Bradford Cathedral

Fairtrade Follow-up

Community_news

Although the Fairtrade Breakfast was several weeks ago, the money we raised contributes to long-term support of farmers and producers in the developing world, many of whom will be suffering additional hardships as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. We have today received this letter of thanks from Traidcraft on behalf of these farmers and producers. So, thank you again to everyone who enjoyed the fellowship and Fairtrade and locally produced items of the Breakfast – we look to welcoming even more breakfasters on the first Sunday in March 2021!

Karen Smith writes:
I can’t thank you enough for holding a Fairtrade Breakfast at Bradford Cathedral, and for your generous gift of £110.00! I hope you had a lovely time celebrating with your friends and community.

Every penny you raised will support vulnerable farmers, workers and artisans around the world to get a better deal from trade. People like Thabiti, a coffee farmer from Tanzania – who can now start looking forward to a fairer return on the hard work he does every day.

Thabiti owns a small plot of land where he grows coffee, bananas, maize and beans. He has a disability in his legs, and with no support for disabled people locally, his disability limits the amount of work he can do on his farm. With three young children to support, earning enough income has always been a huge worry.

“Sometimes we fail to make profit,” he says. “I hold my stick in one hand and the plants in the other, so it’s very difficult without paying for help.”

But thanks to the support of people like you, Thabiti recently joined a Traidcraft Exchange group with other disabled farmers in the area, which has really changed things for him.

“Being part of the group gives me comfort and really good consolation. I meet with others with disabilities and they’re my friends, we accept each other, we accept our disabilities. I value Traidcraft Exchange.”

Since joining the group Thabiti has undertaken training in practical skills such as book-keeping. He has also learned about the many ways that disabled people are stigmatised at family, community and even government level, and how being supported to earn a better living can help tackle this.

“I think this will help us stamp out discrimination, he says.

Thank you for giving people like Thabiti the power to transform their families’ lives through trade.

With warmest wishes,

Karen

Karen Smith
Fundraising Administrator
Traidcraft Exchange