I am sure you are all enjoying Fairtrade Fortnight 2011, which officially starts today. As you may well know, this year the Fairtrade Foundation has launched the ‘Show Off Your Label’ campaign. This involves asking the nation to show off about buying Fairtrade which offers 7.5 million people in the developing world a more secure future.
This year we’re encouraging primary schools to enter our Design a Fairtrade T-shirt competition in association with Real Radio (100-102FM) and Newcastle City Council. You can find out more by clicking here.
Here’s a roundup of what some of our customers are doing this Fairtrade Fortnight.
Fairtrade Foundation – www.fairtrade.org.uk
Cotton is one of the central themes of this Fairtrade Fortnight. Although Fairtrade cotton has been available for some time, still less than 1% of cotton fashion on the high street carries the Fairtrade Mark. Fairtrade cotton guarantees a Fairtrade minimum price as well as a Fairtrade premium for investment in social development projects such as water, education and healthcare. You can read more about how Fairtrade has benefitted producers here.
Unfair trade rules also contribute to keeping cotton farmers trapped in poverty. More than 10 million West African people who rely on cotton for their livelihoods are not able to compete on a level playing field. Cotton farmers in the EU, the United States and China are highly subsidised leading to over production. When their huge volumes of cotton are dumped on world markets, prices are driven down and small scale farmers cannot compete. This is the subject of the The Great Cotton Stitch Up.
The Fairtrade Foundation has launched an initiative with online retailer ASOS who teamed up with leading designers to produce a range of Fairtrade cotton scarves, click here to find out more.
The Fairtrade Foundation has also launched a Show Off Your Label game on Facebook. Each day there is a different challenge asking people to upload a photo or video of themselves showing off their favourite Fairtrade product in unusual ways. Challenges will include showing off with your favourite celebrity, ‘Fairtrading’ your mum and the wackiest banana smile.
Each challenge is supported by a Fairtrade organisation who will donate a prize such as blending and roasting your own coffee, a trip to visit a producer, or a cookery lesson with a top chef.
Zaytoun – www.zaytoun.org
Zaytoun CIC has announced its Fairtrade Fortnight producer tour. Two of the guest producers are women – and they’re excited to talk about their perspective on life as Palestinian farmers.
Bassema Basalat is an olive and za’atar producer, and a founder of her local women’s association. She has lost family land to nearby Israeli settlements, affecting her ability to bring in family income. Um Shehadeh (Widad Farid) is a producer of couscous and sundried tomatoes amongst other products, and the only female board member of the Palestine Fair Trade Association.
Both women will tell UK audiences more about the evolving role of women in occupied Palestine as producers, family providers and the inheritants of their grandmothers’ culinary traditions. Food production is the backbone of the Palestinian economy and two-thirds of the work is done by women. “This traditional food tells our story – who we are, what we do” says Bassema.
Zaytoun events including stalls, store samplings and presentations are happening around the country for Fairtrade Fortnight. Further images, information and event details are available on the Zaytoun website resources webpage http://www.zaytoun.org/get-involved/resources/.
Fullwell Mill – www.fullwellmill.co.uk
John Kabyetsiza from Fruits of the Nile Uganda is visiting the UK during Fairtrade Fortnight and is speaking at events organised by campaigners in Hertfordshire, Essex and Suffolk. Fruits of the Nile produce Tropical Wholefoods delicious sun dried pineapples and bananas. For more information visit: http://www.fmfoods.co.uk/partners/fon.htm
Tropical Wholefoods have sponsored a Fairtrade Facebook Challenge. The challenge opens on March 4th. www.facebook/FairtradeFoundation. All you have to do is create a fruity head-dress for yourself with a hat, turban or cap. The lovely singer Rumer is offering 2 free tickets to her concert at the Royal Festival Hall on March 30th as first prize – and you also get to win a Tropical Wholefoods basket of dried fruits and goodies. Be inspired by this great pic of Kate TW founder in hatted fruity finery.
It’s still not too late to ask for a Raisin Awareness sample box from Fullwell Mill. E-mail: victoria@fullwellmill.co.uk. To help with costs, Fulwell Mill ask for a £5 cheque for this generous box of samples, videos and literature. The box will include: Afghan Raisins, Burkina Mango, Apricot Kernels, Ugandan banana and snack bars.
Traidcraft – www.traidcraft.co.uk
Traidcraft are asking you to show off your Traidcraft honey label and tell how fair trade has helped thousands of beekeepers in Africa and Latin America.
Once again Traidcraft is encouraging supporters to hold a Big Brew, but this year they’re adding a touch of sweetness as they tell the story of how Traidcraft is helping beekeepers in the developing world to become fair trade certified. Reach out to the community in your area with a Big Brew – a nationwide initiative helping churches, schools and workplaces to host a Fairtrade event in Fairtrade Fortnight.
Traidcraft are working with beekeepers in Chile, Guatemala, Tanzania and Kenya to build better futures for themselves and their communities. By holding a Big Brew you will be helping to bring about positive change in the lives of thousands of producers in the developing world – and helping millions of bees!
Equal Exchange UK – www.equalexchange.co.uk
Equal Exchange is proud to be showing off their label this Fairtrade Fortnight 2011 which often says ‘made at origin’. Making the product at origin adds value through jobs and expertise as well as keeping profit in the hands of the producer.
During Fairtrade Fortnight Jenipher Wetaka from Gumutindo Coffee Cooperative is helping Equal Exchange celebrate International Women’s Day with the launch of an exciting coffee 100% grown by women farmers.
Equal Exchange’s seventeen wholesale customers distribute over 75 Equal Exchange Fairtrade products into many, many small natural food or deli shops in towns throughout the UK. Look out for these products near you and try them if you haven’t already. Tweet @EqualExchangeUK, share experience on their Facebook or download resources from their website www.equalexchange.co.uk
Liberation Foods – www.chooseliberation.com
Liberation Foods is running two weeks of competitions on their Harry’s Nuts! Facebook page www.facebook.com/harrysnuts – asking people to come up with funny captions for their daily photos. The winners get – you guessed it – nuts!
Liberation Foods are also participating in an event in the Atrium at Sainsbury’s, sampling their delicious nuts to the staff there. Dyborn Chibonga, CEO of the National Smallholder Farmers’ Association of Malawi, will be talking about Fairtrade nuts at events, including one at The People’s Supermarket, a Nuts for Fairtrade day in Cardiff and in press interviews. We will be providing leaflets, photos, a powerpoint of beautiful photos and other material to various events in different parts of the UK.
TV’s Aggie MacKenzie will be talking to a group in Hackney about visiting Fairtrade peanut farmers in Malawi.
Summary
We hope that many of you take part in the above Fairtrade Fortnight 2011 activities to Show Off Your Label. Let us know what you are doing to celebrate Fairtrade Fortnight in the comments section below or share your experiences on our facebook page http://www.facebook.com/sharedinterest.
Those Shared Interest members amongst our readers will recognise the above image from the Christmas card that we sent out last month.
