Back in India: Fair Trade on the Rise

For the last year and a half, I’ve been stationed in Portland, Oregon where I started a Fair Trade business called AWAZ Voice for Empowerment, to help market handicrafts made by artisan groups I met in India when I was volunteering there in 2008. I teamed up with my good friend of 5 years from northern India, Talha, who coordinates the shipments and now we are partnering with five artisan groups who specialize in various handmade craft techniques to help promote an alternative trade movement that supports fair wages and healthy working conditions for artisans and women in the South. These groups are composed of women, the disabled and marginalized from rural and urban communities, and thanks to the help of local non profits and buyers like AWAZ, are receiving the skill training and support they need to earn a sustainable livelihood to improve their quality of life and get out of poverty.

I returned to India at the end of April 2010 to extend support to our partners and learn more about their work. This time, I teamed up with a Textile Designer from India, Jaya, who has been working with artisan groups for the last eight years, to help develop our product line and do some design sampling with the groups we work with. We spent two and a half weeks visiting our partners in Northern India to help make investments in their work and plan our ordering for the next year. Jaya was able to share a lot of expertise about working with artisan groups and how to develop our business and I got a real look at what’s been happening with Fair Trade and craft groups in India. I begin to share with you a little bit about my journey thus far, with experiences from World Fair Trade in Delhi, block printers in Jaipur and design, trainings and developments in Purkal. I’ll be in India until the end of June, capturing more about the growth of the Fair Trade movement and how groups are managing the change. I’m working with our web designers here in India to develop our e-commerce site and look forward to launching that when I return in July!! Keep you posted 

Fair Trade Action : Get ready for World Fair Trade Day, May 8th, 2010

Swap your cup for a mug of sweet vanilla tasting Rooibos tea!
Read about Rooibos farmers in South Africa and how fair trade has helped them.

https://www.dfid.gov.uk/Media-Room/Case-Studies/2010/Swap-your-cuppa/


Farmers go peanuts for Fair Trade! Read more about fair trade peanuts and the farmers you're helping!

https://www.dfid.gov.uk/Media-Room/Case-Studies/2010/Farmers-go-nuts-for-Fairtrade/



Participate in the UK's Fair Trade Fortnight fair trade committment and swap one daily use item for a fair trade item!

http://www.fairtrade.org.uk/thebigswap/about_the_big_swap/


Gear up for World Fair Trade Day on May 8th and participate in the Fair Trade Resource Network's Fair Trade My Home Contests!
Win Fair Trade prizes! Show the funny, beautiful and meaningful ways you use Fair Trade goods at home.


http://www.fairtraderesource.org/wftd-10/fair-trade-my-home-contests/

Friends, it soon will be Christmas time and you'll be thinking of a gift to buy someone special. What better way to shop where it makes a difference, then by coming on down to one of our last few Holiday Bazaars and finding something just right for your loved one.

Enjoy a variety of Handwoven Textiles and Crafts handmade by Artisans in India:

Silk and natural dye woolen Scarves
Woven placemat sets, aprons and dish Towels
a variety of Handbags, pursues and Coin bags
Paper Mache decor
Stuffed toy animals
Cross stitched Nativity Set
Bead Jewelry
Greeting Cards
embroidered Cushion Covers and Placemat sets
Women and Men's tops and skirts

LAST 3 HOLIDAY BAZAARS: December 2009!

Saturday, December 5
9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Sellwood Community Center
1436 SE Spokane Street
Portland, OR 97202


Thursday, December 10
INEC's Green and Fair Holiday Celebration
5 p.m. - 8 p.m.
First United Methodist Church
1838 SW Jefferson Portland, OR

Saturday, December 12
10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Aloha-Huber Park School
5000 SW 173rd Avenue
Aloha, OR 97007

Participating in community Holiday Bazaars

Give a gift this holiday season that makes a difference and BUY FAIR TRADE!

The Fair Trade Holiday Gift Season is finally here and we will be participating in a variety of Holiday Bazaars around the Portland area this year to share with the community more about our work. We have been busy working with our partner organizations in India to prepare for this year and have a great assortment of handwoven textiles, natural dye woolen scarves, jewelry, kids toys, greeting cards, clothing and more to offer.

It's the perfect time of the year to buy unique, eco-socially friendly gifts to share with loved ones and use your dollar to give back to those in need. The artisans we work with are from low income communities in India and their craft work helps to sustain their livelihood and care for their family. The majority of the artisans we work with are women and by helping to create demand for their work, we are helping them to become income earners and improve their status in their community.

Admire the beautiful craftsmanship, trace your fingers over the embroidery and feel like you've helped someone by coming to one of our Holiday Bazaars this year and learning more about our work:

Friday/Saturday, October 30, 31
Somerset Christian Church
16260 NW Bronson Rd
Beaverton, OR 97006


Saturday, November 7
9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Springwater Nazarene Church
3445 SE Hillyard Rd
Gresham, OR 97080


Saturday, November 14
9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
West Linn Adult Community Center
1180 Rosemont Road
West Linn, OR‎ 97068


Wednesday/Thursday, November 18, 19
Kansas State University Fair Trade Marketplace
KSU Student Union


November 27th - December 3
University of Kansas Fair Trade Holiday Sale
Ecumenical Campus Ministries Building


Saturday, December 5
9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Sellwood Community Center
1436 SE Spokane Street
Portland, OR 97202


Saturday, December 12
10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Aloha-Huber Park School
5000 SW 173rd Avenue
Aloha, OR 97007

TODAY IS WORLD FAIR TRADE DAY!

On May 10th this year, the whole world celebrates World Fair Trade Day to acknowledge support for a trade movement that provides fair wages and equality for millions of farmers and artisans around the globe. Take a stand today and make an effort to trade fair.

It is our trading system that is so jadded and unfair which has put much of the world in poverty. People in countries like India and Mexico are often forced to work 14 hour days slaving in some factory where they earn less than $1 a day to help care for their families. LEARN MORE. Fair trade is a better alternative that gives opportunities and resources to help communities grow.

Farmers in Vietnam and artisans in Uganda are shown respect and are rewarded fairly for their hard labor, be it hours in the field caring for rice or weaving baskets to share with the world. It is because of Fair Trade that women have emerged as leaders in their village and are making investments in education and healthcare for their families. It is because of Fair Trade that poor families are earning well and are no longer dependent on foreign aid for assistance. It is a trading system like this that will help people get out of poverty for generations to come, rather than one that will perpetuate it.

You CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE by supporting Fair Trade!
Ways to do so:

• ask for Fair Trade coffee in cafes and if they don't have it, tell them why they should
• buy Fair Trade products in your local grocery stores and natural food stores
• buy gifts or decorate your home with unique, handmade Fair Trade crafts
• tell your friends about fair trade and why it's important
• start a Fair Trade community or student group
• serve Fair Trade coffee in your workplace or church
  

and lastly.....SUPPORT AWAZ'S EFFORTS by buying our products and helping us to spread the word about Fair Trade!

contact us for:
inquiries about retail/wholesale
participating in events, exhibitions and talks about Fair Trade in Portland, OR
to partner with our work

Expanding Our Work, Impacting Communities in India

AWAZ's efforts to support income generation and fair trade in India are growing. With growing support for our work, we are starting to expand our product line and participate in more exhibitions and sales in the Portland area. Our efforts to create more demand for fair trade handicrafts are directly impacting communities in India by helping to create more employment for the artisan groups we partner with in India. Without orders from their buyers, the artisans have no work and no income to support their family. I recall my visit to one of MESH's partners in a leprosy colony in Delhi. I told the women I would help spread the word about their work in my country. They were happily shouting "more orders, more orders".

AWAZ is working on behalf of the artisans and are keen to increase the market for their work by supplying shops and Fair Trade retailers with their products. We are looking for more partnerships and opportunities to spread the word about fair trade and share our products with the community!! Contact us today to collaborate : Sarah Mitts - passioness@hotmail.com

Next Exhibition:

Alberta Art Hop, Saturday, May 16th, 2009

11 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Alberta Arts District, NE Alberta and 12th-29th Street

Beginning our work in Oregon : City Repair Earth Day Exhibition

AWAZ partnered with over 50 organizations and The City Repair Project this past weekend to celebrate Earth Day and create awareness about environmental and social action in the Portland, Oregon community. AWAZ has officially shifted to Portland and is beginning to grow their business!!

The event took place at beautiful Wallace Park in Northwest Portland on April 25th and brought over 2,000 community members together for a fun-filled day of organic and raw gourmet foods, eco-friendly activities, environmental and social education and live music! Sarah Mitts, Co-Founder of AWAZ organized an exhibition of handicrafts made by the artisan groups we are supporting in India and shared with the community about our work.

It was our first public exhibition in Portland after relocating to the area to help grow our business and we are happy to say that it was a great success! Portlanders love supporting local, sustainable business and we had many people stop by our table. We've incorporated clothing items to our product line and showcased some new block print skirts made by artisans from Sadhna for the Summer season.

The ladies loved the skirts and also Sadhna's placemat sets! We also had a large crowd of young girls who loved the stuffed animals and bead jewelery made by MESH's partners. And as usual, there is always great support for the scarves, bags and greeting cards made from recycled paper!!

PORTLAND, A Green and Socially Responsible Community

For the last 4 years, Portland has been ranked No. 1 on SustainLane's list of most sustainable and socially responsible cities in the U.S. There is a large, diverse public transportation system, a plethora of green businesses and recycling programs and great support for local businesses. At the Earth Day event, we connected with a couple organizations doing great work. Check them out!

The World Flag Project works to enhance global awareness and unity by promoting a world flag and educating the world about global issues. They have ambassadors around the world working to promote the world flag, its message and creating positive change. Purchase a World Flag today and get involved!

Green Empowerment partners with non profits in over 8 countries to implement renewable energy projects and help develop low income communities.

Association for India's Development organizes fundraising campaigns to support grassroots organizations working to empower the underprivileged in India. They have over 35 chapters throughout the US and around the world working on their behalf. AWAZ is a member of the AID Portland Chapter.

The City Repair Project is an organized group action in Portland that educates and inspires communities and individuals to creatively transform the places where they live. They organize a variety of events throughout the year to educate and engage the community in environmental and social action.