Here is how one from new Ambassador. Sr. Marie Nakitende, jumped into her role as Ambassador:

“I am delighted to say that I had a great time. I enjoyed meeting and interacting with everybody and learned so much about CRS Fair Trade that weekend. As you see in the photo, my face is smiling with a CRS Fair Trade cap or (Baseball Cap as people call it). I had a safe trip to Milwaukee. And I am glad to tell you that since I came back I have been wearing my CRS Fair Trade cap every day. This cap has drawn people’s attention, some have been wondering why a “nun” puts a baseball cap on a veil and others are interested to know about CRS Fair Trade. So, if you do not know where or how to start, simply put on your CRS Fair Trade Cap or T-Shirt and see.”

That kind of spunk and commitment is why Sr. Marie is an Ambassador. You can announce your support of CRS Fair Trade too by using our free “I’m a Fan” stickers. Write on our Facebook wall or write us to request your own!

p.s. Don’t forget to act in solidarity yourself through the Fair Trade My Home pledge and raffle

The theme of WFTD  is Fair Trade My Home linking our lives to the livelihoods of our brothers and sisters around the world.  Producers need to provide for their households.   Consumers like you have the opportunity to bring Fair Trade food, decorations, jewelry and more into your own home in acts of solidarity shopping.     To Fair Trade Your Home is easy and fun. Our friends at the Fair Trade Resource Network have put together a tool kit of resources and come up with several contests to inspire you.

We here at CRS Fair Trade have a contest of our own: every person who takes the Fair Trade My Home pledge–meaning promises to use one product from a CRS Fair Trade partner in the year 2010–will be entered into a raffle to win Haitian artwork from our Work of Human Hands catalog.

Here’s how to participate:

1) Fill out the pledge form attached and return it to fairtrade “at” crs.org before May 10.  Don’t forget to buy a product for your home from our crafts, coffee, and chocolate partners.   WFTD Pledge Card 2010

2) Plan a Work of Human Hands sale, a Raise Money Right chocolate fundraiser, a Fair Trade coffee tasting or other fun event using CRS Fair Trade partner products.   Encourage attendees to take the Fair Trade My Home pledge and return this downloadable WFTD pledge tally sheet to fairtrade “at” crs.org by May 10.

This day and every day Fair Trade gives us a chance to embrace the principles of Catholic social teaching such as care of god’s creation and working for the common good.  Join us in putting principles into practice.

Sarah, Laura and Elizabeth in Ghana. Photo:DeCarlo/CRS

Apparently Elizabeth Cole is also well known to Tom Gibbons of the  Busted Halo blog, who sent in this appreciation:

Hardly a month goes by without spotting St. Austin’s parishioner Elizabeth Cole in the courtyard selling Fair Trade chocolate.  Needless to say, she is a very popular person… especially around Christmas time.

“I took the ‘Just Faith’ course about four-to-five years ago and I was struck with two things.  The first was that I was coming late in life to looking at issues of poverty and the like through a justice lens, beyond looking at them through charity.  The second was that I did not want my son and grandson to wait until they were in their forties for them to look at things from a justice perspective either.”

So from that learning experience, Elizabeth decided to create a curriculum in order to educate children on issues of justice.  Her angle: retelling the Parable of the Good Samaritan by including Cocoa Farmers in the story.  She pitched the idea to one of the small Christian communities at St. Austin and used them as a beta test; along the way, University of Texas students Sarah Yanes and Laura Duca decided to help out.

The very next year—with the encouragement of Austin Diocesan Director  Barbara Budde—Elizabeth entered her program into a competition CRS Fair Trade sponsored in order to discover the best educational program for kids.  The grand prize was 10 day trip to visit Ghana and the cocoa fields.  When she won the top prize, Elizabeth asked if she could also bring Sarah and Laura; because the prize only allotted for one person to go, both the parish and the Diocese of Austin contributed funds for the students to go.

“Amazing… CRS does an amazing job in Ghana.”  When I asked her what was the most important “take away” from her trip was, she replied, “It’s one thing to see these issues at play on paper, but it’s another thing to see it first hand.”  She said that the experience gave her a great motivator to keep doing more.  “This system [of Fair Trade] really does work.”

Elizabeth’s next stop: Michigan, so that she can be trained to become a CRS Fair Trade Ambassador.  The people here at St. Austin’s are very glad that she is; Christmas is only eight months away.”

As I make my way through the global issues lectures, I’ll be posting the interesting tidbits on our Facebook page. Become a CRS Fair Trade facebook  fan and keep up with the Specialty Coffee Conference.

Rigoberto and CRS staff in San Diego

Last year, CRS Fair Trade was proud to be part of the World’s Largest Fair Trade break in honor of World Fair Trade Day.  For 2010, we’re excited about a new spirit of friendly competition as Fair Traders come together to celebrate the people who grow our food and produce our goods.

The theme of this year’s celebration is Fair Trade My Home.  Producers around the world need to provide for their households.  I think of someone like Comfort Kumeah, of the Kuapa Kokoo cocoa association, who invited a Raise Money Right delegation into her home in Ghana, where she explained the benefits Fair Trade had for her community.  Consumers have the opportunity to bring Fair Trade food, decorations, jewelry and more into their own homes in acts of solidarity shopping.    Every time I enjoy Divine chocolate Easter Eggs or Equal Exchange organic bars, I am connected to farmers like Comfort.

To bring Fair Trade into your home and community is easy and fun.  Our friends at the Fair Trade Resource Network have put together a tool kit of resources and come up with several contests to inspire you. CRS Fair Trade has a contest of its own: every person who takes the Fair Trade My Home pledge–meaning promises to use one product from a CRS Fair Trade partner in the year 2010–will be entered into a raffle to win Haitian artwork from our Work of Human Hands catalog.

Here’s how to participate:

1) Fill out the pledge form attached and return it to fairtrade “at” crs.org before May 10.  Don’t forget to buy a product for your home from our crafts, coffee, and chocolate partners.   This is the honor system people! WFTD pledge card 2010

2) Plan a Work of Human Hands sale, a Raise Money Right chocolate fundraiser, a Fair Trade coffee tasting or other fun event using CRS Fair Trade partner products.   Encourage attendees to take the Fair Trade My Home pledge and return this downloadableWFTD pledge tally sheet to fairtrade “at” crs.org by May 10.

Who knows, CRS Fair Trade may even win the contest for the organization with the most supporters taking the pledge. But our real motivation is to help you act in solidarity with farmers and artisans around the world!

Just Coffee is still looking for a couple people to join their Africa delegation.

JUST COFFEE
together with Global Awareness Adventures
is traveling to Africa…and you are invited!

We’ll be visiting coffee producing partners in:
Ethiopia: April 18-24, 2010
Uganda: April 25-May 01, 2010
Tanzania: May 02-08, 2010

Cost: $1050 per week OR $2700 for all three weeks
(Subject to a minimum number of participants.)
Includes: shared accommodation, ground transportation, meals, translation and interpretation, park and museum entrance fees, donations to organizations we visit, service charges
Excludes: flights, airport taxes, personal items, drinks and alcohol, travel insurance, visas

Highlights include:

Ethiopia (Oromia Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union)-
• Visit the headquarters of the Oromia Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union
• Journey into rural areas to meet with organic coffee growers and community leaders that are members of Oromia Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union
• Witness the production of coffee in Ethiopia from the tree to export, including a visit to the national coffee processing center and warehouse
• Learn about community development projects and the Oromia Fair Trade Fund
• Watch the national coffee auction in action and visit the national cupping labs
• Experience the unique coffee culture of Ethiopia
• Participate in a traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony
• Experience traditional Ethiopian food, music and dancing
• Tour Addis Ababa and visit the nation Museum to see “Lucy” the oldest hominid fossil as well as other archeological findings

Uganda (Gutumindo)-
• Visit the headquarters of Gumutindo, the newest coffee producing partner that Just Coffee purchases coffee from
• Travel the countryside meeting with Gumutindo’s organic coffee growers and community leaders
• Witness the production of Ugandan coffee
• Learn about Gumutindo’s community development projects including stores, offices, and a medical clinic that have been built for the village’s inhabitants
• Visit Mount Elgon National Park, a large volcanic mountain that spans several kilometers along the border of Uganda and Kenya offering challenging but accessible wilderness trekking and wild scenery

Tanzania (Mt. Meru Coffee Project & Kilimanjaro Native Cooperative Union-KNCU)-
• Visit the headquarters of the Mt. Meru Coffee Project and KNCU
• Travel the countryside meeting with Mt. Meru & KNCU coffee growers and community leaders
• Witness the production of coffee in Tanzania from the tree to the export process, including a visit to the Tanzanian Coffee Board Auction, TCCCo Coffee Curing Plant, and coffee cupping
• Visit Kahawa Shamba Fair Tourism Coffee Farm
• Experience traditional Tanzanian food, music and dancing
• Meet with and learn about the Indigenous Education Foundation of Tanzania (IEFT), a non-profit grassroots organization providing quality, affordable secondary education to underserved indigenous children in rural Tanzania
• Visit a national park where wildlife such as giraffes, flamingos, and zebras can be seen
• Visit a traditional Masai village
• Travel near Mt. Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest peak and one of the continent’s most magnificent sights

Contact Colleen Coy to register: colleen (at) justcoffee (dot) coop

About JUST COFFEE:
Just Coffee Cooperative’s mission is to work with small grower cooperatives in true partnership, using the language and mechanics of market economics to turn the market on its ear. They source the finest green bean coffee on earth, air-roast it to perfection, and deliver it (often by bicycle) fresh, ground or whole, proving to our customers that a fairer model can also deliver the highest quality products. Just Coffee aims for total transparency, sustainable business practices, and long-term relationships with all of the coffee producing partners they purchase from while providing a fun and meaningful cooperative workplace for the people who work there. They seek to change global social and economic inequality by practicing REAL fair trade in direct opposition to gluttonous “free trade” and corporate fair trade. Just Coffee recognizes fair trade as one strategy for change within a larger movement for global social justice.

About JUST COFFEE travel opportunities:
Just Coffee occasionally offers customized visits to the coffee producers they purchase from around the world. These delegations serve as a way for Just Coffee to stay in close contact with the coffee producing groups they purchase from, a value they feel is integral to fair trade. These trips are educational travel experiences that focus on the lengthy production process of coffee from the tree to your cup, the ideologies and realities of fair trade as it currently exists, and include discussions about globalization, cultural diversity, autonomy and indigenous rights, issues related specifically to women, international relations, the histories of the communities and countries we visit, current events, and much, much, more! These visits to coffee producing partners aim to offer a safe and supportive environment for people of different ages, genders, capabilities, nationalities, religions, and backgrounds to participate in exchanges that are meaningful for all.

What happens on visits to coffee country:
Formally, travelers meet with, share meals, and often stay overnight in coffee growing communities. We also visit local crafts people, artist collectives, traditional medicine healers, local radio stations, locally produced magazines, research organizations, Permaculture and sustainable agriculture groups, United Nations and government officials, environmental groups, and many others depending upon the place we travel to. We seek to learn not just about where our coffee comes from but also about people’s lives. Informally, we take every opportunity to immerse ourselves in their culture and environment, visiting local markets, eating traditional foods, and attending local events. We facilitate positive, creative, social interactions, and work together to process of all that we are taking in, learning about, and experiencing.

Customized travel:
Each trip’s focus is developed specifically to the needs, interests and capabilities of its travelers whether they be university or high-school students, community or faith groups, environmental or agricultural groups, coffee addicts, or just interested individuals. In order to keep our delegations small we generally accept a maximum of 12-15 people per trip but often take much smaller groups. Trips are generally between 5 and 7 days (although longer or shorter trips can be arranged depending on group requirements). Delegations may also include additional activities, such as guided ecological tours, volcano climbing, snorkeling and scuba-diving, etc.

Who comes along on these trips:
These trips are available to Just Coffee and Cooperative Coffee customers, friends, community members, avid coffee drinkers, and anyone with an interest in fair trade and cultural diversity. There are no language requirements nor age limits for our delegations. No matter where you live, if you have a positive attitude and desire to learn and participate, you are encouraged to join!

Get information and sign up:
For more information visit the delegation page of Just Coffee’s website at: http://justcoffee.coop/en/delegations.
To see photos of previous delegations please visit: http://justcoffee.coop/en/photo/48.
To sign up to join one of our upcoming delegations, or to plan a customized delegation specifically for your group, please contact, Colleen Coy:  colleen (at) just coffee (dot) coop

Thank you for your interest and support!!

Photo by L Hartill for CRS

The U.S. Catholic Community Responds
Examples of the enormous compassion and generosity of the U.S. Catholic community:
• CRS has received $26 million in cash donations and commitments.
• Parishes are reporting extremely generous second collections for Haiti, such as Our Lady Queen of Peace in Arlington, VA, which raised 7 times the normal second collection. Oakland Cathedral in California held a benefit choral concert.
• Hundreds of Catholic parishes with twinning relationships in Haiti are using social networks to help. St. Brendan’s in Cumming, GA organized a “virtual prayer circle” for Haiti.
• Catholic universities, such as Notre Dame and Catholic University, responded immediately by setting up special websites. Others held special masses, prayer services and concerts. Seattle University students cancelled a previously planned trip to Haiti and are now raising funds. Basketball teams at Assumption College in Worchester, MA organized a half-time raffle. The Newman Center at Minnesota State University is organizing a benefit Valentine’s Day dinner.
• Catholic youth and schools are responding with prayers and fundraisers such as dress down days wearing the Haiti colors of red and blue. Some have contributed money in lieu of lunch snacks or are holding Raise Money Right chocolate fundraisers. Many teachers are using a CRS lesson plan to teach about Haiti.

How You Can Help
Visit: www.crs.org for prayers, resources and information about the Haiti Earthquake. See us on Facebook.
Call: 877-Help-CRS (877-435-7277) or Text RELIEF to 25383 to donate $10 on your phone bill.
Mail: Catholic Relief Services, Attn: Haiti Earthquake, P.O. Box 17090, Baltimore, MD 21203-7090
Advocate: Join the Catholics Confront Global Poverty legislative network to advocate for issues including international assistance reform, relieving Haiti’s debt, and help for Haitian refugees.
Please share this with other Catholics interested in responding to the Haiti earthquake relief effort.