Fair Harvest in the Dominican Republic

8 years ago here at Global Exchange Reality Tours we began incorporating the fair trade story into our annual departures to address disturbing truths about the global economy.  Millions of farmers around the world are facing poverty and starvation because global crop prices have continued to plummet to all-time lows, a worldwide crisis exacerbating problems including malnutrition, family farm closures, and in some cases increased drug cultivation.

In today’s world economy, where profits rule and small-scale producers are left out of the bargaining process, farmers, craft producers, and other workers are often left without resources or hope for their future. Fair Trade helps exploited producers escape from this cycle of poverty.

The tourism industry has seen a growth in both “voluntourism” and philanthropy-based travel, and in 2003 Reality Tours launched its first Fair Harvest tour. The goals; to share the story of fair trade with travelers, to offer a service learning opportunity, to support local community-based tourism initiatives as a promoter of socially responsible travel, to meet and exchange with fair trade certified cooperative farmers, and to inspire our alumni to return committed to supporting the fair trade movement in their own communities and to support our Global Exchange Fair Trade campaigns and Fair Trade craft stores.

Global Exchange Reality Tours highlight the importance of fair trade on commodity crops such as cocoa, coffee, olives, and tea as well as textiles and crafts, and contextualizes the debate between “fair trade” and “free trade” crops and products in Nicaragua, Guatemala, Ecuador, Palestine, India, Nepal, Rwanda and many other countries. Reality Tours provide the opportunity for participants to learn firsthand how:

  • fair trade producers receive a fair price – a living wage;
  • forced labor and exploitative child labor (and modern day slavery) are prohibited;
  • buyers and producers have direct long-term trade relationships;
  • producers have access to financial and technical assistance;
  • sustainable production techniques are encouraged and mandated;
  • working conditions are healthy and safe;
  • equal employment opportunities are provided for all;
  • all aspects of trade and production are open to public accountability.

The Fair Trade system benefits over 800,000+ farmers organized into cooperatives and unions in over 48 countries. While the complexities of each country are unique, what fair trade means for communities is often very similar. Fair Trade profits help fund basic education, health care, and general infrastructure in communities, amplifying the dignity of communities who get to stay on their land. Reality Tours fair trade themed trips provide the opportunity for farmers to share their stories with participants. Reality Tours participants who have witnessed firsthand the benefits of fair trade return from their journey inspired by the experience.

Nicaragua Woman Harvesting Coffee Beans

A Cup of Fair Coffee?
Let’s take a commodity or two as an example. The United States consumes one-fifth of all the world’s coffee, the largest consumer in the world. But few North Americans realize that agriculture workers in the coffee industry often toil in what can be described as “sweatshops in the fields.”

Many small coffee farmers receive prices for their coffee that are less than the costs of production, forcing them into a cycle of poverty and debt. Fair Trade is a viable solution to this crisis in Nicaragua, assuring consumers that the coffee they drink was purchased under fair conditions. To become Fair Trade certified, an importer must meet stringent international criteria; paying a minimum price per pound, providing much needed credit to farmers, and providing technical assistance such as help transitioning to organic farming.

Fair Trade for coffee farmers in Matalgapa means community development, health, education, and environmental stewardship. Our Fair Harvest programs to Nicaragua provide the historical context for this social and economic vulnerability and absolutely impact people’s purchasing decisions. We’ve been honored to work with the Fair Trade Cooperative CECOCAFEN for years and know that when our delegates return many choose fair trade in their cups. What if that one-fifth of global coffee drinkers all put their purchases where their values are? That would have global repercussions!

Sweet, Sweet Chocolate

Fair Cocoa Harvest in the Dominican Republic

Next, let’s look at chocolate. The six largest cocoa producing countries are Ivory Coast, Ghana, Indonesia, Nigeria, Brazil, and Cameroon. Cocoa has significant effects on the economy and the population in these countries. In Ghana, cocoa accounts for 40% of total export revenues, and two million farmers are employed in cocoa production. The Ivory Coast is the world’s largest cocoa producer, providing 43% of the world’s cocoa. In 2000, a report by the US State Department concluded that in recent years approximately 15,000 children aged 9 to 12 have been sold into forced labor on cotton, coffee and cocoa plantations in the north of the country. A June 15, 2001 document released by the Geneva, Switzerland-based International Labor Organization (ILO) reported that trafficking of children is widespread in West Africa. (For ILO definitions of these labor violations, see ILO Convention 182 on Child Labor ILO Convention 29 on Forced Labor.)

The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) followed up these reports with an extensive study of cocoa farms in the Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria and Cameroon, directly involving over 4,500 producers. The results were released in August 2002. An estimated 284,000 children were working on cocoa farms in hazardous tasks such as using machetes and applying pesticides and insecticides without the necessary protective equipment. Many of these children worked on family farms, the children of cocoa farmers who are so trapped in poverty many make the hard choice to keep their children out of school to work. The IITA also reported that about 12,500 children working on cocoa farms had no relatives in the area, a warning sign of trafficking.

Child laborers face arduous work, as cacao pods must be cut from high branches with long-handled machetes, split open, and their beans scooped out. Children who are involved in the worst labor abuses come from countries including Mali, Burkina Faso, and Togo — nations that are even more destitute than the impoverished Ivory Coast.

Vicious Circle of Poverty

Rwanda Women's Coffee Cooperative Sorting Beans

Parents in these countries sell their children to traffickers believing that they will find honest work once they arrive in Ivory Coast and then send their earnings home. But once separated from their families, the young boys are made to work for little or nothing. The children work long and hard — they head into the fields at 6:00 in the morning and often do not finish until 6:30 at night. These children typically lack the opportunity for education, leaving them with no way out of this cycle of poverty. The IITA noted that 66% of child cocoa workers in the Ivory Coast did not attend school. About 64% of children on cocoa farms are under age 14, meaning that the loss of an education comes at an early age for the majority of children on cocoa farms. (Watch The Dark Side of Chocolate, a powerful documentary on this issue).

Producer income remains low because major chocolate and cocoa processing companies have refused to take any steps to ensure stable and sufficient prices for cocoa producers. World cocoa prices fluctuate widely and have been well below production costs in the last decade. Though cocoa prices have shown moderate increases in the past few years, cocoa producers remain steeped in debt accumulated when prices were below production costs.

Producers typically also get only half the world price, as they must use exploitative middlemen to sell their crop. The effects of insufficient cocoa income have been exacerbated by deregulation of agriculture in West Africa, which abolished commodity boards across the region, leaving small farmers at the mercy of the market. This economic crisis forced farmers to cut their labor costs. The outcome was a downward spiral for labor in the region, and a surge in reports of labor abuses ranging from farmers pulling children out of school to work on family farms to outright child trafficking and slavery. These small farmers and their children remained trapped in a cycle of poverty, without hope for sufficient income or access to basic education or health care.

 We Can Change It!
For years, US chocolate manufacturers have claimed they are not responsible for the conditions on cocoa plantations since they don’t own them. But the $13 billion chocolate industry is heavily consolidated, with just two firms — Hershey’s and M&M/Mars — controlling two-thirds of the US chocolate candy market. Surely, these global corporations have the power and the ability to reform problems in the supply chain. What they lack is the will.

At Global Exchange, we know there is a solution – supporting Fair Trade cocoa and chocolate. Fair Trade chocolate and cocoa products are marked with the “Fair Trade Certified” label. Fair Trade cocoa comes from Belize, Bolivia, Cameroon, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Ghana, Nicaragua, and Peru. Thus Reality Tours has a Cocoa Fair Harvest program in the Dominican Republic. Every year, we encourage chocolate lovers from around the world to join with our local partners from Grupo CONACADO to explore benefits of Fair Trade cocoa and sustainable harvest, renewable technology in the Dominican Republic.

Palestine Fair Olive Harvest, Group with Farmers 2009

Fair Trade Tourism is a growing segment of our socially responsible travel program here at Global Exchange. Our third Fair Harvest destination was announced in  2007 to Palestine where participants worked side by side Palestinians harvesting olives. The Fair Trade story continues to evolve and we look forward to expanding our Reality Tours programs in the years to come.  There is an opportunity for those of us in the tourism industry to make a positive change in the world. Tourism can be a force for good. We can ensure tourism dollars stay to benefit the local economies of our hosts. We can highlight the stories, the struggles and aspirations of the communities we visit. Together with Reality Tours trip participants, we can be a force for fairness.

This piece was originally written by Malia Everette  for Tourism Review, Tourism Magazine Review October 2010 issue.

This week marks the 10-year anniversary of the signing of the Harkin-Engel Protocol – an agreement by the country’s largest chocolate companies, including Hershey’s, committing to put an end to forced child labor on cocoa farms in West Africa by 2005. The Protocol pledged to develop and implement voluntary standards to certify cocoa produced without the “worst forms of child labor,” (defined according to the International Labor Organization’s Convention 182).

Ten years later, no progress has been made. Last week Global Exchange, Green America and ILRF (International Labor Rights Forum) released a report targeting Hershey’s titled ‘Time to Raise the Bar, Hershey!’ which details how hundreds of thousands of children are still forced to work under abusive conditions for long hours on cocoa farms in West Africa, while others are victims of trafficking and forced labor, all for a Hershey bar. The documentary, The Dark Side of Chocolate is a great resource to learn more.

Like many issues involving human rights abuses today, it is not the corporations who are profiting from the unjust practices that are taking a stand to put an end to them – it is the people that are rising up to create change by calling for an end to the abuses.

This is the kind of action that we have seen emerge through the Fair Trade movement, particularly through advocating for consumers to buy Fair Trade chocolate instead of chocolate tainted with child labor.

As we approach one of the most popular holidays for chocolate consumption, Halloween, there is a great way that children and families can help end child labor in the cocoa industry and promote Fair Trade – by participating in Reverse Trick-Or-Treating!

Reverse Trick-Or-Treating 2011For the fifth year in a row, Trick-or-Treaters will be handing Fair Trade chocolate back to adults, with informational cards attached, to explain the problems of the cocoa industry and how Fair Trade presents a solution. By providing children with a way to be active, hundreds of thousands of households in the US are getting the message that forced child labor will not be tolerated by our kids.

Global Exchange is launching the campaign in cooperation with Fair Trade companies Equal Exchange, Sweet Earth chocolate, and Coco-Zen. It is a collaborative effort of countless children, youth, and adults supported by institutions including nonprofit organizations, faith-based organizations, Fair Trade companies, and schools.

Our partners at Equal Exchange sum up the main idea behind Reverse Trick-Or-Treating beautifully:

‘The inspiration for Reverse Trick-or-Treating rests on the belief that the simple act of one person saying to another “There’s a problem. There’s a solution. Let’s do something” can be very powerful. And if a child says this to an adult – it’s doubly powerful. Further, we believe that such acts will demonstrate to the large corporations, and to public officials, that people are paying attention, people care, and they want action”

If enough people take a stand, on Halloween and throughout the year, to organize and educate others in their community about the reality of forced child labor and the importance of Fair Trade as a tool for combating it, we might actually have something to celebrate on the next anniversary of the Harkin-Engels Protocol.

  • Questions? Contact Kylie Nealis, Reverse Trick-Or-Treating Coordinator at Global Exchange by e-mail:  kylie@globalexchange.org or by phone, (415) 575-5551

Photo Credit: Change.org

FACEBOOK FANS ACTIONS RESULT IN COMPANY SILENCE BY COSI

Last week Change.org called on fans of restaurant chain Cosi to tell the company that “life should be delicious” for cocoa farmers who currently live in poverty.

So for the past week Fair Trade activists filled Cosi’s Facebook Wall with posts about Fair Trade chocolate to encourage Cosi to use Fair Trade Certified cocoa for its popular tableside s’more treats.

A fan posted on Cosi’s wall, “I just went to Cosi 15 minutes ago and then found out on Facebook that this company does not take the problem of child slavery related to the chocolate trade, seriously. Please go with Fair Trade chocolate and take a stand against child slavery in the cocoa trade!”

So what was the response from Cosi?

What response?

One fan asked, “Cosi, why will you respond to all customer concerns EXCEPT those about the type of chocolate you use? I work around the corner from a Cosi and will eat there a lot less if the company isn’t willing to address this issue” and another fan posted “I would really appreciate it if Cosi could provide some kind of response to the fans who are concerned about child labor and other abuses linked to our favorite Cosi chocolate products.”

From looking at Cosi’s Facebook wall posts, it seems pretty clear that while eager to address customer service comments, requests and complaints, Cosi does not appear to be responding to any Fair Trade related comments.

Exhibit A: One hungry fan posted “why is your there no “made your own” sandwich option on your online ordering?” About 2 hours later, Cosi responded to the grammatically-challenged post with “we definitely see the importance in this and we’re working hard to add it as well as other capabilities. Thanks so much for your feedback.

Cosi’s has been silent in response to Facebook fans’ concerns about child labor. To take action, sign the Cosi Petition “Stop Child Labor, Use Fair Trade Chocolate to Make Your S’Mores.

FAIR TRADE PHOTO CONTEST LAST FEW DAYS TO VOTE!

This is the last week to vote for your favorite Fair Trade themed photos in the Fair Trade Calendar Photo Contest. Voting only goes through Saturday, July 17th so vote today if you haven’t yet.

As a member of the Fair Trade Resource Network Board of Directors, I helped launch the first calendar a few years back, and I have to say, the photo submissions this year are some of the best yet! Seriously, you should check them out.

Voting is really easy and free. You simply put a check mark next to your 5 fave pics and enter your email address and voila, consider your votes counted.

Check out a few of the photo contest submissions:

Photo Credit: Baskets of Africa

 

Photo Credit: Alter Eco

 

 

 

 

Photo Credit: Julia Baumgartner of Just Coffee Cooperative

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FAIR TRADE TOWNS & UNIVERSITIES NATIONAL CONFERENCE

The first ever Fair Trade Towns & Universities National Conference is happening in Philadelphia, PA September 9-11, 2011.
The conference will bring together leaders and activists who are organizing or planning to organize a Fair Trade campaign in their town/city or university/college. Organizers, activists, faculty and students will come together to share experiences and resources, sharpen skills, and build momentum for Fair Trade.

All Town and University campaign organizers are welcome, and financial assistance is available on a first-come-first-serve basis.

To learn more about and register for the conference click here

To learn about the opportunity for financial assistance click here

Photo Credit: Ecouterre /Brit Liggitt

LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT

FAIR TRADE PHOTO CONTEST IN FULL SWING: VOTING NOW OPEN

Scores of beautiful and insightful photos are now competing in the third annual Fair Trade Photo Contest. The 12 winning photos will be featured in the 2012 Fair Trade Calendar. Vote for up to 5 Photos by July 16.
Please help share positive and diverse Fair Trade stories by encouraging your contacts to vote in the Fair Trade photo contest, and don’t forget to vote yourself!

The 12 winning Fair Trade photos will be featured in the 2012 Fair Trade Calendar, produced by FTRN and Fair Trade Federation.

Pre-order your calendars today: The 2012 Fair Trade calendar is available for pre-purchase now. The savings are big if you order early. Check out the pre-order early bird prices here. The more you get the more you save.

HOW CAN YOU CELEBRATE FREEDOM THIS JULY 4TH?

By making S’mores with Fair Trade chocolate!

Be part of the Fair Trade S’mores revolution.

Rock your picnic, barbeque or campfire with gooey, chocolatey Fair Trade s’mores.
Why? Because you’ll send a message to Hershey that it’s gotta get child and forced labor out of its cocoa. And you’ll enjoy your s’mores so much more with chocolate that frees kids from child labor and empowers cocoa farmers to free themselves from poverty.

During your s’more-fest, be sure to:
1.    Collect signatures on this petition asking Hershey to stop using child labor and become Fair Trade Certified
2.    Count the s’mores you eat and register them online
3.    Take pictures and videos of yourself with our s’mores poster and email the youtube link or your photos to fairtrade@globalexchange.org

Visit Global Exchange’s Fair Trade Campaign page for more s’mores event ideas and free resources.

Traditional block printing meets modern design

LEARN ABOUT BLOCK PRINTING TECHNIQUE WHILE SAVING IN SF THIS WEEKEND

Introducing Summer Saturday Savings! Every Saturday this summer July 2- Sept 3, 2011, the Global Exchange Fair Trade Store in San Francisco will be offering 15% OFF on featured clothing, scarves, tablecloths & kitchen ware, AND much more!

Kicking things off this Saturday, July 2nd, there will be free blockprinting demonstrations, a kids’ station, and customers will enjoy 15% off all summer dresses – just in time for that Fourth of July barbeque.

Learn about the traditional block printing technique used on many Fair Trade pieces this Saturday! Plus, enter a raffle by sharing what ‘independence’ means to you for chance to win a gift certificate to the Fair Trade store.

Event Details
Where: Global Exchange Fair Trade Store
4018 24th Street
When: 1pm-4pm Saturday July 2nd
More info: Call (415) 648-8068

HAVE YOU WATCHED KERRY KENNEDY’S FAIR TRADE RALLY SPEECH?

Check it out here:

Help the Raise the Bar Hershey folks reach their target of 1,500 video views. They’re aiming for1,500 views. You can help by sharing this link to it on your Facebook page and/or sending out this suggested tweet: Have you watched Kerry Kennedy’s #fairtrade rally speech yet? http://ow.ly/5svir via @gxfairtrade.

Michelle Obama, fashion modeling with spunk Photo credit: ecouterre.com

 

LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT

Here’s your roundup of Fair Trade news and updates:

HERSHEY RALLY WRAP UP
The ‘Raise the Bar Hershey’ rally took place in front of the Hershey store in Times Square. Lots of people turned out, including school kids and Kerry Kennedy, and Global Exchange’s Adrienne and Emily.

Check out Hey Hey! Ho Ho! Child Labor has got to Go! to read all about it and see pics. And check back here on our Fair Trade blog in a few days for a new video from the rally.

3RD ANNUAL FAIR TRADE CALENDAR PHOTO CONTEST

The third annual Fair Trade Calendar Photo Contest is in full swing. The time is NOW to submit Fair Trade themed photos on behalf of your business or organization for the chance to be included in the 2012 Fair Trade calendar. You can enter photos from producer or consumer countries. The 12 winning Fair Trade photos will be featured in the 2012 Fair Trade Calendar.

Here’s What to Do:
1) Submit Photos (June 1-26, 2011)
1.    Read contest Guidelines/Eligibility for details on qualifying, specifications, etc.
2.    Email each photo, with a caption up to 50 words to photocontest@ftrn.org;
3.    Pay submission fee of $10/photo at Fair Trade Resource Network’s Online Store;
2) Vote for Photos (June 27 – July 16, 2011)
Vote online for your favorites, with a link announced on FTRN’s website on June 27. The 12 winning photos will be featured each month in the 2012 Fair Trade Calendar. Over 1500 people voted for their favorite photos in last year’s contest!

To learn more about the Fair Trade Calendar Photo Contest, visit FTRN’s website or email photocontest@ftrn.org.

SERIOUSLY INSPIRING VIDEO YOU JUST HAVE TO WATCH!

Thanks to Fair Trade Sports for sharing this gem on its blog. That’s where I first discovered it. According to the post, TMB Bank launched this short film as part of a new brand vision, “Make THE Difference,” to inspire people to start thinking differently.

This video encompasses the wonderfulness of kids, soccer (er, football), and well, life in general! 1,380,434 people (and counting) on YouTube have watched it. Have you?

LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
3blmedia: Fair Trade USA and Textile Exchange Form Strategic Partnership
Going Green Examiner: Why Choose Fair Trade?
axiomnews: United Kingdom Sees Meteoric Rise in Fair Trade
GOOD: Finding a Sweet Spot for Fair Trade Sugar Farmers
PRNewswire: On-Trend Products Defying Economic Downturn
Evening Times (UK): Schools to go into battle for Fairtrade cup

Check back here on our Fair Trade blog for more Fair Trade News Round-Ups…your one-stop shop for current Fair Trade news and events. And if you’ve got big Fair Trade news to share, email me!

World Day Against Child Labor was on Sunday, June 12th. Four days prior, the ‘Raise the Bar Hershey’ rally took place in front of the Hershey store in Times Square.

School children and social justice activists, along with Kerry Kennedy, President of the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights, and Lee Cutler, Secretary Treasurer of New York State United Teachers Union, rallied to call on Hershey to eliminate forced, trafficked and child labor from its cocoa supply chain.

The NYDailyNews.com reported:

Students from Public School 87, Brooklyn International High School and Benedictine Academy from Elizabeth, N.J., were among the 150 demonstrators, yelling, “Hershey’s: tastes good, feels bad.” The students have been studying global issues and were there as part of a field trip.

When reached for comment, Hershey’s spokesman, Kirt Saville, did not address the company’s child labor practices, but said it has been committed for the past 50 years to improving the West African cocoa communities.

One thing is certain; Hershey lags behind its competitors when it comes to taking responsibility for the communities from which it sources cocoa.

The rally was a spirited success, as you can probably tell from the pictures. If you’d like to see more pics from the event, check out these Flickr pages:

TAKE ACTION!

Kerry Kennedy speaking out against Hershey

TODAY is the day to ask Hershey to end child labor and trafficking in the cocoa fields!

If EACH ONE OF YOU takes just 5 minutes to take action, together, we will flood Hershey’s with thousands of calls and emails, and we will make a difference.

Please speak out in solidarity with youth, concerned consumers, human rights advocate Kerry Kennedy, and NY State United Teachers Secretary-Treasurer Lee Cutler rallying with Global Exchange and our campaign partners at the Hershey Store in NYC’s Times Square today, as part of our Raise the Bar Hershey Campaign.

TAKE ACTION:

  1. Join others and Call Hershey TODAY (details below)
  2. Sign the petition to Hershey here
  3. Share and Retweet this Post
  4. Check out rally updates and pics on Twitter:  #HersheyGoFair

Almost ten years after companies like Hershey committed to ending child labor, forced labor and trafficking in their supply chains, these abuses continue in West Africa. Hershey is currently lagging behind its competitors in using cocoa that has been certified by independent third parties to comply with international labor rights standards.  World Day Against Child Labor is this weekend, and we’re calling on Hershey to do more to stop these abuses by committing to sourcing Fair Trade cocoa.

HOW TO CALL IN:
Number to Dial: +1-800-468-1714, Option “0”
Back-up Number: 717-534-4200

Suggested Call-in Script:

Hi, my name is ___ and I’m calling from ___. I am a huge fan of [insert your favorite HERSHEY candy here]*. I’m calling today because I want Hershey to raise the bar for responsible cocoa sourcing and commit to begin using Fair Trade Certified cocoa for my favorite chocolate. Ten years after Hershey committed to ending child labor, forced labor and trafficking in its cocoa, the abuses continue and Hershey needs to do more to end this exploitation. While I cannot be in New York City today, I support those who are rallying outside the Hershey store in Times Square. Thank you for your time!

If you are not a fan of Hershey’s chocolate, you can leave out the sentence about your favorite candy bar and say “my family member’s favorite bar is___” or “I used to like___, but I am discouraged from eating it since it’s not Fair Trade“ or whatever reflects how you feel!

Before you call: you may want to review our consumer’s report in which we address the issues in their supply chain and how they can change them here.

For more information on the campaign, please visit www.globalexchange.org/cocoa.

With World Day Against Child Labor right around the corner, students,  social justice leaders including Kerry Kennedy, and groups will rally in front of the Hershey Store in Times Square on June 8, 2011 to call on Hershey to eliminate forced, trafficked and child labor from its cocoa supply chain.

Despite almost ten years of commitments from Hershey and other major chocolate companies to take responsibility for their cocoa supply chains and eliminate child labor, significant problems persist. Abusive child labor, trafficking, and forced labor continue to plague the West African cocoa industry. The farmers in this region, which supplies the majority of the world’s cocoa, live in poverty, while major chocolate corporations continue to amass large profits.

Hershey lags behind its competitors when it comes to taking responsibility for the communities from which it sources cocoa. Hershey has no policies in place to purchase cocoa that has been produced without the use of labor exploitation, and the company has consistently refused to provide public information about its cocoa sources.

Will you join us in calling on Hershey to do more to stop child labor, forced labor, and trafficking in its cocoa supply chain and to start sourcing Fair Trade Certified cocoa?

RALLY IN TIMES SQUARE, NYC

When: June 8 2011, 10:30am – 12:30pm
Where: In front of the Hershey Store in Times Square (1593 Broadway; Northwest corner of Broadway and 48th Street, Manhattan)

Who will be there:

  • The Raise the Bar, Hershey campaign members (Global Exchange, Green America and the International Labor Rights Forum)
  • Kerry Kennedy, President, Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights
  • Lee Cutler – Secretary Treasurer of New York State United Teachers Union
  • Marie Hogan – 11 year old Global Exchange Sweet Smarts SF chapter leader, along with local NYC-based students
  • Social justice, Fair Trade, labor rights, and faith based organization

RSVP on Facebook

CAN’T MAKE IT TO THE RALLY IN NEW YORK?

Take other actions to hold major chocolate corporations accountable

Together, we can speak up for children in West Africa and demand that Hershey and the rest of the cocoa industry commit to Fair Trade Certified cocoa.

We’re now two weeks into Fair Trade Month, so let’s continue this National Month of Action by organizing a Youth Power Party to start a Sweet Smarts chapter of your own.

Global Exchange’s Sweet Smarts campaign is a national network of individuals, from young children to senior citizens, whose simple, creative actions to educate and advocate for Fair Trade certified products transform communities and corporations to support small farmers’ efforts to build a better future for their families.

With Sweet Smarts, we’re binding together to build the next generation of social justice and environmental leaders.  We have developed new activity guides, which offer a step by step process to become a Fair Trade advocate and help end poverty, child labor, and environmental degradation by raising awareness about Fair Trade.

Here’s a message from our Fair Trade Cocoa Campaign Director, Adrienne Fitch-Frankel that is included in your Youth Power Party activity guide talking about the importance of educating your community about Fair Trade.

Sweet Smart Greeting from Global Exchange on Vimeo.

Newly released documentary The Dark Side of Chocolate reveals shocking and disturbing new evidence  that child labor, trafficking, and slavery are continuing in the cocoa industry, nearly ten years after the cocoa industry pledged to end it.

During Halloween Week 2010, please help us raise awareness of this real-life horror.

We are calling on you and individuals nationwide who care about the welfare of children to organize film screenings – large or small – in your home, workplace, or other group.

Help ensure that as many people as possible see this important film and take action to end this tragedy.

Following screenings, attendees will be invited to sign letters asking the Hershey Company to end the use of child labor and slavery in the cocoa fields and to start sourcing Fair Trade certified cocoa, which prohibits the use of child and forced labor.

Filmmaker Roberto Romano has generously offered for you to screen this film for free; participants will be asked to pay only to cover the cost of DVD replication and postage, which will be approximately $3-6.

Our goal is to organize hundreds of screenings nationwide at house parties, schools, congregations, and other venues during a National Week of Action the last week of October.  (If late October is inconvenient, please feel free to screen it later.)

Will you help by holding a screening (or even two)?

Questions?  Email fairtrade@globalexchange.org

PS:  Reverse Trick-or-Treating is coming soon!  September 1 is the anticipated start date for kit requests.