Golcar St John s school flies the Fairtrade flag

Transcription

1 Golcar St John s school flies the Fairtrade flag On Wednesday 20 th April 2016, all 212 children at Golcar St John s CE Junior and Infant School, took part in a Fairtrade assembly. The school, with pupils aged 4-11, is part of the Aspire Co-operative Learning Trust ( and Fair Trader is a Trust partner. Volunteers from Fair Trader were part of the launch of a whole-school focus on fairness and justice. You don t have to spend long in the school to realise that the pupils really do live out the school ethos - they show kindness and treat each other with respect. Surrounded by Fairtrade balloons and bunting, the children delved into a shopping bag of Fairtrade food and goods, all grown or made outside the UK. In countries like Afghanistan, Bolivia, Colombia, India and South Africa faraway places where the sun shines more than in Golcar! Many of the farmers in these countries are much, much poorer than us. Sometimes they don t have enough to eat. Sometimes they don t have clean water to drink. Sometimes they don t have schools or doctors to help them when they get sick. WE eat the food they grow. WE have enough to eat every single day of the year. We have clean water that comes from a tap every day of the year. WE have schools to help us learn. We have doctors to help us when we re sick. It s only FAIR that the people who work so hard to grow OUR food should have enough to eat, clean water to drink and access to schools and clinics. In the past, other people in churches, schools and communities in richer countries like ours, made a start to try and make things better for farmers who grow our food. 1

2 All the foods and goods in the shopping bag bear the Fairtrade Mark - the black and green and blue label. The blue of the sky stands for hope. The green of the earth stands for growth. The black central portion is a raised arm that stands for empowerment - the farmers taking control of their own lives. All products bearing this Mark meet the social, environmental and economic standards set by Fairtrade. When you see this Fairtrade Mark, you know The farmer or worker got a fair amount of money for the goods The farmer got a fair wage for the work s/he did each week The farmer worked in a safe place The way the land was farmed looked after the environment The farmer had a say in how the farm was run The families in the village got a little extra money the Fairtrade Premium to spend on something they needed like clean water or teachers for a school Neve, Harrison, George, Estelle, Dominic and Brienna introduced some of the Fairtrade products taking the roles of farmers, makers and their families. BANAFRUCOOP FAIRTRADE BANANAS My name is JULIO. I am a farmer in COLOMBIA in SOUTH AMERICA. I grow FAIRTRADE BANANAS. I am part of a CO-OPERATIVE where 40 farmers work together. Because of FAIRTRADE my family has food to eat every month of the year. Julio Mercado Cantillo was part of the launch at Westminster on 1 st March 2016 of the All Party Parliamentary Group(APPG) for Fairtrade. There, he explained that periods of food insecurity los meses flacos (the thin months) were common until 2009, since when Fairtrade minimum prices have helped stabilise incomes. The Fairtrade Premium has established a mutual fund for farm repairs, retirement pensions, school toilets, housing and university scholarships. FAIRTRADE FOOTBALLS My name is RIZWAN. I live in TALON in PAKISTAN. My dad makes Fairtrade FOOTBALLS. FAIRTRADE paid for my baby brother to go to hospital when he was sick. The Fairtrade rubber is from rubber trees in Sri Lanka. The Fairtrade footballs are sewn together in Talon, Pakistan. Fairtrade pays more than average local wages. The Fairtrade Premium has funded a Health Care Scheme and loans to set up small businesses, such as laundries. DIVINE FAIRTRADE CHOCOLATE AND COCOA We live in Ghana, in western Africa. Our parents grow Fairtrade COCOA BEANS, to make into chocolate and drinking chocolate. Because of FAIRTRADE our village has a pump for CLEAN DRINKING WATER and a CLINIC for if we get sick. Much chocolate and cocoa now bears the Fairtrade Mark. DIVINE is the UK leading brand of Fairtrade chocolate. In 1997 the Kuapa Kokoo Good cocoa growers co-operative of cocoa 2

3 farmers in Ghana decided to set up their own chocolate company in the UK. Now 45,000 farmers are involved. The Fairtrade Premium has provided mobile clinics, doctors and medical staff. Qi FAIRTRADE TEA We live in the yellow mountains, in southern China. Our parents grow Fairtrade tea. Our education is better, thanks to Fairtrade. QI (pronounce chee ) organic tea is grown by a co-operative of 468 farmers, in Wuyuan Xitou, in the remote Yellow Mountain region of southern China. The farmers have worked for a long time with QI teas. The Fairtrade Premium has been spent on worker safety, street lighting, healthcare projects and school improvements. One Middle School in Wuyuan owns a tea garden which is rented out to a single tea farmer, who manages it independently. TROPICAL WHOLEFOODS FAIRTRADE RAISINS My name is Haji Hamidullah. I live in Afghanistan. I grow grapes. We dry these in the sun to make Fairtrade raisins. Wars and fighting destroyed a lot of our grapes. Because of Fairtrade we have hope again. Before the most recent wars, Afghanistan supplied over 10% of the world s raisins. Tropical Wholefoods partnered with Mercy Corps to help set up the PARWAN co-operative of farmers. This gives farmers the chance to get an income by growing healthy food. (Many farmers still cultivate opium poppies). Fairtrade has helped with regular incomes. TROPICAL WHOLEFOODS FAIRTRADE DRIED MANGOES We are three sisters. We live in Burkina Faso, a small country in Africa. We are helping to harvest the mangoes. Because of Fairtrade, women are paid a fair wage and we have bicycles. Background information. Fairtrade Organic Mango comes from the Gebana Afrique Farmers Co-operative in Burkina Faso one of the poorest countries in the world. Fairtrade means fruit farmers are paid a fair price, in advance. Women are paid fair wages too. A new factory has been built and there are classes for adults to learn to read. GRUMPY MULE FAIRTRADE COFFEE We are women farmers in Bolivia, in South America. We grow coffee beans. Because of Fairtrade we are now able to sell our coffee for a fair price. We also have built a women s centre and many girls now go to school. Background information. Fantastic coffees from all round the world, roasted in nearby Meltham! In Bolivia, women are not allowed to sell coffee beans at the market. So, they had to rely on a male friend or relative to do this; sometimes they got little income from their crop. Now, 250 women farmers have founded a co-operative and sell all their coffee direct through Fairtrade. The Fairtrade Premium has been spent on women s centres, to keep women and children safe. SO. Fairtrade makes a real difference to the lives of farmers, workers and families. 3

4 Because they get a fair deal, we usually pay a little more for Fairtrade products. I think this is fair. Thomas, Evan, Freya and Evelyn talked about growing coffee the Fairtrade way. TOM Farmers often work together in a Co-operative, to help each other. This is a GOOD way of working. No big trees are cut down, as they provide homes for the birds, and some shade from the sun. This is GOOD for the soil and the environment and the birds. The birds eat the insect pests. This is GOOD for the birds, (but not so good for the insects! ) The farmers plant coffee plants on the hillside, in amongst the big trees. EVAN The birds keep eating the insect pests. This is GOOD for the coffee plants. Because there are big trees, the coffee plants grow more slowly in the shade.the coffee cherries (so-called because they look a bit like cherries!) ripen more slowly and are harvested twice or more in the year. No pesticides are used, as the birds get rid of the pests. This is GOOD for the planet. FREYA After the coffee cherries have been picked, the leaves fall off the coffee plants and large trees; these fertilise the soil ie make the soil more productive, without using chemicals. The heat from the sun is used to dry the coffee cherries. This is GOOD as it uses no power. The cherries start to look more like coffee beans. Next year, the coffee plants can be planted on the same hillside. The farmers and workers get a fair price for the coffee beans. EVELYN The farmers get a fair amount of money for the work they do.the village gets some extra money THE FAIRTRADE PREMIUM to spend on what it needs. Can you remember some of the things that were chosen? Like clean water. Teachers. Clinics. Nurses. Doctors. Bicycles. This way of producing coffee is good for the environment, good for the farmers and the planet. ALWAYS LOOK FOR THE FAIRTRADE MARK. Then you know The farmer or worker got a fair amount of money for the goods The farmer got a fair wage for the work s/he did each week The farmer worked in a safe place The way the land was farmed looked after the environment The farmer had a say in how the farm was run The families in the village got a little extra money the Fairtrade Premium to spend on something they needed like clean water or teachers for a school HOW YOU CAN HELP TELL your friends and family about Fairtrade 4

5 SHOPPING. Look for the Fairtrade Mark when out shopping with your family on things we ve seen today, like bananas, chocolate and footballs and for other Fairtrade products like flowers, trainers, cotton and gold! PLAYTIME Fairtrade FRUIT? Fairtrade TEA and COFFEE for the adults in school? Fairtrade FOOTBALLS in school? Fairtrade COTTON uniform or PE kit? Fairtrade treats? LUNCHTIME You already have FAIRTRADE sugar and chocolate in school lunches So, remember. Fairtrade makes a real difference to the lives of farmers, workers and families. Because they get a fair deal, we usually pay a little more for the Fairtrade products. So, think about the farmers who grow our food in countries far away. Think about the lives they lead. Think about how much we have. Decide for yourself if Fairtrade is something you agree with and would like to support. Celebrate WORLD FAIR TRADE DAY 14 May 2016 Celebrate FAIRTRADE FORTNIGHT in late February every year. Find out more about Fairtrade Celebrate One World Week October Visit Fair Trader in Holmfirth Think about becoming a Fairtrade school. 5