Fairtrade & Christ Church
What is Fairtrade?
Why at Christ Church should we buy Fairtrade?
Christ Church can make a difference through buying Fairtrade products. We know that if our tea, coffee or sugar has the Fairtrade mark, a minimum price has been paid to the producers covering their costs of production. Not only this but the producers receive an additional Fairtrade premium (an extra amount of money) to invest in their communities such as healthcare, clean water, education and so on. Producers are small scale and organised into co-operatives who always get a democratic say in decisions – women included. No child or forced labour can occur.
Becoming a Fairtrade Church
Nearly 7000 churches in the UK are making the connection between trade and poverty and committing to using Fairtrade products including tea, coffee, sugar and biscuits. The Fairtrade Foundation Churches scheme is supported by 12 organisations.
• Use Fairtrade tea and coffee after services and in all meetings for which they have responsibility
• Move forward on using other Fairtrade products such as sugar, biscuits and fruit
• Promote Fairtrade during Fairtrade Fortnight and during the year through events, worship and other activities whenever possible.
How you can help
A simple way each one of us can make a difference is by choosing to buy something with the Fairtrade mark when we are out and about. Harrogate has been certified a Fairtrade town and there are plenty of places that serve or stock Fairtrade products. You can find details of all Fairtrade products and also the list of Fairtrade retailers by clicking here:
Link to list of products www.fairtrade.org.uk
Moussa’s story
Moussa Keita has eight children and two wives. Like other farmers in the region he struggled to fend for his family on a low income and with poor access to healthcare and education. On top of this, lack of agricultural equipment and poor roads made it difficult to earn a living. But six years ago he started farming Fairtrade cotton and has seen the positive changes over time. Moussa is part of the Dougourakoroni village co-op but he is also the Secretary of UC-CPC de Djidian, which is the umbrella co-operative for the 37 smaller, village-level co-ops. Moussa said it was difficult to get by before and he was only able to send three of his children to school. ‘Today, all my children can go to school because I can afford to pay the school fees; we eat every day, we are able to eat when we are hungry. I can also meet the costs of medicines should we need them.’
As well as earning enough money to meet his basic needs through the Fairtrade minimum price, Moussa’s co-operative receives a Fairtrade premium – extra money to invest in the business or community. Children used to have to walk 2.5km to get to school each day so part of the premium money was used to build two classrooms and a staffroom, which has benefitted 119 children so far. Moussa says: ‘Thanks to the profits from Fairtrade many parents are able to meet school fees and the number of children going to school has increased.’