We asked “How do you Go Further for Fairtrade and Change The World?”. Here, Traidcraft’s Community and Events Fundraiser, Abi Knowles, answers:
Traidcraft is one of the UK’s leading fair trade organisations. We’re part business and part international development charity and we support some of the world’s poorest producers to work their own way out of poverty.
Naturally, Fairtrade Fortnight is a pretty busy time for us, and we’re marking the fortnight in a few different ways, and asking our supporters to join us of course!
This Fairtrade Fortnight, almost 1600 people up and down the country will be popping the kettle on and inviting friends, family and colleagues to join them for a Traidcraft Big Brew, raising funds to support our life changing work in the developing world. From coffee mornings to carnivals, a Big Brew event can be anything you want it to be.
As well as donating for a cuppa we’re also asking people to do something practical this Fairtrade Fortnight and knit a mug hug to keep their cup of tea cosy and warm! If you’d like to give it a try you can find a free knitting pattern, as well as a downloadable event pack with lots of other activities, at our website: www.traidcraft.co.uk/bigbrew.
But if you’re not a knitter then fear not, you can still take part and make a virtual mug hug online at our Facebook page for a chance to win some Traidcraft chocolate!
Our supporters have been really busy raising money for us, not only through Big Brew events but in other, more creative ways as well. One of our supporters recently raised £1500 by having her hair cut into a purple Mohawk!
Here at Traidcraft HQ we’ll be holding our own staff Big Brew on 15th March. The eagle-eyed amongst you will notice that this is also Red Nose Day, and we’ve decided to split the proceeds from the day between Comic Relief and our charity, Traidcraft Exchange. We’ll be holding a 1970s themed fancy dress day (Traidcraft began in 1979), complete with games, competitions, prizes for the best dressed and a lovely cup of Traidcraft tea! Who knows, we might even get on TV!
Of course, there is a serious point to all of this. Traidcraft Exchange helps some of the world’s poorest people to work their own way out of poverty. We run programmes training farmers and artisans in business techniques, market access, how to increase their yields and diversify into different crops.
We work with beekeepers and tea farmers, vegetable growers and textile producers, all over Africa and Asia. This training and support means increased incomes, more confidence and improved communities. We also work to influence policy makers in the developed world and change the rules so that trade can work fairly for all.
For us it’s all about giving people in poverty a hand up, not a hand out. For people like Moli Chiran (pictured), a smallholder farmer from Bangladesh, this support means increased yield, income and confidence. Moli grows vegetables and through Traidcraft’s Bangladesh project she has been trained in soil testing, compost production, cultivation techniques, sorting, grading and packing her produce and accessing local markets to sell her crop.
All this has meant that Moli’s income has increased, and she has been able to make improvements to her home. Every time someone buys a Traidcraft product, or donates to Traidcraft Exchange, producers like Moli benefit.
So why not join us this Fairtrade Fortnight, and beyond, and help us to build a world freed from poverty, where trade is just and people and communities can flourish.
Download your free Big Brew pack here: www.traidcraft.co.uk/BigBrew
Or decorate a virtual mug hug on our Facebook page for the chance to win Traidcraft chocolate!
Tweets by @fair_funky
