Lend a helping hand
TWO groups of Hong Kong students said their visit to the Philippines made them realise how unfair trade practices could affect the livelihood of people in developing countries.
Under the worldwide campaign 'Make Trade Fair' launched by Oxfam, the local branch of the international charity organised field trips for secondary and university students to raise their concern about poverty in the third world.
The tours were part of the activities arranged by Oxfam Hong Kong in connection with the World Trade Organisation's (WTO) ministerial conference in Hong Kong in December.
Oxfam hopes to educate students about world trade and trading imbalances in a globalised economy.
The students discovered that unfair trade policies implemented by rich countries are harming people in developing nations.
The secondary students were in the Philippines from July 27 to August 2 while their university counterparts visited the country from August 4 to 8.
Both groups were shocked by the notorious 'garbage mountain' in Manila.
'Before the mountain came into my view, there was already a disgusting smell of rotten rubbish. It was awful,' recalled Polly Sham Po-lee. 'I was shocked when I arrived because I had not imagined it was so huge, perhaps bigger than five football pitches.'
The 20-year-old university student said she did not speak because she was afraid of swallowing flies which swarmed the area.
Although the rubbish dump looked like 'hell on earth', several families actually lived there.
They have built wooden houses at the foot of the mountain and search for things like plastic bottles that can be sold for recycling.
Some children pick up toys from rubbish.
It is a life that many Hong Kong students - who are used to taking things for granted - can never imagine.
'We are used to living in a city and getting everything we need easily, Ms Sham said.
'We don't think twice before buying clothes and toys and then throw them away.
'But now I realise that we create so much unnecessary rubbish every day which is destroying the environment.'
Besides, the students visited rice farmers in Iloilo and stayed at their homes to experience their lifestyle and traditions.
The farmers shared their plight with the Hong Kong students, saying that they were badly hit by subsidised US rice imports.
The US imports led to a fall in rice prices, while the costs of fertiliser and machinery soared. As a result, the farmers earned much less than before.
Choi Kit-yan, 17, said the trip gave him a better understanding of the problems that affected the global economy.
'I did not know much about other countries in the past. I knew nothing about the WTO. But now I understand why many people are so concerned about the WTO conference because its decisions affect millions around the world,' he said.
After the filed trip, the students said they hope to organise activities to spread the message about unfair trade practices.
They said they learned a lot about world trade and would try to raise people's awareness of the issue.
