Spotlight on Fairtrade Businesses –

Each week, Shared Interest will highlight a business who is actively promoting Fairtrade in their community. This blog post does not imply endorsement by Shared Interest. Please contact us if you would like the ‘spotlight’ on your company.

Global Sistergoods, a fair trade and eco-friendly marketplace for unique gifts made by women, advances economic development among economically disadvantaged artisans in fragile and emerging economies by investing in entrepreneurship, self-reliance and micro enterprise development through selling fair-trade, eco-friendly jewellryhandbags, home décor items, and children’s clothing and dolls.

They provide technical assistance to these artisans– when required –on issues concerning exporting, quality control, setting price points, product design and development and shipping. The company then markets the products to consumers in the U.S. through its website, and through its growing U.S.-based network of brick and mortar boutiques and retail outlets.

Global Sistergoods sustains traditional craft-making techniques while providing high-quality products from around the world. They promotes gender and economic equity in their partner countries and dedicate themselves to long-term relationships with both the artisans with whom they work, and their customers.

When women have control of their own destiny, beautiful things can happen. Continue reading

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Tony Blair visits Palestinian Success Story

We’ve just received the following press release from Canaan Fair Trade, a Shared Interest customer and producer of the only Fairtrade certified olive oil.  This really does illustrate what a massive accomplishment Canaan Fair Trade and Fairtrade in general have made in the region.  Congratulations Canaan!

Canaan Director Nasser Abufarha meeting with Tony Blair

Canaan Director Nasser Abufarha meeting with Tony Blair

Jenin, Palestine. November 19, 2009. Tony Blair, the economic representative of the Quartet, visited Canaan Fair Trade in the village of Burqin and pronounced it a showpiece of Palestinian economic development. Mr. Blair toured Canaan’s new $2.5 million facility on Tuesday, November 10. Canaan Director Nasser Abufarha met with the Blair delegation and presented the plant and products.

Canaan produces and exports premium olive oil and Palestinian foods made by the 1700 farm families of the Palestine Fair Trade Association. Within its first three years, Canaan became the largest exporter of olive oil from Palestine. Their products are sold in 12 countries around the world. More than $8 million in sales have come back to the farmers and the Palestinian economy in the last three years thanks to Canaan customers like Dr.Bronner’s Magic Soaps, and Alter Eco and Whole Foods in the US, Equal Exchange, Sainsbury, the Cooperative, and Zaytoun in the UK, Zatoun in Canada and DWP in Germany.

Dr. Abufarha said, “Economic development is a catalyst for peace in this region. Sound and fair economics can help our farm communities reach their potential and present creative venues for them to address their national and political aspirations.” Continue reading

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Spotlight on Fairtrade Businesses – five ACCESSORIES

Each week, Shared Interest will highlight a business who is activiely promoting Fairtrade in their community. This blog post does not imply endorsement by Shared Interest. Please contact us if you would like the ‘spotlight’ on your company.

five ACCESSORIES is a socially conscious company featuring handbags and accessories sourced through fair trade practices in FIVE countries.  Our mission is to help generate income for individuals in developing areas, donate a substantial portion of the revenues to worthy causes in those areas, and to foster the use of sustainable materials in fashion.

In addition to our work with artisans in Bali, India, Honduras, and Cambodia, five ACCESSORIES is also partnering with several local organizations.  In April 2009, we launched an accessory line titled ‘Off The Street‘, which is sourced and produced by vendors of StreetWise, a Chicago based social enterprise designed to help elevate severely impoverished men and women out of poverty.  By employing individuals that have formerly been homeless and using littered material “off the streets” of Chicago, we are offering a unique eco-friendly accessory line consisting of bracelets, buttons, belts, pins and picture frames constructed and adorned with items such as transit cards, bottle caps, ticket stubs from sporting events and other urban refuse.  As with all of our accessory sales, 15% of gross income will be donated back to the local organization, StreetWise. Continue reading

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Customer Focus Zaytoun

Zaytoun became a customer of Shared Interest in 2008. Zaytoun is a community interest company established in 2004 to support marginalized farming communities in Palestine. Palestine is the home of the olive tree, supporting over half the population and dominating the agricultural landscape. Zaytoun finds a market place for Palestinian produce in the UK.  As a non-profit company their primary objectives lie with the welfare of the producing communities. They invest in empowering farming communities and developing the agricultural infrastructure in Palestine.  Zaytoun work with an agricultural cooperative in Palestine called Al Zaytouna. They have met with the organizers of Al Zaytouna many times and formed a relationship based on work, respect and solidarity.  The aim of Al Zaytouna is to defend the olive tree and market its products. They work across the West Bank and are focused on working on cooperative principles to give the farmers a stronger voice, invest in agricultural infrastructure and access new markets for their olive oil.

As well as selling olive oil etc Zaytoun also organise Harvest tours for people who are interested in meeting and seeing the farmers in Palestine.Zaytoun have strong relationships with other Shared Interest customers such as Equal Exchange Trading and Canaan. The term loan that Canaan received from Shared Interest was used for a building and asset purchases, Zaytoun visited Canaan to see how the money had helped.

Heather Masoud was recently accredited for the Women in Ethical Business Awards.

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Social Investment Toolkit

Lisa Zaslow is a guest blogger and the views expressed herein are her own and do not necessarily represent the views of Shared Interest Society.

Lisa is a passionate fair trade and microfinance activist currently living in North Carolina, USA. She is the founder of Blue People Fair Trade Ltd., an online store that specializes in fair trade and environmentally friendly accessories from all over the world. If you would like to be a guest blogger, please contact us with your interest.

Investing can be tricky business. And stressful. Not to mention a headache. And, especially for the novice investor… simply overwhelming. Add to this trying to promote a worthy cause…in a bad economy! So how should I invest my money responsibly?  How do I choose a cause?  How will my money be spent?  Let’s find out. Continue reading

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Holiday Prize offered for £1,000 Challenge

Would you like to visit one of the most beautiful countries in the world and see firsthand the impact that fair trade has on craft producers and farmers?

By entering our £1,000 Challenge you will automatically be entered  into a prize draw to win a Meet the People fair trade holiday to Peru, Kenya or Costa Rica and Nicaragua. Meet the People Tours are offered to Shared Interest and Traidcraft supporters as an opportunity to meet fair trade producers while enjoying a unique and authentic insight into a country’s people and culture.

As many of you already know Shared Interest Foundation does some amazing work to help people in the developing world work their way out of poverty. Whether it’s giving a small grant to pay for an organisation to attend a trade fair or running an intensive three-year training course, our work changes people’s lives.

We would love to help more craft makers and farmers achieve their true potential, however this can only be achieved with your help and this is where the £1,000 challenge comes in.

We are looking for 100 people to commit to raising £1,000 within one year. Now this may seem daunting at first, however with our help – in fundraising ideas, sponsor forms and marketing advice – and support from your family and friends it is achievable. You can help thousands of individuals to improve their livelihoods and you could win a holiday of a lifetime.

I have signed up for this challenge myself (although I will not be entered into the holiday prize draw for obvious reasons!) and will be recording my progress monthly to share ideas, challenges and hopefully successes stories. I’m being sponsored to swim the length of the English Channel in four weeks. I will swim 22 miles which equates to 35,405 metres, which is a whopping 1,416 lengths of a 25m pool. I set up a justgiving page and only a week into the challenge I had over £250!

If you’re not one for swimming, then why not try holding a coffee morning or a sponsored silence or selling homemade cards? Whatever you do you’ll be helping disadvantaged craft makers and farmers work their way out of poverty.

If you would like to sign up to the £1,000 Challenge you can download our £1000 challenge pledge  form by clicking here, or for more information please send me an email.

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Ambassador Action

This week, ahead of National Ethical Investment Week, Shared Interest was delighted to have taken part in The Guardian’s, You Ask, They Answer.  This five day online slot, which is part of The Guardian’s Ethical Living Section, involves companies putting themselves forward to be questioned by Guardian online readers.

Shared Interest’s PR Manager Stina Dodds said, ‘Securing this online slot was a real coup for Shared Interest, especially in the run up to National Ethical Investment Week.  You can see how we did by logging onto the site at any time.  You might even want to add comments to future slots if they link in any way to fair trade or Shared Interest.  All you have to do is register with The Guardian if you are not already signed up.  This only takes a couple of minutes and you can register here.  Then, when you go to make a comment, the site will ask you to provide a User Name.  Once this is done, you are ready to go and can start asking questions.’ Continue reading

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Ambassador Question Time – Is Shared Interest a micro-finance organisation?

Is Shared Interest a micro-finance organisation?

Microfinance, or microcredit, is the lending of very small amounts of money for short periods of time, especially to a start-up company or self-employed person.

The loans and credit that Shared Interest provides does not qualify as microfinance or microcredit, however some of the amounts we lend are small and short term. Shared Interest also does not offer funding for start up capital as the customers we work with are already established Fair trade businesses.

However, the Shared Interest Foundation supports businesses that are just starting out in the fair trade world, or which are in the process of achieving fair trade status with training in business skills and capacity building.

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North of the Border – an update from Ruth Taylor

This month there have been plenty of opportunities for Shared Interest to attend events in Scotland; Edinburgh has almost become my second home!

I delivered a Shared Interest presentation to the Morningside Justice and Peace group, and attended a Dinner and Discussion meeting at Balerno Parish Hall. Attendees at both events spoke of how motivated they felt at the positive news from Shared Interest.

Ashleigh and I attended the Volunteering and Travel Fair at the University of Edinburgh as part of our drive to recruit new student ambassadors.  Over the next few months we hope to work with our new Ambassadors to develop new opportunities to promote Shared Interest during Fairtrade Fortnight.

Thank you to all of you who came along to the Ambassador training and Members events in York and Newcastle; this weekend I will be running Ambassador training at the University of Central Lancashire in Preston and look forward to meeting with many of you there.

At the end of November I will be setting off for Costa Rica and Nicaragua with our Foundation Manager Andrea. Please keep checking the Shared Interest blog regularly for updates!

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Update from the South East by Sally Reith

This month I have mostly been out of the office and working with Ambassadors in the South East at a variety of events.  On the 10th of October Shared Interest were at the Fairtrade Foundations’ Supporter Conference in London.  Myself and Ambassador Pat Wallace ran a stall in the marketplace area and were extremely grateful when MD Patricia came to help us out, as the stall was so busy with people wanting more information about Shared Interest to take away with them and pass onto their Steering Groups.  This was also a great opportunity to make new contacts.

I was involved in a fair trade challenge day at Chesham High School where I developed existing connections with the school and the local steering group, which is very active and supportive of Shared Interest.  Then I travelled over to Felixstowe to my first Fairtrade Fashion Show which was organised by Alan Muchal, Shared Interest Ambassador, and the local steering group.  This was a great event and a real success at showcasing the availability of fair trade fashion in Felixstowe and online.  Alan kindly then introduced me to others on the steering group and local fair trade retailers.  On my way back from Felixstowe I dropped in on the Lifestyle Movement’s AGM where I had been invited by a member to be their guest speaker.  The theme of their AGM was ‘Money’ so Shared Interest tied in very well with this theme as well as the values of the Lifestyle Movement generally. Continue reading

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Namayiana - Fair Trade Producer Visit Click here to learn how you can invest in fair trade.

Click here to donate to the Shared Interest Foundation
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