Product Design Workshop, Madagascar

When we think of Fair Trade, it is natural to focus on the fair wages producers receive for their hard work. But Fair Trade is more than just price; it is also about opportunity and environmental stewardship, to name just a few of the principles. A Fair Trade Fund-supported project in Madagascar demonstrates how this is so. In January of 2006, our partners at SERRV International traveled with us to Madagascar, to meet some of the thousands of women who are part of the CRS food security programs in a country where the average per capita income is $240 a year. SERRV joined with two local groups as partners for a market access project intended to build the capacity of these organizations to develop items for export. Over the course of the next two years, the artisans met directly with SERRV staff to develop high quality products and to build the organizational, leadership and business skills of the groups.

The first product that arrived in the CRS Work of Human Hands catalog was a children's backpack from Association Zazakely, a non-profit which provides food and protective services to women and children. The artisans hand-embroidered the backpack, made from recycled denim, with school-yard scenes from the town of Antsirabe, in central Madagascar. Proceeds from the sales of the bags benefited the educational programs of the association. This year, a non-profit organization—called Akany Tsimoka—that provides a variety of supportive services to the poor in the capital of Antananarivo, developed a new bag of crocheted raffia that is grown locally and hand-dyed.

Both organizations were supported by CRS Madagascar staff through the organization of skills trainings, as well as securing equipment such as computers and sewing machines. CRS has also worked with the Ministry of Commerce to contribute to the development of national policies related to Fair Trade. While the number of individuals impacted by this project numbers around 315 right now, the combination of non-profit, business, and government interest in Fair Trade makes the chances for sustainability and expansion even greater.

Through the Fair Trade Fund, poverty-stricken people in Madagascar have come together at the community level to learn skills and share ideas. They have carefully used the natural resources of their amazing country, as well as reclaimed discarded blue jeans, to create functional and attractive items for sale. Although there are many remaining obstacles for these artisans to overcome, they continue to move forward through "Effort and Hope," the name of one of the association's projects. Your support of CRS Fair Trade has already made the beginning of this project possible. You can now continue the cycle with a bag purchase from Madagascar.

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