I was browsing the Fair Trade Federation website and came across some interesting facts and figures I wanted to share to motivate us through 2009.
Fair Trade is growing as a market share, although I am not sure as to how sales will relate when set in the wider economy at present. We are optimistic though here at Muenda as we believe there is a need for our Fair Trade Gifts so people have the opportunity to support a way to a brighter, fairer world.
For further information please visit the Fair Trade Federation website otherwise, read on.
How You Have Helped:
$2.6 billion is the amount of total fair trade sales in 2006 according to the International Fair Trade Association $160+ million is the amount of total FTF member sales in 2006, according to the Fair Trade Federation [bearing in mind, not all retailers belong to the Fair Trade Federation]. 93% is the growth in the global fair trade cocoa sector in 2006, according to the Fair Trade Labelling Organization. In 2006, coffee has also grown by 53%; tea by 41%; and, bananas by 31%. 
Why We Need To Continue To Support Fair Trade.
· According to the World Bank an estimated 2.7 billion people are existing on less than $2 per day.
· 284,000 is the number of children in the Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria and Cameroon working in hazardous tasks on conventional cocoa farms, according to a 2002 International Institute of Tropical Agriculture study directly involving 4,500+ producers.
· 15,000 is the number of children aged 9 to 12 in the Ivory Coast alone who have been sold into forced labor on conventional cotton, coffee, and cocoa plantations, according to a 2000 US State Department report.
· $70 billion is the amount African countries could generate if their share of world exports increased by 1% - approximately five times what the continent receives in aid - according to Oxfam International's Make Trade Fair Report.
· $13 billion is the total amount required to provide basic education and nutrition in all developing countries, according to the 2005 UNICEF State of the World's Children Report
· $25 billion is the amount spent annually on US farm subsidies, according to a 2007 Heritage Foundation report
· $40-70 billion - amount required to meet all eight Millennium Development Goals by 2015, according to the United Nations
Please help us to continue Make Trade Fair... to tackle social and environmental injustices in 2009 and vote with your dollar for positive changes that impact women and children worldwide!
