Friday, November 7, 2008

Fair Trade Fights Malnutrition

Steady work and living wages are often key to helping people lift themselves out of poverty and combat malnutrition.

Workers in developing countries often have no chance to better themselves because they have no product to offer, no resources to make products, or no one to help them distribute goods. Fair trade organizations across the globe are helping impoverished people learn to make crafts and other products with available resources and develop them for markets abroad and in the US. Furthermore, these same organizations are providing consistent work, which is enabling hundreds and thousands of families to buy food, access healthcare, and get an education. As more craftsmen are empowered to form businesses and become self-sufficient, workers and communities are being lifted from starvation and malnutrition.

Heifer International is one organization aimed at helping small farmers become independent and improve their livelihood through education and gifts of livestock with a commitment to give the first offspring to their neighbors. Lucuma Designs is proud to support Heifer International and other similar organizations.

The Lake Titicaca region of Peru and Bolivia has stunning vistas and proud inhabitants. The Inca empire was founded there! Today however, this region is one of the poorest parts of South America in part due to subsidized American potatoes and wheat, products which were once being imported from Peru. From sugar cane to home decor, more and more stores today are offering you a choice. Choose fair trade and support a movement of sustainability that is greatly affecting your world neighbors.

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