I've been all over the web this week trying to educate myself concerning "sustainability" and "fairtrade". The first mention I read about fairtrade was in one of Wendy's posts last month on the link between child slavery and chocolate. The good news is that I have discovered that Cadbury's Plain Milk Chocolate is fairtrade! However I'm appalled at how little I know about fairtrade and I wonder how many others are also unaware? It boils down to " the labourer is worthy of his wages" in other words the small producer shouldn't be forced to accept low prices (not market related) for his produce (thus also forcing him to pay low wages) while the middle man and retailer profit (well at least that is my understanding). Sadly South Africa has very few registered fairtrade producers at this point in time and me living out in the rural Eastern Cape doesn't really bring me into contact with these producers' products. It does however bring me face to face with real hardship and extreme poverty, something fairtrade aims to eradicate. Our choices could make a difference to a struggling small farmer and his labourers. Sometimes the reality of our budgets force us to make less healthy; less "fair" choices, but if we do have the ability to choose, we should choose "right" (that goes for free-range and organic products too) and we should support the small local (organic) producer if at all possible.
And speaking about poverty: I was so encouraged to see the generosity of ordinary folk that are also battling to balance the budget. Again, I'm just so appalled at how calloused I've become, wrapped up in my own little world trying to make ends meet. I know that many South Africans feel a sense of resentment towards the current government: after all the poverty stricken masses have elected them into power, so let them deliver (I'm guilty of this too). Sadly corruption is rife, money that is earmarked for poverty relief goes into lining government officials pockets (this is not a uniquely South African phenomena by the way) and parents spend welfare grants on alchohol - at the end of the day children are suffering, children that didn't make any of these choices. So today we're going through our cupboards and throwing out all unused, outgrown clothing - hopefully a few children will be warmer because of it...
Hi Adele! Yay for Fairtrade chocolate! Cadbury only recently committed to Fairtrade by the sounds of things...and such a good decision by them. You are so right though, it is often a really hard juggle between what will be best for 'all of us' (the environment, the workers, etc) and 'us' (my family, on our limited income, with our own lives and needs to think of, etc, etc). Life is full of small daily decisions, many of which seem to be compromises of some sort or other. I guess we just do what we can where we are at, and try to be sure to learn what we need to in order to make good choices in the future. Amy
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