopheaktra, a factory bus driver in Svay Rieng Province, shares, “Previously, I drove a truck, but now I drive a bus. While I am driving, I am responsible for the safety of workers. Their lives depend on us.” This is one of five case studies developed for an AIP Foundation-implemented program on the transport safety of commuting garment and footwear factory workers, with the support of Better Factories Cambodia and the Transportation Working Group. In the video, two factory drivers discuss why they switched from driving higher-risk trucks to safer and more comfortable buses when transporting workers to their factories. The first case study video can be viewed here. |
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Case Study 2: A 27-year-old garment factory worker, Sreymeak, shares her road crash experience
27-year-old Sreymeak, a young garment factory worker and a friend were traveling to work on a motorcycle when a car coming from the opposite direction suddenly struck their vehicle. Sreymeak was hospitalized for two weeks with serious leg injuries and still suffers from pain. She expresses that wearing a helmet at the time of the incident saved her life. The factory where Sreymeak works is now taking steps to improve workers’ road safety. Watch the entire clip here. |
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Case Study 3: Administrators of industrial zone discuss the economic implications of factory worker road safety
The impact of crashes affects not only workers, but also the productivity of factories that rely on their labor and the lives of the 2 million family members that these workers support. In this case study video, representatives of a Special Economic Zone in Kandal Province, Cambodia share their perspective on the importance of investing in road safety in the garment and footwear industries. The video also captures the story of a factory that took the lives of their factory workers “into their hands,” to encourage safer behaviors during commutes to work. Watch the case study and the discussions of the 7NG Special Economic Zone representatives here. |
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Case Study 4: The story of Ourn Lim, 25-year-old garment factory worker, on how a single road crash impacted her life
Ourn Lim, a garment factory worker, bravely shares her experience in a serious motorcycle crash on her way to work. Ourn reminds viewers that while a crash can happen in just a moment, its impacts can be fatal. She recounts the crash and its tragic consequences in the interview clip here. |
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Case Study 5: Garment factory worker Channeth on why she “would like everyone to wear a helmet at all times, whenever they travel”
Channeth, a young garment factory worker, and her brother were traveling home together from work on a motorcycle. Suddenly, a car from the opposite direction overtook the pair, knocking over the motorcycle as the two traveled down the road. Channeth reflects on the experience and expresses, “I would like to remind everyone to wear a helmet at all times, whenever they travel.” Hear more from Channeth here. |
Welcoming our Newest Board of Advisor Members in 2020 |
The Honorable Tho Bella Dinh-Zarr, PhD, MPH, trained as a public health scientist and is dedicated to promoting safe, sustainable transportation. She served as the Vice Chairman and 42nd Member of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), an independent U.S. agency charged with making safety recommendations resulting from in-depth investigations in the fields of aviation, maritime, highway, rail, pipelines, and hazardous materials. Confirmed unanimously by the U.S. Senate, Dr. Dinh-Zarr chaired NTSB board meetings and investigative hearings and represented the agency at the scene of high-profile disasters. Previously, Dr. Dinh-Zarr served as the North American Director and UN Representative at the FIA Foundation, where she successfully advocated for transportation safety to be included in the UN Sustainable Development Goals. She also worked at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI), and the American Automobile Association (AAA), where she was the National Director of Traffic Safety Policy. Born in Vietnam, Dr. Dinh-Zarr is a graduate of Rice University in Texas and has a Master of Public Health (MPH) and a PhD degree from the University of Texas School of Public Health, with fellowships at the Institute of Child Health in London and the U.S. Guide to Community Preventive Services. Dr. Dinh-Zarr has appeared on media outlets around the world and testified before U.S. Congressional and United Nations hearings. She is the Co-Founder of the “05 Saves Lives Coalition,” a nonpartisan alliance of diverse organizations dedicated to preventing drinking and driving crashes. |
Dr. David Sleet is a consultant and former Associate Director of Science in the Division of Injury Prevention at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, where he has planned and managed research programs and provided direction to a national injury prevention program. He was a co-founder of the San Diego State University School of Public Health where he conducted research and taught public health. Dr. Sleet also directed the Road Accident Research Unit at the University of Western Australia for two years, spent four years as a research scientist with the U.S. Department of Transportation, and was a visiting road-researcher in Finland. Over the course of his career, Dr. Sleet has published more than 185 articles related to injury prevention and health, and co-edited the World Health Organization (WHO) World Report on Road Traffic Injury Prevention and the CDC Handbook of Injury and Violence Prevention. He has worked to develop sustainable injury prevention programs in Australia, the United States, and Belgium, and also helped AIP Foundation with its Helmets for Kids and Global Helmet Vaccine program evaluation for more than a decade. In 2014, Dr. Sleet was awarded a Medal (Royal Order of Sahametrei) by the Prime Minister of Cambodia for his work in traffic injury prevention. In 2015, he also won the James Fries Foundation Prize for Health Education. He is a founding member of the United Nations Road Safety Collaboration, an advisor to the WHO, and a Fellow of the American Academy of Health Behavior. Dr. Sleet is also on the editorial board of seven journals, where he contributes his public health experience and expertise. |
Ratanawadee (Ratana) Winther is the Chairperson of AIP Foundation Denmark and the Chairperson of AIP Foundation Thailand. For nearly 10 years, Ms. Winther worked to advance the mission of our organization as the Country Director of AIP Foundation Thailand. Ms. Winther’s career in the field of road safety began 20 years ago at the Danish National Road Directorate, where she worked to build the road safety capacity of road engineers and technicians from low and low-middle income countries. Since then, she has worked as a consultant on several international development assistance programs helping to reduce road traffic crashes in countries throughout Asia. Over the course of her career, Ms. Winther has served as a tireless and dedicated advocate to preventing road crash injuries and fatalities, with a focus on helping the most vulnerable road users. She has worked strategically with partners and decision makers at all levels, from local communities to global public health leaders, with the aim of raising public awareness and political commitment to address the road safety crisis. She is currently working with civil society groups in Denmark to gather technical and financial support for projects addressing unsafe mobility and road safety equity in developing countries. Prior to her career in road safety, Ms. Winther managed continuing education programs for the Toronto Board of Education. She obtained an M.A. in Education from Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, Canada. She lives in Copenhagen with her husband, Ambassador Mikael H. Winther, and spends her time between Denmark and Thailand. |
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