Electronics Show Me What You're Made Of

These five kids have more gadgets, toys and clothes

than they could ever wish for.

But do they know where their stuff comes from?

Or how it's made, and what life is like for the workers who produce it?

Well, we've brought five kids to the other side of the world to find out.

Today, in the Philippines, the children are pushed to the limit.

It's really frustrating. I can't do it.

And they learn about life for those

who are not working in the factories.

You do!

You do.

Last time around,

the group survived working for the strictest boss so far.

-What will I do with this now?

-I'm sorry.

-He really, really tried.

-It's not good enough, to be honest.

But away from the factory, they made friends...

..and discovered that even in Asia, some things are just like home.

THEY SING: Baby, Baby, Oh!

But today, the five are about to begin

what will be the most challenging leg of their trip.

We're on the outskirts of Manila at a technology park,

and it's here that our five will go on to find out

all the hard work that goes behind making the gadgets they use at home.

Everyone in the group loves their laptops, mobiles and mp3 players,

so I'm expecting them to really enjoy seeing how they're made.

It's relevant to all of us here,

because, you know, electronics are a major part of our lives.

I really want to see how it works. That'd be cool.

I think out of all the factories we've been to,

this is going to be, like, the most extraordinary.

And Nathaniel's not wrong.

The group will be working at EMS,

a company that makes tiny electronic parts.

And chances are, one of the children owns a gadget

with a piece in it that came from this very factory.

Amazingly, the factory makes 50 million components every year.

This is only possible

because of their highly-trained and efficient workforce.

During their time here, the kids' work will be overseen

by head of production, Neddy Abdon.

-Hello, good afternoon.

-Hello.

Welcome to EMS.

One of the requirements, of course, is hygiene,

and there will be no contamination inside our production area.

It's crucial that the assembly line is kept spotless.

This means absolutely no dirt is allowed inside.

Sorted, Nathaniel?

To the clinic now.

-What?

-Oh, my gosh!

This is our production line. We call this the clean room area.

To be honest, I always imagined it being done by robots.

I never thought it would be like this.

Incredibly, most electronic parts are assembled by hand.

But employees do need to work as efficiently as machines

to achieve their targets.

-They're pretty focused.

-THEY KNOCK ON THE WINDOW

Oh, my lord!

-You run a tight ship.

-Yes.

When you are inside the production line, you need to be focused.

So talking and shouting is not allowed.

So I am asking everyone to be serious.

The group's challenge will be to match the disciplined,

machine-like behaviour of the workers.

But first, they've got to get onto the production line.

-Just follow me.

-Starting with a trip to the nurse.

-I hope this goes in my mouth. OK.

-Just on the forehead.

-It's OK, it's normal.

-Great.

Temperatures are taken

to make sure no coughs and colds are passed around.

-Normal.

-Is that good?

-Yes.

It's all part of the factory's drive for a healthy, clean workforce.

Which means you won't see any of Neddy's workers

sitting around on the floor.

Uh... Could you stand up?

Great(!)

I don't know how to put this on.

No garments allowed on the floor, please.

Next up, the group must put on special decontamination suits.

-Inconvenient.

-I can't get my hair in the stupid net.

And that's not all.

-Are you wearing make-up?

-Yes.

Ah... You need to wash your face first.

-We don't allow cosmetics inside production.

-No!

-No, please!

Have you got make-up on? Honestly?

-Any contamination is not allowed, as I've said.

-What's the big deal?

Because I'm not allowing any one of you if you don't...

-I spent ages putting it on.

-You look beautiful without it!

-No, I don't.

Neddy takes decontamination really seriously.

If any dirt gets into the production area,

an entire order could be ruined.

Can you stand up?

You ready, guys?

Yeah.

In the car on the way here, we were really up for it,

we were really excited, we were going to give it our all.

And now we've been lying on the floor

and moaning about taking our make-up off, moaning about the gear.

Let's just bear in mind that this is what Neddy and her people do

all the time, every day, it's their job.

-Yeah?

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

Good gang. Let's go.

All that's left now is to get vacuumed by a powerful air shower,

and the kids' decontamination is complete.

OK, let's go.

The factory bosses want to see if any in the group can be

as disciplined and machine-like as the Filipino workers.

I feel like I'm on a spaceship.

So they've set them a timed task - positioning wires coming off a coil.

First, you unwind the outer part.

Incredibly, small coils like this

become an essential part of every computer,

but only if they're done correctly.

You will unwind it one full turn...

Making tiny parts like this by hand is a really tough challenge.

This looks well hard.

Now I will give you one tray.

So how long would you expect us to complete the tray in?

-I can give you half an hour.

-Half an hour, Jonas, for the whole tray.

Out there, they can make it in a minute.

-Ooh!

-The whole tray?

-The whole tray.

-Yeah.

-Oh, thanks(!)

Hang on a second, so one of your workers

could do one of these entire trays in one minute, 60 seconds.

Yes. Just like one second for a piece.

One coil per second?

Right, so he's going to give you half an hour,

so that should be more than enough time, yeah?

-Yeah.

-Happy bunnies?

-Yeah.

-Definitely.

-Thank you!

-Good luck.

With work like this, it's practice makes perfect.

You're getting faster already.

-Thank you.

-It's good work.

The job demands extreme concentration.

One slip, and the component is spoiled.

I think once you get a technique, it's fine.

At the start I broke three, but since then, I haven't broken any.

How are you guys finding it?

Um... I'm finding it actually quite relaxing.

I disagree. I don't think I have a knack for this.

-It's really fiddly and...

-Yeah.

-..really frustrating.

-I just can't do it.

-They're only here for two days.

It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Maybe they'll start to take that on board

and make the most of the experience,

because this morning that certainly wasn't the case.

But, actually, they have all started to give it a bit of a go.

We'll have to see.

I think it's phenomenal that workers can do one every second,

-when I can hardly do one every minute.

-That's skill, right there.

At this factory, two things are important -

meeting targets and behaving.

With time nearly up, it seems all the group have completed the task.

But will their good work make up for the earlier grumbling?

You've done a pretty good job today.

But from the moment you enter this company, you need to be disciplined.

Jason, if any of your workers had acted

how our group acted this morning, would they still have a job here?

Honestly?

We will first demote them into a lower job,

-like cleaning the bathroom.

-How does that make you feel, guys?

It just made me feel really stupid for acting how I did in the morning.

Because the thing is, guys, you've done very well,

-so maybe more of this tomorrow.

-Definitely.

-Definitely.

Um... Me and Neddy, after this morning,

we will try to decide whether you will be coming back or not tomorrow.

Um... So there is a chance that you and Neddy will decide

that we can't come back tomorrow?

Is that what you're saying?

Uh... She is pretty disappointed this morning.

Yeah...

I mean, that is disappointing, but...

Thank you. Thank you for your time.

We actually, like, swear on our lives that we will come back,

-and we will deliver like we did in the afternoon.

-If not better.

-It's up to Neddy for that.

-OK, Jason.

Thank you.

You're welcome.

Thank you, Jason.

Sorry that this morning there were some problems.

The group's shift might be over...

..but the whingeing isn't.

Is it worth having just so you've got something to eat?

Good old sugary pasta.

Is it worth bearing in mind that we have been to places on this trip,

and we have met people

that wouldn't moan about the sweet pasta?

I don't like a lot of food. I'm not going to try and make myself sick.

It was literally just a couple of days ago

that you were all saying to me, "I'll never moan again!"

and now we've all got faces like thunder.

I spent like an hour putting all this stuff on.

We go in there, and it was like a waste of time.

I don't see why we shouldn't be able to really say

that we don't like it.

What is so awful that you had to do today?

It's just, I get really claustrophobic.

I'm just saying, it's just one day. Just one day.

None of the other workers roll around on the floor,

or lie about wearing make-up,

none of the other workers get the hump.

It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience,

and you're never going to see anything like this again,

-so what's the point in moaning?

-Hi.

-Hey.

Hi. My name is Malou.

Your little group interests me. Is it OK if I chat with you?

-Yeah.

-Let me grab a chair.

Malou is a manager at the factory,

and she's heard about the kids' bad start.

So what do you think of, you know, of our rules here?

-They're very, very strict.

-Why?

Because I don't think I've ever gone to a place before

that makes little coils, and I have to get wind disinfected,

wear a big sterile suit...

Actually, wearing the suit is the easiest part.

You just don it, and then remove it afterwards.

But what's more difficult

is actually when you're doing the thing that you're asked to do.

Operators work eight to 12 hours in a day,

doing the same thing over and over again, every day.

So... What do you think of that?

-Can you imagine yourself doing that kind of work when you grow up?

-No.

Well, Malou's description may not have convinced the kids,

but for many Filipinos, working at EMS is a dream job.

I don't think the kids get this.

So tomorrow, I'm going to show them what other work is out there

in the Philippines.

It's the morning of Day Two,

and I've got a wake-up call planned after yesterday's

moaning about factory work.

Sometimes I think we have to see what people don't have,

so that we can appreciate what we do have.

You know, with that in mind, I've brought three of our kids to Manila

to see the alternatives if you don't work in a factory.

-Hi.

-Hi.

-My name is Stacey.

-I'm Bing.

-Bing.

-Yeah.

-Pleasure to meet you.

'I've brought them to meet Bing because she can't get factory work.

'Bing is forced to make a living

'from the stuff other people throw away.'

So, Bing, you and all your family, and everyone, actually,

that lives in this community,

you all make a living off digging through rubbish every day.

TRANSLATION: The main livelihood in this area is going through rubbish.

Some people have tried to apply for regular jobs,

but since they don't have an education,

they can't get any jobs.

Greater Manila generates an enormous 6,000 tons of rubbish every day.

People scrape by picking through this junk,

looking for things like plastic bottles and cans,

that can be sold on.

As a child, did you not go to school?

TRANSLATION: No, but actually most kids that live here do go to school.

The parents make it a point to put some money aside,

just so they'll have a better chance at life.

Families here know the way to get a good job at a factory like EMS

is to get good grades at school.

This is the school bus. They're all off to school.

And with that in mind, I've sent Emma and Jonas

to a state school near the factory to learn more.

The school I go to is one of the top comprehensive schools in London,

and Emma goes to a private school,

so we haven't really ever experienced what it would be like

to go to the poor end.

They're attending classes at Southville National High.

-ALL: Good morning, visitors.

-Good morning, class.

-Good morning.

These chairs, I left them for you.

Here places are in such demand that there are 80 pupils in each class.

The school even operates on shifts.

800 kids come in the morning and 800 in the afternoon.

It is neither the gadgets nor the wealth that make someone

happy and successful in life.

Study hard and reach your dreams.

Despite the heat and so many in the class,

everyone's paying attention and working hard.

They seem happy because they have an education,

whereas loads and loads of other people don't.

OK, for number two...

Jonas and Emma are helping with the presentation

about British and Filipino schools.

In England the schools are.. Well, my school is very small.

In my class there's about 14 people.

In England people are naughty in lessons a lot.

School is boring, we don't like school.

For privileged Emma,

this classroom's a world away from her life back in Britain.

My school's a small private school, like, girls only.

But Emma's not always the model pupil.

I think I take school for granted a little bit.

I'm not a troublemaker or anything,

I just get told off for stupid things,

like just messing around with my friends.

Emma admits Mum and Dad would like her to try harder.

My parents do remind me often that they're making a lot of sacrifices

to send me there

Back at Southville High, it's break.

And whilst Jonas makes friends with the rest of the class...

Emma finds some time to chat with classmate Geraldine.

Have your parents sacrificed anything

so that they can send you to school?

So do you have to pay to be able to come to school?

It's very inspirational that you have very little but then you try

so hard because you have hope and you're determined

to escape from the poverty.

Yeah.

With morning break over, lessons begin.

And it's time for the presentations.

We were discussing the difference between education here

and the education back in England.

Being here has made me realise, you know, how lucky I am

to go to a school in England.

Everybody here values school and you are all working hard

and not messing around. And you've influenced me

and made me want to be better behaved at school,

so, yeah, I think I'm going to change.

APPLAUSE

In the Philippines, having no schooling means

there are no good jobs you can go for.

-Goodbye, everyone.

-ALL: Goodbye.

Bing didn't finish school,

so she was forced to leave her island home

to look for work in the city.

And this move had a major impact on her family.

So, Bing, this is your home.

-This is where the entire family stay and live.

-Yeah.

So how many children do you have?

So all of your five children stay in this one room?

SHE SPEAKS IN FILIPINO

TRANSLATION: 'Of our five children, our eldest two

'are in the countryside with my mum.

'The three youngest are the only ones with me

'because we didn't have any money left

'for all seven of us to come here.

'I had to make the very hard decision of leaving

'the two behind with my mum.

'For me to leave my two kids and just take away three

'and to break up the family, I really had no choice.

'It was heartbreaking for me.'

How did you pick which ones you were going to take

and which ones you were going to leave?

'The two elder ones were left behind

because they could look after themselves.

'But the younger ones needed their mother.

'So it's been three years, and I keep trying to save money to see them,

'but I never have enough.

'Most important for me is to not let another year, another Christmas

'again pass with us being separated.

'I really want to get my children back.'

How much money would you need to get your children back home?

'To go there for a visit, about £100.'

Is that it? Only £100 to bring your family back together?

That's like, I sell my phone and she has her family.

You do! You do.

Nothing like this should ever happen to anyone.

To never see your children, it must be heartbreaking as a mother.

I've been away from my mum for two weeks

and I've already missed her loads

and she hasn't seen her kids in three years.

I just feel like no-one should be living like this.

Everyone should be equal.

There's no reason why I should have my family and she shouldn't.

It makes me think, "You've got it so good and you just waste it."

Bing, what's your dream?

What would happen if all your family were together?

'My biggest wish is first to get my two kids.

'And once we are together, even if we keep living like this,

'if we work hard enough and we can put them through school,

'then that would mean I could keep my family together,

'that all my children will grow up together

'and that they will know each other and not be apart ever again.'

When we go back to Britain, we'll try and raise money to send over.

We promise that you'll see your children before Christmas.

'Thank you! Thank you very much for your kindness.

'I have been praying for a blessing.

'I think my prayers have been answered.'

They definitely have.

Thank you so much.

'There are five million living in Manila's slums.'

And their life couldn't be further away

from the one enjoyed by the kids back home.

In Britain, everything's so trivial.

Like, my mashed potato's too lumpy, stuff like that.

Whereas people they live in places like this wouldn't care if they got

mashed potato with lumps or no lumps.

I think everyone in Britain needs to come here and see what it is like.

Then maybe they'll shut up a bit.

I hope the case can understand why everyone's so disciplined

and thrilled to be at the factory and everyone's genuinely made up

to have a job there, because this is the alternative.

If you don't work in a factory, this is where you're destined to come.

That's the reality, and our kids have finally got it.

It's now lunchtime, and the good news is

the factory have agreed to allow the group back in

despite yesterday's bad behaviour.

Hi, guys!

After everything they've seen today,

there's only one thing on everyone's mind - helping Bing.

What you guys have experienced this morning, it's quite moving.

I think we've all found out now the most important thing in life

is to be with your family.

All she needs to get her kids back is £100.

If we all chipped in, it's £20 for each of us. That's nothing.

With the money side of things, you have got work this afternoon,

so there is potential for you all to earn wages.

It's down to us to change everything we possibly can.

If we all just work so hard, then we can give to them so easily.

So we've got to work, give it our absolute all.

THEY CHEER

Standing between the group and that wage is the final factory task -

to put tiny protective plastic tubes onto both the wires

that come off the coil.

The workers here are expected to complete 11 trays every hour.

Can any of the five manage to achieve the target

they've been set of doing just one tray? That's 50 coils.

-This should be easily achieved.

-Yes, yes.

-OK, guys, good luck.

It's an incredibly tricky job.

You need great eyesight, steady hands and patience,

because the tubes are just 0.1mm wide.

I don't understand how that is even possible.

# Work it harder, make it better Do it faster, makes us stronger... #

I keep getting cramp and I've only done six

-because I've had to stop. It is so fiddly.

-It is so difficult!

# Our work is never over. #

I think our group are finding the task very difficult.

What's brilliant is if one of them gets frustrated,

the others go, "Remember why we're doing this."

You guys can definitely do it.

They're really doing themselves proud.

But with only ten minutes left, the group are all off the pace.

I've done 23.

Can anyone speed up enough to reach the target?

# Work it harder, make it better

# Do it faster, makes us stronger

# More than ever, hour after hour

# Work is never over. #

With the hour up, the kids' time at the factory finishes,

but not before Neddy delivers her final verdict.

They did so badly yesterday, they nearly weren't allowed back.

-Neddy!

-Hello.

-How are you?

'So, today, has anyone improved enough to earn that wage?'

I want to congratulate Milly. She had 39 units with the best quality.

Well done, Milly. You should be made up. Very pleased.

I'm just happy, but the whole group put just as much effort in.

Graceful winner.

-And here is your money, Milly.

-Thank you!

-You have actually got here 700 pesos.

-£10.

-Thank you.

-Where's that going to go?

-I'm going to try to give it to Bing.

So, we'll use Milly's wages, use some of Nia's wages,

-use Emma's wages. Do you lads want to put some money in?

-Yeah.

I'll put the rest in, so between us,

I think it is possible for Bing to fly out with all of us

to where her kids are.

We'll bring Bing to go and see her kids

that she hasn't seen in three years.

We'll all be there with her. We'll fly her over and sort it out.

-And we'll fly here back.

-Amazing! That is amazing!

Two days later, the group have travelled to the island of Negros.

After combining their earnings from all the factories so far,

they've been able to pay for Bing to finally visit her two children.

Not long, Bing. Not long.

'Bringing them back together after three years' separation.'

I'm just really happy for Bing.

I feel so proud that all of us together

managed to change someone's life for the better. Everyone looks so happy.

It's amazing how we can reunite her family

and get them all together.

I just can't imagine not being with my family. So amazing!

-I feel really proud of everybody.

-You should be.

You've really achieved something.

See you later!

-Bye!

-ALL: Bye!

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

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