AN ACHING WORLD
Over 1 billion people in the world must survive on less than $1 a day. More than 2 billion must make it on less than $2. International corporations have become extremely adept at navigating the international market so that they can provide you with the largest amount of merchandise for the lowest cost, but this comes at the terrible cost of human life and dignity.The average cup of coffee is often produced by large corporations that exploit impoverished workers with meager pennies that barely cover the cost of food; much less education, health care and quality housing. The clothes you wear every day could very well have been made by children whose families are dying of poverty, and they have no choice but to spend their childhoods slaving away in factories where it's ok to exhaust and demean children, simply for the sake of saving production costs. Farmers deserve dignity. Children deserve joy. But what will it take for the international market to hear the cries of real people who have become the invisible foundations of our daily consumerism?
WHAT IS FAIR TRADE?
Fair Trade is an international movement that's working to empower people in developing nations with opportunities to make a dignified living with just wages for their work. The intent of Fair Trade is to work with marginalized producers and workers so as to provide them with what they need to move towards monetary self-sufficiency. Fair Trade is a trading partnership, based on dialogue, transparency and respect, and seeks greater equity in international trade. It contributes to sustainable development by offering better trading conditions to, and securing the rights of, marginalized producers and workers; especially in the Global South. Fair Trade Organizations, backed by consumers, are engaged actively in supporting producers, awareness raising and in campaigning for changes in the rules and practice of conventional international trade. Fair Trade is catching like wildfire in global business, and each year is seeing a 22% increase in Fair Trade sales worldwide.THE POWER OF ONE
Now you may ask yourself where your place is in all of this. How can you help farmers obtain better livelihoods in developing countries? How is it that we can solve the problem of poverty that hurts so many people in the world? Poverty is an issue that will be ever present on earth as long as there are imperfect humans that populate it. However poverty alleviation can become a very realistic achievement if it is thought of in small ways through one community, one family and one person at a time.Through the business empowering movements that promote concepts such as "Business as a Mission" and "Fair Trade", alleviating poverty around the world is becoming increasingly feasible. When people are provided with the tools needed to generate independent sources of income, business becomes a fantastic catalyst that affects numerous other threads in the fabric of sustainable development.
ROYAL BHAKTAPUR'S DESIRE FOR FAIRER TRADE
Royal Bhaktapur was started after the CEO became witness to the terrible poverty that ravaged the people of Nepal. However, along with despair after witnessing the financial suffering that people endured, there was also hope in the knowledge that something could be done.Though numerous families in Nepal were hurting for money, they had tremendous vocational resources, with talented weaving skills that had been handed down through generations of family tradition. They simply lacked the economic opportunities that would allow them to make and sell their Pashmina shawls. This is where Royal Bhaktapur was able to play a life changing role. The CEO knew the difference that could be made if only these families were given a chance to use their skills, and so he offered to pay the people fair prices for their weaving in order to sell their Pashmina shawls around the world.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Though you may think that you're only one person, and that one drop in the ocean of injustice won't do much, remember that any wave in the water is comprised of millions of drops that were brave enough to rise above the surface. You have the choice to be one of those drops that make up a larger impacting whole. Here are some choices you can make in your daily life that all contribute to making a larger difference for families across the world.Purchase Fair Trade coffee instead of cheaper brands. You may balk at the extra cost, but remember, you're not just paying for top of the line coffee yumminess, you're paying to give a family a chance for a better life.
As much as you can while food shopping, buy local produce, often available at your friendly local Farmers Market. Even though you may assume that local (often organic) produce may be more expensive, you'd be surprised at the similarity in prices. Only when you buy from local farmers, you're getting healthier and tastier options, as well as giving valuable support to your local community.
Fair Trade also applies to clothes, so even though you may not be able to find a lot of fairly traded clothes in your average shops, do some online research to see which companies have the best reputations for treating their workers fairly. The statistics abound and you'll often find yourself surprised by the policies surrounding everyday companies.
