As the season of Advent draws closer, Catholic Relief Services and a
fair trade group are encouraging consumers to be mindful of where they
buy their Christmas gifts.
“We ought to be aware of how we’re connected,” said Rodney North of Equal Exchange, a fair trade group based in Massachusetts.
Since 2007, Catholic Relief Services has worked with Equal Exchange to
involve more U.S. Catholics in their work of improving the lives of
those in developing nations.
Now, thanks to a revamped online store and
Christmas bazaar program, it’s easier than ever to support rural
communities.
“The relationship began because of this coincidence in values,” North told CNA in a recent interview.
Catholic Relief Services works to help improve the well-being of those
in need, usually on the ground level of charities, while Equal Exchange
works as a “friendly buyer” for small farmers and farming co-ops
throughout the world. Even if the market forces prices down, Equal
Exchange guarantees a fair wage for their products.
“If nothing else, this partnership is educating people about their
connections with others,” North explained. “Every day through the banana
you buy, through the coffee you drink, you’re connected to these people
and you should think about that.”
While most people are familiar with the constant fluctuation of
marketplace prices, he said, what many people may not realize is the
devastating impact these changes can have on producers in developing
nations.
“That’s one reason why they have low prices year after year after year
so they can never escape their poverty, they can never scratch enough
together to climb out of that hole,” North said.
“Now that we know this sort of grim reality of how the marketplace
works, we have choices; we’re encouraging you to make this other choice
to seek out fair-trade products where people are trying to do right by
the small farmers, to give them a break,” he added.
After buying products at a fair price, Equal Exchange then sells them
online and gives churches and other community organizations the
opportunity to sell them as well, particularly at annual fairs preceding
Christmastime.
More than 5,000 congregations and community organizations have purchased
Equal Exchange products to sell at their annual Christmas fairs. While
this might sound like a large number, North pointed out that this leaves
more than 300,000 congregations and place of worship that do not offer
fair trade products.
When consumers purchase products through this particular option, they
are both generating funds for their own congregation and supporting
Catholic Relief Service’s overseas projects by funding a small-farmers’
sustainability program.
“When farmers come together, they get a little more power,” North explained.
By joining with other local producers, these communities can pool their
money to build warehouses, trucks for shipping and even hire a person to
conduct quality control, thus improving their products – and quality of
life – even more.
Coffee, chocolate, handmade crafts and artisan gift wrap are just some
of the items available, all of which comes from people who are receiving
fair wages for their work.
North said that those interested in learning more about selling fair trade products at their Christmas fairs can visit: http://www.equalexchange.coop/programs/holiday-bazaar.
Simply by requesting more information, people can be entered to win $500 in fair trade merchandise to sell at their fair.