Fair Trade Plus has many “firsts” to its credit. Firstly, the first of its kind project in Fair Trade, which reaches out to producers through nine trained trainers, with the back up support of authentic information in the form of a \'Fair Trade Tool Kit.\' The project, a joint initiative by Traidcraft Exchange-UK, Fair Trade Forum – India and FAKT-Germany, was launched in the month of June 2007. With the ‘Dissemination Workshop’ being organized in the last week of February 2010, the project will be concluded ‘formally’. The project was supported by the European Commission.
But with the ever-growing charm of Fair Trade, due to the increased demand for “Fairness” from the market, the activities organized under the project might never stop!!! FTF-I really thinks to update the tool kit, further hone the skills of trainers, motivate the potential trainers identified at the producers\' level, more and getting help from more Fair Trade visionaries towards extending market opportunities as well as dignified income to the more producers.
The task of successfully organizing over hundred producers\' level Fair Trade Plus workshops, was enthusiastically taken up by the trainers during the last one year. Before that, the ‘Baseline Survey’, ‘Trading Fairly workshops,’ ‘Training of Trainers (ToT)’, ‘Field Visits’ and the ‘EU market visit’ were also organised in the most effective way. Kudos to all - the project team, the mentors, the trainers and above all the producers as well as the Fair Trade organizations in India for taking out this wonderfull effort called Fair Trade Plus.
And, tributes to two great souls who left for their heavenly abode during the project period… Prof. Shyam S. Sharma, our Guru, WFTO Hon’y Member, former President of FTF-I and the working group member of Fair Trade Plus......Mohamad Usman, Trainer and former Executive Director of FTF-I. |
