Visiting Malawi
I’ve
just got back from a research trip in Malawi with Fairtrade, visiting tea and sugar
producers. It’s one of the poorest countries in the world, with a life
expectancy of 50yrs (although we were told it’s 37yrs in the rural villages.) Despite
this, the farmers I interviewed were some of the most hospitable, generous and
positive people I’ve ever had the pleasure to meet. I was even invited for a
quick round of netball.
The
biggest eye-opener though was the difference that Fairtrade makes to producers’
lives.
you actually see the benefits,
they’re hard to comprehend. It isn't just about getting a fair wage – every
villager I spoke to immediately listed the projects from the Fairtrade premium; the electricity they've installed, the hospitals
they’ve been able to build, the boreholes dug…
the schools, the football pitches, irrigation, solar panels, subsidised fertilisers, maternity clinics…
And
the benefits don’t just impact the producers. Malawians talk about their
‘extended family’, the brothers, sisters, cousins… so they estimate that for
every Fairtrade producer, 6 additional people benefit.
I had a good chat with this lady, Chris. Her community have used the Fairtrade premium to dig wells, which means she doesn’t have to walk 10km for water each day.
As a single mum, it also means she can spend more time with her kids and
earning money on the fields. Their next project is to build a local junior school as
children as young as 5 and 6 are currently walking 5km each way to class.
it wasn’t all glowing and positive. We visited a group of tea farmers that have only been Fairtrade for one year – the changes are gradually starting to show,
but there’s still a long way to go. This
lady, Enna, was caring for her 4 grandchildren (5 of her daughters had passed
away), but she was suffering from malaria and couldn’t reach the hospital 40km
away.
to build a local clinic, but it’s our job in the UK to buy more Fairtrade
products and create the demand, so that projects like these can happen.
seen it first-hand, it’s amazing what a difference that 2 second decision in
the tea (or coffee, or chocolate, or banana, or sugar, or pants…) aisle can make. Simply swapping your usual for one with a Fairtrade logo.
Fyson
put it pretty nicely, I think:
“Fairtrade means that we
can worry less about life… we now have a new maternity ward so our women are
safe, we’ve got boreholes so our children can drink clean water… and less worry means we can
spend more time being happy.”