A beautiful day, morning coffee (or smoothie if you are like me!), a run to gym and our enchanted day starts (well most of the days). Everyone has struggles every now and then, and I am sure we find (or try to find) shining light in looking at the sky above our head or our friends and family.
This dreamlike scenario which most of us are privileged to often gives way to dilemma of reality in the lives of many others. A long walk through the hot sun to fetch water for the day, asking your daughter to stay home instead of her joining other children on their way to local school, not having any toy to give to your child to play with, little or no food unless you send your loved ones to city for work...the list can go on and on.
Acknowledging that everyone of us has demons and problems to face is the first step in being aware of humanity. It's not that everyone of us can help others every single day but as they say - "it only begins with a dream" - thanks to many cooperatives, and fair trade small businesses it is often possible to help and service our global community not by charity but by the power of conscious consumerism.
So, how does Fair Trade affect consumers? There are many benefits practicing conscious consumerism by being a consumer of fair trade products. Following is a list of some of the reasons -
- You lend your voice to say NO to poverty, NO to exploitation and NO to gender & racial inequality
- You say YES to eco-friendly sustainable products, YES to fair wages, YES to safe working conditions
- You say YES to making our world a better place for people, animals and nature in general
You, today's consumer would feel empowered to be part of the small or large business which aligns with your personal values and shares a vision for a better world build together. There are so many fair trade products to choose from (coffee, sugar, chocolate, spices, home decor, garden decor, adult/children cloths, jewellery, fashion accessories, bedsheets, towels) and from so many shops (view a list of endorsed Fair Trader shops on the FTA website).