Fair Trade News

Firstly, a very big ‘thank you’ to everyone who bought foodstuffs, Christmas cards and items from the Traidcraft catalogue in 2012. In the period from October to December we spent as a Church around £630 – down on last year, but still a good amount and a great help to those whose livelihoods are being maintained and improved by fair trade.

As you no doubt continue to tighten your belts as the economic climate gets no better, do continue to spare a thought for those in real, grinding poverty overseas as you do your weekly shop. Fairtrade Fortnight this year is from February 25th to March 10th. It’s an opportunity to challenge ourselves once again about the purchases we make. Small farmers in developing countries are often the hardest hit when the world economy is in trouble. Fair trade gives these people the security of knowing that they’ll get a fair price for their crop, and the long-term stability of a better relationship with their buyer. We are all invited to see what further steps we can take to support this cause.

And finally … did you see the Real Easter Eggs that were on sale last year? The Real Easter Egg is the first ever to include information about the true meaning of Easter. On the box is a short explanation of what Easter is really about; inside, as well as the fair trade chocolate egg, there is the Easter story, an activity poster, an iTunes download and a sticker set.

This is the third year these special eggs have been on sale, and they have sold over 200,000 in the previous two years. (There are 80 million ordinary Easter eggs sold annually in this country alone!) The website has stories of lives that have been changed by people having received one of these eggs and hearing the Easter story, perhaps for the first time. Lives are changed in other ways too, as 15p from the sale of each egg goes to Traidcraft Exchange to support their work with poor communities – as well as the benefits from the chocolate itself being fair trade. The cost is £3.99. OK, so it’s not the cheapest Easter egg you could buy! But it is unique, and is so much more than an egg. It’s an ideal gift for parents and grandparents alike to give.

Elizabeth Holmes

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