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KJ
BLOGOLOGY
Making
a Difference:
Tales of an American Physical Therapist in Vietnam
http://www.steadyfootsteps.org/
This most caringly-written blog illuminates
major differences in customs and values: first-hand views of present-day
life in Vietnam counterpoint critical expat perspectives on aspects of
life in the U.S.A.
Quote: “What would you do if you realized that, compared to most
of the world’s population, you were very rich indeed? What would
you do if you decided that the things that you were clinging to —
job security, rising home equity, readily available health care, and a
democratic government — were illusory? Would you hold fast to your
present lifestyle — or would you consider doing something “radical”?
August 31, 2007
Helmets in the News
Two years ago, as we sat in a little restaurant in Da Nang, Vietnam, the
proprietor walked up and offered us his sincere condolences on the unfolding
tragedy in New Orleans. That’s how we learned about Hurricane Katrina.
George Bush, apparently, didn’t get the message until some time
later.
We were visitors to Vietnam in 2005, just finishing up a short stint as
Health Volunteers Overseas (HVO) volunteers at a rehabilitation center
in Da Nang. Now, here we are, two years later, living and working in Vietnam
and participating in a great national effort to stem the rising tide of
death and disability resulting from motorbike accidents.
There are, today, 3401 employees of the Da Nang Department of Health who
wear helmets provided by Steady Footsteps* to work every day. They do
this in order to protect themselves and because their co-workers wear
helmets, too. But — bottom line — they do it because the Da
Nang Health Department now mandates helmet use and employees may not report
to work without them. This is the essence of the agreement that we signed
with the Department of Health: Steady Footsteps would supply the helmets
if the DOH would mandate their use.
Beyond the immediate effect of ensuring the safety of those 3401 employees,
however, this project serves as a model for other governmental groups
and businesses.
Our project has been featured repeatedly on Da Nang TV News, as well as
VTV1, based in Hanoi. Footage of my address to the officials of the Department
of Health, images of brain-injured patients at the Da Nang Rehabilitation-Sanatorium
Hospital, and interviews with helmet-wearing workers arriving at Da Nang
General Hospital are combined with media exhortations to be safe and wear
a helmet.
On the horizon, now, is a new national law which will mandate helmet use
by all motorbike riders — an enormous milestone in a nation where
38 people die and many more are permanently disabled every day in traffic
accidents. Compliance, though, is not guaranteed. To that end, the next
project for the Steady Footsteps crew is to translate and print booklets
to distribute to the 30,000 students of the University of Da Nang. We
thought we’d back up the letter of the law with some vivid descriptions
of what happens if your brain is injured — but you survive.
These high-achieving university students are role models for all the younger
kids. Whatever they do — whether they flaunt the law or wear their
helmets proudly — will have an enormous effect on what other young
people decide to do.
* Any contribution you might feel led to make to Steady Footsteps
to help in this work would be hugely appreciated. A contribution of $75
USD would cover the cost of providing motorbike helmets for ten health
care workers.
December
20, 2007
An Early Christmas in Da Nang
Last Saturday, I woke early to the sound of motorbikes zipping past our
Da Nang townhouse. What would I see when I looked out the window? The
previous day, scarcely any riders had worn helmets in town, but this day
— 15 December 2007 — was slated to be the first day of Vietnam’s
mandatory universal helmet law. Both the Vietnamese government and international
groups such as the World Health Organization have long been aware of the
on-going tragedy of Vietnam's insanely high rate of traffic fatalities
— among the highest in the world. The Vietnamese government and
various NGOs (non-governmental organizations) have made repeated attempts
to resolve this problem over the years.
For several months, short and poignant public awareness spots on TV have
dramatized the often tragic aftermath of traffic accidents. Since the
imposition two months ago of a new and stricter helmet law affecting the
main roads outside of town, television news shows have highlighted the
vigorous and effective work of the police in enforcing that law.
Local shops have offered heaps of brightly colored helmets for sale in
recent weeks, yet they seemed to be worn primarily by travelers entering
and exiting the city — rarely, if ever, by locals. It’s really
hard to believe that everything could change overnight.
But it did.
I padded over to my window on Saturday morning, with all the anticipation
I’d felt as a child on Christmas morning. (Would there be snow on
the ground? Presents under the tree?) Gazing out my third floor window,
through tears of joy, I saw that every single rider passing by was wearing
a brand new, brightly colored protective helmet.
For me, it was Christmas.
Photo by David Lockett
STEADY
FOOTSTEPS, INC. was founded by Virginia Lockett, a Quaker, and her husband
David, who is Buddhist. David and Virginia first came to Vietnam in 1995
to adopt two children. They were saddened, at that time, by the apparently
hopeless situation of disabled people in Vietnam. On returning to Vietnam
in 2005, David and Virginia became convinced that the efforts of two middle-aged,
middle-class Americans, dedicated to preventing head injuries and to improving
life for disabled people in Vietnam, could be both effective and appreciated.
They quit their jobs, sold their home, founded STEADY FOOTSTEPS, and moved
to Vietnam. They have yet to regret their decision.
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