It was somewhere around the beginning of April when Daisy found an unusual message in her WiserEarth inbox from Marguerite. Aha, she thought, another Daisy! Would she be interested in working as a translator for a future mission in Ho Chi Minh City helping to assess working conditions in local Vietnamese factories?

Reviewing working conditions at a furniture factory and having lunch with workers in their canteen. When asked what are their dreams in life, most of the workers answer “a decent house, a stable job so that I can earn enough money to live.”

Marguerite and Bernard from Tanh Linh, a nonprofit which aims to help community development through job creation, micro finance, farming assistance, education and health care projects.


On a journey to My Thanh, Ham Thuan Nam, Binh Thuan.

This is exactly the sort of project I’d love to help out with, especially since I’m writing a thesis on urban dwellers living in slums as part of my studies, she thought to herself. After all, we were meant to meet as the name ‘Marguerite’ means daisy in French. Within a few weeks, the two Daisy’s initial discussion bloomed and messages through WiserEarth turned into concrete plans to work together.  From 18th to 23th of April, Daisy and Marguerite worked closely together to help carry out their mission. Here are a few extracts from Daisy’s blog where she shares her experience working with Marguerite:

“Synchronicity reveals messages from the Universe which unfold and guide us through our path of destiny. I had not known her (Marguerite) before, but I believed she would be kind. Allowing things to come through synchronicity, I trusted that the Universe conspires only to give the best to those who dream and work.”

Our trip included a trip to Binh Thuan to visit an NGO called Thien Chi whose aim is helping community development, through job creation, micro finance, farming assistance, education and health care projects.

The three day visit opened another world to me. I realized that 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… Some of the organizations I came across:

Mekong Plus – Vietnam Plus (http://www.mekongplus.org/lang-en/home-in.html) 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…

Thien Chi (Good Will http://www.thienchi.org/) is a Vietnamese NGO, set up by experienced members of Mekong Plus in Bình Thuân, with similar goals and activities.

Mekong Creations (http://www.mekong-creations.org/) 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…

Drop by to say hello to Daisy on WiserEarth (her Vietnamese name is Pham Thuy Dong) or a ‘bonjour’ to Marguerite in France. She has a sustainability consulting business called aile de papillon (which means wings of a butterfly in French).

Do you have an inspiring story of a connection made or a collaboration that you have made through WiserEarth and which you would like to share with the WISER community? If so, please share your story.

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