Merched Plaid Newsletter - English

Equipped for
equality
Today (8 March) is the last day of
Fairtrade Fortnight. Over the past few
weeks, the foundation, which promotes fair
working conditions and pay for producers
worldwide, has been promoting women's
rights in particular. As last year, 'She
deserves a living income' was the name of
this year's campaign. Our Communications
Officer, Sioned Treharne, gives us a brief
overview of a session held by Fair Trade
Wales in Cardiff last week.
The main hall of Portland House, Cardiff Bay, was almost full by the time the talk started. In
practical terms, the hall was big enough to allow a decent-sized audience. However, I
couldn't help but feel a sense of irony that tales of such desperate poverty would be
recalled in such a grandiose setting.
Jenipher, a coffee farmer from Uganda, was the first to talk. She explained how difficult it is
for coffee farmers to earn a living wage in Uganda, and revealed that the only way they
are able to earn enough money to live is by joining a local co-operative. The market price
for coffee beans can vary wildly, and can often fall below the price of production. However,
Jenipher and the rest of the members of her co-operative will always earn a fair wage
because of their association with Fairtrade. The co-operative also receives an additional
sum (the fairtrade premium) to be re-invested within the community, under the
instruction of the local people. Jenipher also praised Fairtrade for the work they have done
on improving the situation for women. Before now, women only tended to follow one path
in life – get married, raise a family
and look after the home. Today,
women like Jenipher are able to own
their own land and farms, earn their
own wage, and be independent. She
also mentioned that climate change
is affecting poor communities in
Africa already, and that her region,
Mt Elgon, is suffering from regular
landslides following heavy rain, killing
residents and destroying crops.
Photo: Fair Trade Wales Twitter
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