Fair Trade Buys Goats

Yunnan, South-Western China

goat_in_hainanWhen is a goat worth more than a goat? An odd question, perhaps, but for one group of women in South-Western China, the answer is empowering! In our fair trade marketplace, we sell handiwork made by these women and, with the profits returned, they have just bought new goats. The goats produce three very valuable things: milk for their families and for extra income, new baby goats that will spread the benefit to more in their community, and lastly…ahem… fertiliser! (The manure produced by their goats means they don’t need to buy fertiliser for their farms, cutting costs and makes their produce organic.) The goat project, kick-started by our ‘fair trade premium’ payment, began with a new goat for 10 families, but as they produce more baby goats, the project is expected to help 200 families in Yunnan! We love the multiplier effect of fair trade.

Turning Trash into Treasure

Haiti

tree-of-lifeIt’s true what people say. Recovery from a disaster can take decades. Haiti is one example. Six years on from their devastating earthquake, in January 2010, the country continues to battle to find full recovery. More than half the population lives below the poverty line and jobs are scarce. Yet fair trade is having an impact. Creative Haitian artisans have found
a way to take used metal drums and recycle them into beautiful works of art. For many of the artisans with fair trade organisation, Comite Artisanal Haitien, the money they earn making these crafts is their sole income.

 

Angels of Hope

Mongolia

img_3789MONGOLIA: Made from broken glass bottles, these angels are produced by Mongolian women whose lives are affected by alcoholism. With proceeds going to support families of recovering alcoholics, they show that from the very thing that breaks lives, something beautiful and full of hope can be formed.

 

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It’s true what people say. Recovery from a disaster can take decades. Haiti is one example. Six years on from their devastating tragedy, in January 2009, and the country continues to battle to find full recovery. More than half the population lives below the poverty line and jobs are scarce. Yet fair trade is having impact. Creative Haitian artisans have found a way. To take used metal drums and recycle them into beautiful works of art. For many artisans with Comite Artisanal Haitien, the money they earn making these crafts is their sole income.

Hope after incarceration: Zambia

“I was doing Grade 7 when my father was sentenced to life imprisonment,” recounts Bodiao. “Life came to a standstill as...

read more ...

Liberia: Youth empowerment

WHO IS THIS SHIPMENT HELPING? Liberia as a nation is still suffering deep social and economic wounds from a civil war that ended...

read more ...

Syria: Aid and empowerment for refugees

Shipment Feedback: The conflict in Syria continues to devastate lives and communities, with thousands of people still displaced and living in flimsy...

read more ...

Cameroon: Educating and rebuilding

WHO IS THIS SHIPMENT HELPING? When we first started working with our Cameroonian partners in 2010, they were planning and working on...

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He had to be one of the least likely candidates in London’s 2012 Paralympics.

In 2010, Haiti’s massive earthquake had robbed Leon of his wife, eight children, home and mobility. Our Global Hand UK director, Ben Solanky, met him, soon after, while visiting the devastated area to follow up on a Crossroads medical support shipment.

Starting new life, as a paraplegic, was tough. As one observer put it, “If you are handicapped, you are a nobody in Haiti.”  In response, the hospital caring for Leon came up with a bold idea. What if Leon could be trained for the London Paralympics? Might he become a hero of hope, a champion for those with disabilities?

It was, clearly, a dream. The resources needed were massive and Haiti, already a struggling economy, was stretched to capacity by the earthquake damage. The hospital team rated their chances of success at 1%.

Undaunted, though, the group called their project ‘The Dream’ and looked for partners. Ben’s team responded. It seemed a good fit given for Global Hand: given our stated goal of being ‘the partnership people’, those who bring together partners to make a difference.  Ben and his UK team joined The Dream and brought together a range of parties. Companies included the international legal firm Hogan-Lovells and Virgin Unite. Committed individuals included a UK based family who had lost a son, a UN worker, to the earthquake.

Leon received the care, the training and the massive international support to qualify. One week before the Olympics, he heard he would be going.

Thomas Williams Photography

As Leon finished his hand cycle race, seventh on the international stage, he told The Times: “If my family were here they would be proud of me. I raced this for them.”

Ben Solanky concludes, “We believe partnerships are powerful. Seeing The Dream achieved was a wonderful illustration of this principle.” Global Hand is all about bringing strategic partnerships together to change lives.

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read more ...

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Shipment Feedback: The conflict in Syria continues to devastate lives and communities, with thousands of people still displaced and living in flimsy...

read more ...

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WHO IS THIS SHIPMENT HELPING? When we first started working with our Cameroonian partners in 2010, they were planning and working on...

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