Fairtrade Fortnight: Over 525,000 steps taken
Thank you to all of you who supported Fairtrade Fortnight, which took place this year from 27 February to 11 March.
Over 525,000 steps so far
The theme for this year is ‘Take a step’ towards Fairtrade – one step for every farmer and worker the Fairtrade system hopes to work with. As Fairtrade Fortnight came to an end, over 400,000 steps had already been taken. Since then, the number has nudged up to 525,000.
The 'steps' came from events all over the UK, and included holding coffee mornings, pledging to drink Fairtrade tea for a year and buying more Fairtrade cotton clothing.
The Fairtrade Producer Tour was one of the most successful events. Producers from Malawi, Mali and the Caribbean travelled widely across the country, from the Isle of Man to Nottinghamshire and Aberdeenshire and shared their experience with schools, local churches and consumers.
Masauko, from Kasinthula Sugar Cane Producers in Malawi, will go home with fond memories of his trip: “I am so impressed by the passion I’ve seen, I will be taking one, no, two steps at a time for Fairtrade when I return to Malawi.”
Fairtrade recipe book
Across England and Wales, CAFOD supporters greatly contributed to Fairtrade Fortnight’s success. Salford Diocese produced a delightful recipe book, “50 Fairtrade Favourites”, to mark the 50th anniversary of CAFOD. The recipes come from volunteers, CAFOD staff and the Union of Catholic Mothers.
In Liverpool, volunteers invited people to their Big Brew event – a Fairtrade tea party attended by local residents.
In Portsmouth, pupils at St John’s Cathedral primary school organised special pancake races to get friends and families to think about Fairtrade.
In Sheffield, CAFOD volunteers took the opportunity of Fairtrade Fortnight to promote our Thirst for change campaign and make the link between Fairtrade and water. The fair wages earned by farmers and workers in developing countries means that they can invest in community projects such as water and sanitation projects.
Take a step in 2012
The Fairtrade Foundation hopes to achieve a total of 1.5 million steps by the end of 2012. Fairtrade Fortnight was just the beginning of this year’s campaign, so it's not too late to register your step.
