FAIR TRADE

  Fair Trade workshop with "Emaus"

We are studing about the NGOs: their aims, their work, their means... So we decided to have a first hand contact with one of them: EMAUS

Last year we did work with Emaus, the experience was really positive so we contacted them again. So this year we are also working together.
They proposed us to do a workshop on Fair Trade. It did cover three class sessions, here it is last years work plan for the activity:

-The Work Plan

First of all an introduction session where they explained us the basics of the Fair Trade, Caroline a german volunteer gave us Emaus vision on Consumerism and we debated over the subject.

On a second session Alberto and Caroline explained the relation between 'Emaus' and TARA PROJECT
Here it is a presentation we made on the subject. 

 Tara project's presentation

Afterwards students proposed questions for the interview:

On the last session we contacted with Tara project in India, we had a video-conference (Skype ) with a responsible for Tara project in India. Our students made the questions to the daughter of the founder, Mrs. Moon Sharma:

She  told us that Tara's main objective is to help craft workers achieve self-sufficiency by providing them with the income-generating opportunities and developing their marketing skills. But not only that but also was important to improve access to health, education and economic opportunity for chronically poor communities. She explained us that their work helps not only individuals but also the group. They think that through their projects they help to create a more prosperous and sustainable future for those communities. She commented that working with Emaus helped them to be more conscious on the sustainability aspect, that they are happy with this relation.

Answering students questions she talked about their work helping artisans in having a dignify life not only did they paid them sufficient salary but they help them in a broader sense, empowering the community as they think this is the only way to finish with poverty. She told us about their interest in helping women not only to finish with their secular discrimination in Indian society but also as a way to help the group.
About students worries on what they do with the money they gain through fair trade, she insisted on Tara's compromise in using all public donations on their projects, she pointed out their low administrative costs and the benefices to the community.

We thank her for their time and interest and told her goodbye.

 Once we made the questions, we discussed on the activity and we though about doing something practical.