How the Fairtrade premium is changing lives for cotton farmers in Cameroon

World Fair Trade Day is 8th May 2010

To celebrate World Fair Trade Day we are offering a special 15% discount until the end of May 2010.  To avail of this discount go to http://www.arushafairtrade.com/, make your selections, then click on CART and type the code FAIRTRADE into the voucher box.

Fair Trade Gifts for First Holy Communion and Confirmation

It’s that time of the year when children are making their First Holy Communion and Confirmation. The little people are always happy to accept a few bob but it can be nice to give a present that will be a memento of their special day.

We have a range of affordable gift ideas starting from €10 and all fair trade. Our favorite is the lovely bracelet with symbols from the life of Jesus made by township women in South Africa. Or for a little boy how about the cross spelling the name "Jesus", handmade in Argentina? It comes in a gift box. We have necklace and bracelet sets with freshwater pearls, made especially for children, by a women's co-operative in the Philippines. These sets also make a great Bat Mitzvah present.

As always when you buy one of these gifts we send it with an information sheet telling you more about the producer. We can deliver the gift directly to you, and if you prefer we will gift-wrap your present and deliver it with a card to the important little person. We deliver to all parts of Ireland, Britain and indeed worldwide.

http://www.arushafairtrade.com/88-confirmation-first-holy-communion-gifts

St. Patrick would support Fair Trade

Did you know that Saint Patrick was not Irish, he was actually British? He was born in the fourth century on the west coast of Britain and his father was a deacon. Some say he was born at Kilpatrick, near Dumbarton, in Scotland. Others say his own autobiography identifies his birthplace as an area near Cumbria.

There are many legends and stories of St. Patrick, but there is no doubt that he was captured from his home by an Irish raiding party when he was very young. He was taken to Ireland as a slave to herd and tend sheep and pigs on the mountain side. (Tradition says this was in County Antrim but it is now believed that it was more like likely in County Mayo, on the west coast) Ireland at this time was a land of Druids and pagans. He learned the language and practices of the people who held him.

During his captivity, Patrick turned to God in prayer. He wrote "The love of God and his fear grew in me more and more, as did the faith, and my soul was rosed, so that, in a single day, I have said as many as a hundred prayers and in the night, nearly the same." "I prayed in the woods and on the mountain, even before dawn. I felt no hurt from the snow or ice or rain."

Patrick's captivity lasted until he was twenty, when he escaped after having a dream from God in which he was told to leave Ireland by going to the coast. There he found some sailors who took him back to Britain, where he reunited with his family. He had another dream in which the people of Ireland were calling out to him and begging for his return. He began his studies for the priesthood and returned to Ireland after being ordained as a bishop. In Ireland he set about preaching the Gospel but met some opposition and hostility from tribes and their leaders. Nevertheless he successfully converted Chieftains and at least 120,000 ordinary people to Christianity. Two genuine writings of his have survived to this day, one of which is his autobiography. Legend has it that he died at the age of 120 on 17th March. St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated worldwide on 17th March and is a national holiday in Ireland.

But what has this got to do with Fair Trade? Patrick was a victim of human trafficking and spent approximately six years of his life as a child slave living in appalling conditions. Over 1,500 years later an estimated 158 million children aged 5-14 years are engaged in child labour in developing countries. (Source UNICEF). According to the United Nations, 126 million of them are occupied in the worst forms of labour affecting their health or education, e.g. in mines, with chemicals and pesticides in agriculture, or with dangerous machinery. Of these, 50 million work in Sub-Saharan Africa alone.  There is an important distinction to be made between a child being forced into labour and a child's willing participation in work.  Helping with the housework or in the family business, or earning pocket money during school holidays are all positive steps in a child's development. These forms of work provide children with valuable skills and experience. The work done by a child is not considered labour if it doesn't harm their health, interrupt their education or hinder their personal development.

Most of us are consumers of some products tainted by child labour. It could be the cotton in your bed linen or clothes, chocolate with origins in the Ivory Coast, jewellery, hand-knotted carpets from India, your iPod, footballs from Pakistan, that cup of coffee in your local cafe....

If we do not care whether or not the products we purchase are made by child labour, governments will continue to avert their eyes from the plight of these children. So how are we to avoid the trap of benefiting from the labour of children? One answer to this problem is to buy fair trade products.

At Arusha Fair Trade the majority of our products are produced by members of the WFTO and we follow their standards when deciding which products to stock. The World Fair Trade Organisation has set 10 standards of Fair Trade. Here is number five:

“Standard Five: Child Labour and Forced Labour
The organization adheres to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, and national / local law on the employment of children. The organization ensures that there is no forced labour in its workforce and / or members or homeworkers.

Organizations who buy Fair Trade products from producer groups either directly or through intermediaries ensure that no forced labour is used in production and the producer complies with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, and national / local law on the employment of children. Any involvement of children in the production of Fair Trade products (including learning a traditional art or craft) is always disclosed and monitored and does not adversely affect the children’s well-being, security, educational requirements and need for play.”

The Fairtrade Labelling Organisation, which certifies fairtrade tea, coffee, chocolate, bananas, rice, wine etc, is committed to child protection. Fairtrade prohibits child labour which includes the worst forms of child labour and forced (bonded) labour. Fairtrade helps address the roots of child labour by offering producers in the developing world a fair price and stable trading deals.

I think if St. Patrick was alive today he would choose fair trade.

For all Mothers .......

BEFORE I WAS A MOM

"Before I was a mom, I made and ate hot meals, wore unstained clothes and had quiet conversations on the phone.

Before I was a mom, I never worried about how late I went to bed because I could sleep in as long as I wanted.

Before I was a mom, I washed my face and brushed my teeth everyday.

Before I was a mom, I enjoyed a leisurely cup of coffee while reading the

morning newspaper on a Saturday morning.

Before I was a mom, I slept the whole night through.

Before I was a mom, my house was clean everyday and I didn't worry about whether or not my plants were poisonous.

Before I was a mom, I had never been puked on, pooped on, peed on, chewed on or pinched by little fingers.

Before I was a mom, I had complete control of my mind, thoughts and body.

Before I was a mom, I never held down a screaming child while doctors and nurses did tests or gave shots. I never felt my heart break into a million pieces because I couldn't stop the hurt.

Before I was a mom, I never looked into teary eyes and cried.

Before I was a mom, I never got gloriously happy over a toothless grin.

Before I was a mom, I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put it down. I never was up in the wee hours of the night just watching a baby while it slept. I never knew that something so small couldn't effect my life so tremendously.

Before I was a mom, I never knew I could love someone so unconditionally and completely.

Before I was a mom, I never knew how satisfying it is to feed a hungry

child. I never knew how fulfilling it is to soothe a baby's cries.

Before I was a mom, I loved my mom, but didn't understand her.

Before I was a mom, I never knew the warmth, the joy, the heartache, the

wonderment, or the fulfillment of being a mom.

Before I was a mom, I never knew I would love being a mom."

- Sharon L. Twitchell

Happy Mother's Day

Browse our range of fair trade Mother's Day gifts at http://www.arushafairtrade.com/

This is Nargis and her daugher Zarin. For women like Nargis, fair trade makes a huge difference. The fair wage that her mother earned enabled Nargis to be educated and she is now a teacher. Nargis has set up a school in her village in Bangdalesh so more children, including her own daughter Zarin can have a better future.

Why Fair Trade is Good for Women

It is International Women's Day and inequality is still a serious problem in the world. We know this because 70% of the one billion people living on less than a dollar a day are women.*

• Women work 66% of the world’s working hours

• While only earning 10% of the world’s income

• Over 66% of the world’s 876 million illiterate people are women

• More than 80% of the world’s estimated 40 million refugees are women and children

• Women own less than 1% of the world’s property

Fair trade transforms lives and it is good for women. It gives them opportunities to work that would not otherwise be available. For women this means clean water, education and food for their families. We are very proud to say that the majority of the goods we sell are produced by women and we are very proud to be supporting the wonderful organisations which bring these goods to market.

Motif operating in Bangladesh since 1998 is a good example. The women making Motif products, such as fair trade jewellery are marginalised for reasons more than poverty. Some are former prostitutes; others have been affected by leprosy or other wasting diseases; some may have been divorced or abandoned - each situation scars women with a stigma that reduces their chance of decent employment. Employment at Motif daily provides a 'safe place' where they can share with other women and be earning at the same time. Many also take materials home, working when daily chores are put down. All enjoy the camaraderie together.

India. St Mary’s Mahila Shikshan Kendra is a women’s handicraft organization run by the Dominican Sisters in Gomtipur, Ahmadabad. This area of Ahmadabad, once known for its textile mills, suffered much unemployment since global competition closed the mills in the 1980s. It continues to attract landless labourers who come searching for work. Artisans of St. Mary’s create mirrorwork embroidery in the tradition of the Kathiawadis, a craft more than a thousand years old. The artisans of St. Mary’s share in decision–making and project responsibilities. St. Mary’s markets 20 percent of its products in India; the rest are sold abroad. The organization runs a dispensary and maternity clinic that caters to the poor and marginalized women of the area around St. Mary’s. It also runs health programs, a savings program, sewing education and children’s education programs. Since 1970, their embroidery program has provided employment for women of the area. St. Mary’s is intentionally a mix of Christian, Hindu and Muslim artisans working together. During 2002 religious riots in Gujarat state, St. Mary’s, with its history of religious understanding, became a refuge for many from the chaos and violence.

In the Philippines nearly 800 households were displaced from their homes by a major hydro-electric project. A co-operative was specifically set up to provide sustainable livelihood opportunities for families and communities displaced from their homes. The co-operative producing lovely fair trade jewellery is made up of sixty women.

These organisations are just a small example of how fair trade helps women. We also sell products made by and empowering women in Peru, Nepal and Vietnam

According to the Fair Trade Federation, seventy percent of Fair Trade artisans are women, many of whom are the sole wage-earners in their homes. Unlike most jobs that women might hold in manufacturing where they are forced to travel great distances and work long hours in dangerous conditions, a woman’s participation in a Fair Trade cooperative is about more than just her production capacity. Fair Trade allows women to provide for their families, educate their sons and their daughters and strengthens communities.

*Statistics quoted from http://www.concern.net/


March 8th is International Women's Day

Further reading:  World Fair Trade Organisation, International Women's Day Section