24 Hours Out...

Back in early June 2012 I boarded a plane to fly to Sydney to attend the YPWB pre-departure camp. As I said good bye to my parents and walked across the tarmac I remember thinking to myself that in three months time I would be saying goodbye to my family once again and boarding a plane- only this time I would be headed to Hanoi, Vietnam. Back in June, three months seemed like a pretty long time to wait. I awaited my imminent adventure with great enthusiasm, excitement and a large dose of impatience… I felt as though August 31st might never arrive! Nevertheless the days and weeks passed by (much too quickly) and now I can hardly believe that in just 24 hours I will be on my way to Vietnam!

As my departure has grown ever nearer I have often found myself contemplating what life in Vietnam might look like. In particular I have found myself considering how historical events and the media may have shaped my perceptions of the country I will call home for the next five months. Like many westerners my initial perceptions of Vietnam rest around images of the Vietnam War; napalm bombs, Agent Orange and bloody battles as ‘we fought the scourge of communism' as it made its way ever southward. In fact it often seems to be that these images characterise the western world’s collective perception of the nation and its past. Interspersed with a kaleidoscope of hard fought battles and occasional victories are fragmented images of tragedy and suffering, perhaps none more famous than the photograph of a young Vietnamese girl running naked down the street, her clothes melted away from the heat of napalm bombs, shouting “too hot, too hot” as she desperately tries to escape the chaos and devastation behind her. As westerners  it is all too easy to think of Vietnam’s past as characterised most strongly by the ‘American War’ as we either forget, or fail to realise that Vietnam has a fascinating and often tumultuous history that extends well before, and well beyond, the ‘Vietnam War’ that we place front and centre in our own limited historical memory.

Of course nowadays as Vietnam heads swiftly, though not without some cultural resistance, into a world of capitalism (although perhaps only economically as Vietnam is still a single party communist nation), free trade and tourism, we have been given entirely new sources from which to build our perceptions. But I do wonder if the representations in travel brochures and even the direct experiences of holiday makers really paint any more accurate a picture of the ‘real’ Vietnam? Sure, we are now able to gain a greater appreciation of how physically stunning a country Vietnam is (and like many travellers I am eager to explore sights such as Halong Bay and SaPa) and perhaps sadly have come to appreciate how inexpensive (and therefore desirable and increasingly less ‘unspoiled’) a travel destination it can be,  but to date I found very  few instances where individuals or groups have taken the time to document impressions and representations of the country and its citizens outside of the contexts of tourism or the Vietnam war.

Over the last few weeks I have spent a lot of time researching Vietnam’s history and culture, seeking to gain new insights about a place that as yet remains quite foreign to me. In light of what I now know (and perhaps more importantly do not yet know) about the nation to which I am about to travel I have developed an intense curiosity about how Vietnam perceives itself. Do the aspects of Vietnam’s past and present that the western world accentuates hold the same significance to locals? What significant parts of its culture are largely overlooked by travellers and media? How do citizens perceive living under a system of government (communism) that those who have freedom of expression often demonise?

I also find myself contemplating how I personally will adjust to living amongst a culture so far removed from my own. Will I pick up the language quickly…or at all? What will the food be like? How will I respond to living under a communist government where I may at times be required to respectfully withhold my views and opinions (those who know me can attest that I am not particularly well known for keeping my opinions to myself)? In the coming weeks and months I hope at least some of these questions will be answered…

For me, perhaps the most exciting, and simultaneously terrifying, part of this whole experience is the opportunity to explore the unknown… about the place to which I am headed and also the things I do not yet know about myself.  24 hours- after I’ve tearfully farewelled my family (I cried saying goodbye to my dog so I don’t hold out much hope of making it through customs with dry eyes) and boarded a flight to Vietnam- until my journey of discovery begins...

Raising Awareness of The United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020

For this blog entry I would like to let you know about the social cause I have chosen to raise awareness of; a fantastic campaign known as The United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020.

“For some reason people have allowed themselves to accept road accidents as something that is somehow inevitable…” (Michelle Yeoh- Make Roads Safe global ambassador)

Many people, many nations, and in particular western nations, seem to be largely complacent when it comes to the issue of road safety. Despite realising that road deaths are a serious issue we are never quite willing to do as much as is really necessary to fix the problem. Perhaps it is that we see road fatalities as ‘inevitable’ or maybe we have simply become convinced of our own invincibility, that is, we have come to believe that our roads are ‘safe enough’, our vehicles are ‘safe enough’ and that road accidents are something that will happen to ‘somebody else’… until one day we, or someone we know, become the latest victim.  In 2010, 33,900 people were killed or injured on Australian roads. That number alone should be cause for alarm- any single issue that causes that much death and devastation, much less an issue largely of our societies own creation and one that is largely avoidable, should have governments and individuals alike up in arms, demanding that more be done to fix this problem!! But this is an issue that goes way beyond our borders…

Road safety is something that many seem to perceive as an issue worthy of address for developed nations but  fail to recognise the importance of addressing this issue beyond the first world. The assumption is often that there are ‘bigger problems’ to address first before moving onto ‘less critical’ issues like vehicle safety, motorist behaviour and infrastructure. What we fail to recognise is that the devastation and suffering caused by poor road safety is tantamount to a global epidemic;

In the next 24 hours 3,500 people will be killed as a result of road and traffic incidents worldwide! Of these fatalities, one in five will be children and 90% of these deaths will occur in developing nations.

Every year 1.3 million people are killed on roads and an additional 20-50 million people are left injured, many severely and irreversibly. Road and traffic incidents are already the number one cause of death in 5-25 year olds worldwide and it is estimated that if left unchecked casualty figures could double by the year 2020 which would place road casualties in the top 5 leading causes of death for any age group globally.

Road casualties are a HUGE problem in modern society and ‘road safety’ is a global problem! The implications of ongoing death and injury on roads are wide reaching; beyond causing unimaginable grief and suffering for the individuals involved these accidents perpetuate the cycle of poverty for thousands of families and communities throughout the world with many survivors unable to ever recover enough to continue to provide for their families. For a child in a developing nation who risks their life crossing a busy highway every day in order to simply get to school and receive an education, or a mother who does the same to buy food for her family, road safety is a BIG issue!

Road Safety is a global issue that requires a global solution. To that end, in 2011 the United Nations in conjunction with the World Health Organisation, World Bank and many well recognised groups and individuals including Nelson Mandela and actor Michelle Yeoh, and with the support of over 100 nations worldwide, launched the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020. The goal of this campaign is to implement programs and initiatives globally that are aimed at reducing death and injury and increasing road safety and awareness of road safety practices- with the ultimate goal of halving the number of deaths and accidents on roads throughout the world by the year 2020. The campaign is founded on the notion that the vast majority of road deaths are preventable. It emphasises that workable and proven solutions do exist and that if we can make a sincere pledge as a global community to improve the roads and road user safety, particular for those in developing nations and particularly for roads used by children who are by far the most vulnerable of road users, that five million lives will be saved in the next ten years!

As part of my raising awareness campaign I chose to focus on one of many initiatives that exist as part of the Decade of Action campaign called the Global Helmet Vaccine Initiative (GHVI) which aims to reduce fatalities and traumatic brain injuries in eight target countries (Cambodia, Thailand, Nicaragua, Uganda, Lebanon, The Philippines, Senegal and Vietnam) by raising money and providing resources to educate people about safe road use and provide helmets for children. In Vietnam 95% of vehicle owners are motorbike users. Despite laws that make wearing a helmet mandatory many people either don’t own or don’t wear helmets. As a result, on average 35 people are killed in road accidents each day in Vietnam! Road accidents are the leading cause of death for children aged 4-15 in several countries including Vietnam. For just $15 this initiative can provide a child in Vietnam with a standards approved safety helmet which, in an accident, reduces the chance of injury by 69% and death by 42%. In order to actively support this campaign as part of my fundraising for YPWB my family has agreed to donate an additional $15 for every $100 raised which will be donated to GHVI to help provide helmets for children in Vietnam.

As well as fundraising I recently attended a local high school to talk to year 11 and 12 students about the Decade of Action and why road safety is such a relevant and important issue (I also had the opportunity to talk to them about the YPWB program and how they can get involved!). Using a PowerPoint (which is attached for you to view), videos and a discussion of what they thought were some of the biggest ‘global social issues’ that exist today I was able to give them insight into the impact of road safety- many students seemed genuinely surprised at how far reaching an issue this is. As well as talking to students about the global implications of road deaths I made a point to emphasise that road safety starts at our own front door; Road accidents are already the leading cause of death worldwide for people under the age of 25… Pay attention, obey the road rules, don’t drink drive, put down your mobile phone and wear a seatbelt; the next life saved could be a family member, a close friend or even you- what better reason do you need to pay attention to road safety?!

For more information on the Decade of Action and the Global Helmet Vaccine Initiative watch the attached video documenting the campaign launch and check out the following websites:

http://www.helmetvaccine.org/

www.decadeofaction.org

Videos:

Decade of Action launch video- behind the statistics:

The impossible texting while driving test (Worth a look):