Sweatshop workers from Cambodia and Costa Rica to speak at Goshen College April 6

GOSHEN, Ind. – Phal Savin, from Cambodia, spent many years sewing clothing for Wal-Mart. A mother of five, she was recently fired for trying to form a union, and is now vice president of the Coalition of Cambodia Apparel Workers Democratic Union. Didier Leiton, from Costa Rica, worked for 17 years on pineapple and banana plantations and is now an organizer with the Union of Agricultural and Plantation Workers.

These two sweatshop workers from Cambodia and Costa Rica will speak on Sunday, April 6 at 7 p.m. in Goshen College’s Newcomer Center Room 19. The event is free and open to the public; refreshments will be provided.

Attendees will learn about “the high cost of Wal-Mart’s low-price goods, what we can do to support the rights of workers and internship and volunteer opportunities with SweatFree Communities,” said Victoria Kaplan, a representative of SweatFree Communities.

The Newcomer Center is located on the south edge of campus, at the intersection of Main Street and Westwood Road.

Questions can be directed to Kaplan by e-mailing vicki@sweatfree.orgor calling 574-975-6207. For more information, visit www.sweatfree.org/events.

This event will be sponsored by Goshen College Peace, Justice and Conflict Studies Department; Goshen College Bible, Religion and Philosophy Department; Goshen College Women’s Studies Department; SweatFree Communities; and International Labor Rights Forum.

Editors: For more information about this release or to arrange an interview, contact Goshen College News Bureau Director Jodi H. Beyeler at (574) 535-7572 or jodihb@goshen.edu.

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Goshen College, established in 1894, is a residential Christian liberal arts college rooted in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. The college’s Christ-centered core values – passionate learning, global citizenship, compassionate peacemaking and servant-leadership – prepare students as leaders for the church and world. Recognized for its unique Study-Service Term program, Goshen has earned citations of excellence in Barron’s Best Buys in Education, “Colleges of Distinction,” “Making a Difference College Guide” and U.S.News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges” edition, which named Goshen a “least debt college.” Visit www.goshen.edu.