| Fair Trade - Equality Not Charity: |
 |
 Fair Trade has often been looked at as a form of charity. I want to set the record straight! Charity is great, folks, but let's face it, it is not a long-term solution for poverty. It is an immediate and temporary alleviation of human suffering.
Fair Trade helps to immediately alleviate suffering as well, but it also offers a whole lot more. Here's what It Does:
1. Promotes Self-Sufficiency! (farmers are able to work one-on-one with buyers, learn business skills, and pass those skills down to future generations)
2. Preserves Dignity! (they are proud of their work and they are proud of their families--let's keep it that way by offering them fair wages instead of temporary handouts)
3. Stability! (through long-term business relationships, farmers never have to worry about feeding their families, enabling them to be happy people producing great coffee!)
4. Keeping Dibs on the Environment! (Fair Trade farmers grow their crops with the environment in mind by utilizing local resources sustainably--shade-growing saves birdies!)
5. Cooperatives! (Fair Trade coffee is produced using cooperatives--small businesses that are worker-owned and democratically-run)
Charity is a great thing, and it's important to give without expecting anything in return. However, if you're looking for ways you can contribute to long-term solutions, pair up your charity donations with some Fair Tradin'! You'll feel good about yourself and you'll be drinking some kick-butt coffee....
|
|
