Carla Aguilar, a CRS staffer from San Antonio, just returned from a delegation trip to Ghana and Burkina Faso. While in Ghana, the delegation made a stop at Trade Aid, a cooperative of basket weavers whose products are available through Work of Human Hands.

Up Close With the Work of Human Hands

I carefully watch Atule Nyaba hands to study her weaving technique.

She shows me how to roll the elephant grass and moves it rapidly back and forth. It looks easy, but when I try it, I fail miserably and we both get a huge laugh!

Atule Nyaba is part of a Fair Trade co-operative group of basket weavers in Bolgatanga, Ghana.

The groups of women come from 17 different communities and are supported through Trade Aid International, a non-governmental organization in Ghana that works to generate employment and wealth for the rural poor. In Bolga, located in the Upper East region of Ghana, 90% of people live below the poverty line.

Life is tough for many in Bolga, but Catholic Relief Services seeks to empower women like Atule Nyaba by making her brightly colored and beautifully woven baskets available for sale to U.S. consumers through the Work of Human Hands catalogs.

The Work of Human Hands catalogs are produced twice a year in collaboration with CRS’ non-profit partner SERRV.

Through Fair Trade partnerships, women at the cooperative are able to get a better price than selling the baskets locally. A Bolgatanga Basket is sold online through SERRV for approximately $39.00.

A fair wage makes it easier for women to invest in things like taking care of medical costs or food for their families. When there are dire emergencies, these women have set-up a communal bank fund from which they can draw from to help themselves.

At our meeting, the women spoke to us through an interpreter about their hopes in life. What they wanted most is to raise their families with dignity and be able to provide them food, shelter, security, and education.

I was overwhelmed to know that these are the goals of the CRS Fair Trade program too; to empower disadvantaged people, and reduce poverty so that people may be more able to have sustainable livelihoods and access to basic rights that many take for granted in the developed world.

As the meeting came to a close, the women proudly showed us their finished products and many delegates had the treat of being able to purchase items and embrace the producer.

As I witnessed this, I thought to myself, now that is what I call building a right relationship between buyers and sellers rooted in the principle of solidarity!

We departed with the sounds of a joyous song and clapping by the women. One of them invited me to do a solo alongside her!

I realized that I was much better at picking up African dance than I will ever be at basket weaving- so I’ll just leave that skill in their hands!

Seems every other time I send an e-mail message I get an “out of office” notice in return. I take this as happy news that many of my colleagues are on vacation. My week-at-the beach happens in September on the heels of the Fair Trade Futures conference. For those of you already away, here are some suggestions for good reads the CRS economic justice team has received:

Just Purchasing: Practicing our faith at the market. Created by the Baltimore Presbytery with CRS’s friends at the Presbyterian Hunger Fund and Sweatfree Communities.

“In God we trust: Making your faith an asset,” an article by Tim Carnahan in the June 2010 issue of U.S.Catholic, which recently interviewed us for a December issue. Stay tuned! 

Free Trade Doesn’t Work: What Should Replace it and Why, by Ian Fletcher and published by the U.S. Business & Industry Council.  I’ve only cracked this open, but I’m intrigued.

Say You’re One of Them by Uwem Akpan and on the list of CRS Fair Trade Ambassador Traci Taylor of New Orleans.

Let There Be…Stuff? a faith-based curriculum (available for both Jewish and Christian communities)  that helps teenagers explore the relationship between their consumption, their faith, and the health of the planet.

Feel free to let us know what you like of these recommendations or share some suggestions of your own!

Fair Trade is theoretically a pretty straightforward concept.  We all need to trade in order to get our needs and wants met.  HOW we trade can get complicated in a complex and diverse marketplace.

The Fair Trade Federation (the association for North American organizations who are fully committed to Fair Trade) has established nine principles upon which Fair Trade is based.  Thanks to the support of the CRS Fair Trade Fund, a new website has been launched, FairTradePrinciples.org, that provides a collection of case studies to explain the Fair Trade business model.

With the creation of the site, the Federation seeks to highlight the ways in which Fair Trade offers a different approach to trade and to explain how Fair Trade businesses operate.   Exploring the nine case studies, visitors to the site can explore the specific ways in which Fair Trade retailers and cooperatives adhere to the nine principles of Fair Trade:

• Create Opportunities for Marginalized Producers
• Develop Transparent Relationships
• Build Capacity
• Promote Fair Trade
• Pay Promptly and Fairly
• Support Empowering Working Conditions
• Ensure Children’s Rights
• Cultivate Environmental Stewardship
• Respect Cultural Identity

The various case studies are designed to inspire others to adopt fair trading practices and include some of CRS’ Fair Trade partners such as Cooperative Coffees, SERRV, Just Coffee and Larry’s Beans.  Check the site out and let us know if you agree with these principles. If you think something is missing or if you have other examples of Fair Traders!

For nearly six months since a devastating 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck Haiti, Catholic Relief Services has worked to help the Haitian people recover and rebuild under harsh and complex conditions. Through your support and prayers, you are making a real difference.

In this video, CRS employees in Haiti send their heartfelt thanks to their supporters throughout the United States. With your help, CRS works with the Haitian people to rebuild their lives by providing food, clean water, shelter, child-friendly spaces and medical care.

Link to the video on YouTube.

Talk about dedication! Our colleague Jennifer Hardy, the new media communications officer here at Catholic Relief Services, took time out of her vacation in Nepal to visit Fair Traders.  In this recent CRS Voices blog posting you can read how Fair Trade fosters empowerment.  Many thanks to Jen for helping us build bridges with the artisans of Mahaguthi!

CRS Coffeelands blogger, Michael Sheridan recounts a visit with CRS Fair Trade coffee partner Dean’s Beans. Readers of Dean’s book, Javatrekker, know all about his approach to great coffee and development. Michael learns that Dean just might have another book in the works. Find out more about his afternoon of good coffee and discussion with Dean at the CRS Coffeelands blog.

http://coffeelands.crsdomains.org/2010/06/writing-the-book-on-coffee-and-development/

Terence McCorry grew up wanting to be a priest but a fascination with the big screen steered him in a different direction.

After working on a few Hollywood movie sets as a go-for, he developed a passion for acting and film production. “That’s when I would immediately fall in love with the whole process,” says the director of campus and young adult ministries for the Diocese of Palm Beach.

“I always loved movies and how people come together to create something,” says Terence. Thereafter, he spent over a decade in various roles, ranging from screenwriting, production and art direction. The 51-year-old casually admits to having very small roles in the epic horror films, Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street.

But to make it to the top of the industry he imagined having an “unethical swim upstream” –something that he wasn’t willing to endure. That’s when the Belmar, New Jersey native sought vocation in ministry. “The calling never stopped knocking,” he says soundly. “It felt so fulfilling so I knew I was in the right place.”
Having served in campus ministry roles throughout New York and currently South Florida, Terence says that he consistently educates his students on what it means to be connected to a global community. His students would participate in Operation Rice Bowl Lenten program each year to support development programs in impoverished regions around the world. Terence bought gifts from the Work of Human Hands fair-trade catalog, which gives artisans and small scale farmers access to larger consumer markets.

However, little did he know, the two programs were both run by Catholic Relief Services. It was only after CRS staff toured the Palm Beach Diocese did he connect the dots. “I was blown away because I thought they were both great programs,” he says. CRS is one of the things that I can hold my head high about to say we are Catholics.”

To that end, Terence became a CRS diocesan director and says that he wanted to do more to promote CRS to a younger generation. “If CRS wants to continue to be vital it needs to reach out to young adults,” he says. He learned of a CRS’ capacity building grant and came up with the idea of producing a film. “It was a perfect fit.”

Awarded a $6,000 grant, Terence, a film crew and novice student actors embarked on shooting a film that will help spread the message of solidarity and service to more youth and young adults. “I always missed film so this was a great opportunity,” Terrence says.

Filmed on the campus of Florida Atlantic University and a local parish, students dramatized scenarios of how buying fair trade items, such as coffee, chocolate products and crafts help farmers and artisans earn a better market value for their goods. For fair trade artisans and farmers, increased income means a way to support their families.

“I was really proud of them because they had never been in the film process before,” says Terence, noting that the film is “pretty” grassroots given the team was working on a small budget.

The film was shot in one and half days. “We had to bang this thing out pretty quickly. There were no luxuries,” he says.

The ultimate aim, Terence says, is for young viewers to learn ways that they can help––like buying fair trade products and donating to CRS. “It’s a way to get young adults to understand that we need to be our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers,” he says. “What do Americans love to do? Shop. Buy. Eat,” Terence says. “We used consumerism as a vehicle, the entryway to service.” It helps the targeted audience think twice about families who face harsh economic realities in developing countries.

The film was completed in early May and has already been screened at its first film festival. You can visit You Tube to watch the video and witness the message.

Thanks to former CRS staffer Kai T. Hill for this blog posting.

The sale of Fair Trade certified products has been growing by double-digits for several years now. There are many reasons for that, and one is that Fair Traders spread the word and lend their efforts to economic justice. Fair Trade Ambassador of Michigan, Sue Amman, shares one example of success:

My family has been promoting Fair Trade in our parish, . St. Hubert’s in Higgins Lake for a few years. The parish uses Fair Trade coffee and we have had a few Divine chocolate sales and a Christmas Work of Human Hands crafts sale. We are also the Peace and Justice committee for our parish and have often reported our Fair Trade doings at the Vicariate Peace and Justice monthly meetings.

As a result of these meetings the Peace and Justice person from St. Mary’s in Grayling asked us to talk on Fair Trade to her Parish Council in April. With her council’s blessing, Barb had her first Fair Trade Coffee and chocolate sale after the Masses last weekend!

I wore my new ambassador’s shirt and went to lend moral support and take pictures. Barb was delighted at the turn out and the sales. St. Mary’s Pastor, Fr. James Bearss was around to lend support. He was joined by the Parish Council President, Jack Pilon (photo by Sue for CRS). Barb’s enthusiasm bubbled over and she began working on Fr. James and Jack to have a Fair Trade booth at the up-coming AuSable Canoe Marathon. The marathon, which is the longest canoe race in the United States, starts in Grayling and ends in Oscoda 120 miles later. Exactly what the Fair Trade booth would sell is up in the air. They may sell chocolate or they may partner with Higher Grounds Trading and sell brewed coffee. There may be an educational booth. Regardless of the final outcome the neat thing is Fair Trade is in the front of their minds.

Deacon Kevin Carges is a permanent deacon for the Diocese of Rochester. He traveled to Nicaragua as part of the Global Fellows program.

Today was a tremendous day as we met with those who are part of PRODECOOP , a group of over 2,300 participants. Each producer on average has a family of five, thus the lives of over 10,000 people are being touched in some way with the support of CRS.

They have been able to work together as community establishing better growing techniques that have resulted in all benefitting. Opportunities with Fair Trade have greatly enhanced their status in life. Producers create better quality coffee thus resulting in better prices paid for their crops and resulting in better living standards for the people.

I think the corporate executive of the company said it best, “We are trying to make the family strong.” What a wonderful statement of solidarity. With the additional income, they are working towards empowering women, establishing medical support, making sure the children receive an education and addressing environmental concerns among other things.

All are welcome, all are cared for, and they understand that all will flourish as a result.

I think sometimes we in the powerful countries of the First World feel like the superior ones, having all the money and that we can teach the Third World (how to do it right). But after meeting with PRODECOOP today, I think it is they who should be showing us how to do it right. They are the ones who understand how God is calling us to live. We are all one family under God. We should all work towards making this family strong!

A prayer reflection upon leaving:

Dear Lord, what can we do as mere humans, but give you thanks and praise for the experience of Nicaragua that you have blessed us with.

Ten of us came together less than two weeks ago, unfamiliar with each other, traveling to a place we did not know, to encounter the unseen and what was yet to happen. All we had was faith in You and Your servant CRS to guide us.
Upon our arrival in Nicaragua and over the days, we were astounded by your beauty, taught by your wisdom, humbled by your love, and filled with your hope. How can we not leave this country shouting from our hearts of your great majesty.
We answered Your call by faith, and in response, we were rewarded with Your abundant grace, and blessed by drawing ever closer to You, our Savior.

As we separate and go our individual ways, we will always share this special gift of Nicaragua and be reminded, we are all one family. We leave in faith to continue on our journey, and to share our experiences of You, through the beauty of a country, and the love and hope of our brothers and sisters.