World Poverty and Fair Trade

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Year 7 Year 8 Year 9 GCSE A Level Moral Issues Buddhism Christianity Hinduism Islam Judaism Sikhism

Quick Links Third World Debt -:- Fair Trade -:- Nestle -:- Poverty -:- Ethics and Business -:- Child Labour Suppose you are a country in Africa. You want to build some Hospitals and Schools, but you have no money. You go to America, or Europe, to borrow the money you need - they lend it to you provided you grow "cash crops" like coffee or cocoa.The idea is that you sell your coffee, tea, cocoa, bananas or sugar on the open market, and use the money you earn to pay the loan back. But.... the free market means that you have to compete with all the other poor countries, who also borrowed money and who are struggling to pay it back. The buyers will go for the cheapest price, so you have to charge much less than you'd like for your crop. This is why you are struggling to pay back the loan. Meanwhile, your people are starving, your hospitals crumbling, your schools have no books, paper or pens, your people live in stinking slums, and your children are dying. Fair Trade means that we can buy products and guarantee that the grower makes a decent living from his crop. Market forces are forcing farmers into poverty, but farmers in Fair Trade co-operatives can look forward to a fair price for their crops.

The greatest problem facing the peoples of the world is poverty, but you'd be surprised to find out why so many people are so poor. Use these links to research the issue! Lenny Henry calls for debt to be dropped This is a page from the BBC News Website, dated Saturday, June 12, 1999. He visited Tony Blair at Downing Street to discuss the issue of World Debt. Jubilee 2000 Jubilee 2000 is a group of Christian Charities aguing that World Debt should be dropped - they began to campaign in the run up to the Year 2000 Your starting place for any research about the impact of global trade should be the countries themselves - find out about the conditions in Developing Countries so that you can then see the way that trade affects the people who live there. "World Fact Book" Click here for un-to-date information about Countries around the world. The site is operated by the CIA, and includes a vast amount of up-to-date information on every country in the world. Huge numbers of people are employed in factories making clothing for big companies like Nike and Gap. Campaigners have discovered that the conditions for these workers can often be appalling, and there are a number of organisations trying to make sure that workers' rights in these factories are being respected. There are some links below to companies like Nike and Reebok, as well as to some of the campaigners' sites. There are some sites specially about Fair Trade. Click on the one you want to find out about this important issue! Fair Trade Visit this site as an introduction to the issue of Fair Trade The Fair Trade Foundation The Fair Trade Federation (FTF) is an association of fair trade wholesalers, retailers, and producers whose members are committed to providing fair wages and good employment opportunities to economically disadvantaged workers and farmers worldwide. Visit their site to find out about their work in promoting Fair Trade. The Dubble Fair Trade Cholocate Site Follow this link to find out about the new Dubble Chocolate Bars. The site includes interactive features that tell you about Fair Trade, as well as a feature comparing two schools (one in Cambridge, and one in Ghana). Divine Chocolate When Year Nine classes sampled this Fair Trade Chocolate, they agreed that it was excellent! The packet clearly states that the cocoa growers of Kuapa Kokoo in Ghana receive a fair share of the profits from the sale of their cocoa - so you can eat chocolate and help change lives! Green and Black's This company make some superb organic chocolate - look out for the Fair Trade organic bars in your local supermarket, and visit their site to find out about their commitment to Fair Trade. Clipper Tea Clipper Teas support plantations with decent working conditions for their workers, and they ensure a fair wage too. Banana Link There is a Trade War in bananas between the USA and Europe. The USA wants to sell the bananas its multi-nationals grow on huge plantations (where conditions for its workers have caused concern). Europe wants to buy bananas from the small farms in the Caribbean, where the farmers can make a decent living as self-sufficient farmers. Arguments against Fair Trade Not everyone is enthusiastic about Fair Trade. You need to understand some basic Economics to get the drift of the arguments on this page from the BBC Business News site, but don't let that put you off - I managed! The workers who produce clothes for organisations like Nike and Reebok are often forced to work in terrible conditions for very little money. Research the issue of labour rights in clothing factories using these links. N.E.A.D. This organisation is based on Exchange Street (just past Jarrolds) in Norwich! They produce information packs about Fair Trade clothing and food - their postcards to sports manufacturers are an excellent way to put the pressure on big business! Nikebiz Responsibilities - Workers and Factories Nike's clothes and shoes are made in factories throughout the world (just check the label in your own trainers!). The Company has been criticised for the conditions that its workers have to suffer while making its products. Click on this link to see Nike's attempts to answer its critics! Reebok's Human Rights Pages Like its great rival, Reebok has been criticised for its human rights record. This link takes you to the Reebok page that gives their side of the story. Adidas Like its global competitors, Adidas has its products manufactured in the Developing World. This link takes you to Adidas-Salomon's "Standards of Engagement", where they explain their policy regarding labour and trade with the Developing World. To go to the "front page" for the Adidas-Salomon site, click here. Follow links to "Social and Environmental" to see more on Adidas' policies. Sweatshop Watch Sweatshop Watch is a coalition of labour, community, civil rights, immigrant rights, women's, religious & student organisations, and individuals committed to eliminating sweatshop conditions in the global garment industry. They believe that workers should be earning a living wage in a safe and decent working environment, and that those who benefit the most from the exploitation of sweatshop workers must be held accountable. UNITE Report - Sweatshops Behind The Swoosh The American "Union of Needletrades, Industrial & Textile Employees" is behind this report on Nike's alleged use of Sweatshop labour. Clean Clothes Campaign Visit this Canadian site, which is concerned about the conditions that workers endure while producing clothing for Nike. Huge numbers of children are working in terrible conditions - these sites give you information about campaigns against Child Labour (often little more than Child Slavery). The Children's World Congress on Child Labour One out of every six children in the world works as a child labourer. Some children in India weave carpets. Others in Haiti work as domestic servants. Children in Thailand beg on the streets. In Brazil children pick oranges while those in Albania work as prostitutes. Altogether there are 246 million child labourers. Most of them will never go to school. This website features 500 former Child Labourers who will form a campaign against using Child Labour. Global March Against Child Labour GlobalMarch.Org gives you plenty of information about the plight of Children across the world who are forced to work in desperate conditions for minimal pay. Research the issue from this colourful site. These links will help you to research the issue of Poverty in the Developing World. You can also look at the work of some of the major charities as they battle against disease and poverty. "World Fact Book" Click here for un-to-date information about Countries around the world. This is useful if you are researching countries for the Global Issues unit. Comic Relief This lot should need no introduction - the amazing success of Red Nose Day this year is a sign of the importance of Comic Relief's work! There's a separate Red Nose Day site - click here Billy Connolly visits a Hospital in Somaliland As part of Red Nose Day 2003, Billy Connolly visited a hospital in Hargeisa, the capital of Somaliland in East Africa. Those students who watched his report were very moved by the scenes in the film. Click on the link to see more information about his visit. Christian Aid Follow this link to the organisation that represents the Churches of the UK in action in the Developing World. They have a webiste specifically for students who are researching the Developing World - click here to go to the Global Gang Website. Oxfam Oxfam has become famous for its work in the Developing World, as well as for its Charity Shops in this country. This site contains a wealth of information about the work of this influential Charity. Make sure that you visit the Cool Planet site. There's details of celeb support, on-line activities and even a grafitti wall. Jubilee 2000 This important organisation has been campaigning for the cancellation of the debt owed by the world's poorest countries. CAFOD As well as Oxfam, there are a number of Christian charities working in the Developing World. Click on the name of the charity you want to research! The Hunger Site This is an interesting site - an on-line approach to World Hunger. Clicking on their adverts earns them money to fund their work. If for no other reason, visit the site for its shocking world map. A country blinks every 3.6 seconds to indicate the global death rate from hunger! 75% of the deaths are children. Makes you think! For many years, the Swiss Multinational "Nestle" has been boycotted by many people because of its activities selling powdered Babymilk in Africa. Research the issue here. Baby Milk Action This organisation co-ordinates the boycott of Nestle products. They argue that Nestle sells powdered Baby milk to people in Developing World countries, where clean water is scarce. They also argue that Nestle is putting profit before people. Click on the link to find out about their campaign. Nestle This is a link to Nestle's website. The page is called "Our Responsibility", and gives Nestle's side of the argument. Nestle's Fair Trade Coffee Nestle have launched a Fair Trade Coffee. They claim that the coffee is made from coffee bought at a fair price. Baby Milk Action isn't very impressed, arguing that the Fair Trade Foundation should not have allowed their logo to be used by a company that so obviously does not value Fair Trade principles. Read the story from the BBC News Website. Some organisations are concerned about many of these ethical issues, and reflect this in the way that they do business The Ethical Consumer The Ethical Consumer campaigns for better awareness of Ethical Issues among Britain's shoppers The Co-operative Bank The Co-op began as a workers' co-operative, and the Bank was founded in 1872 as a Loans and Savings department of the organisation. It is well known today for its support of charities, and its ethical policy on Investments. Its website includes a summary of its Policies on Ethical Investment. Click here to read about the Co-op Bank's Customers' campaigns. There is an Ethics Bulletin Board - click here to read customers' comments. When doing the Year 8 project on Social Justice, some students choose to look at the prices of Sportswear, or at CD Prices. Office of Fair Trading - Pricing of Sports Wear The OFT protects the interests of Consumers - in 1998 they investigated possible price fixing for Sports wear. Read their report from here. CD Price Fixing This is a page from "CD Media World" describing the OFT's investigation of CD Price Fixing. The Office of Fair Trading published its report in September 2002 - you can read the whole report by clicking here, or read the BBC News report by clicking here As part of your project, you need to hand in a Project Summary Sheet. Either collect one of Mr Dewar in class, or click here to download a copy to print.