Right now it is
Fair Trade fortnight
in NZ. There have been events all over the country to raise awareness of the terrible working conditions many people in the developing world suffer from – tiny wages, ridiculously long hours, or dangerous conditions – and the benefits of buying ethically produced goods.
If you haven’t been to any events yet (or brought much fair trade goods in the past) there is a way you can help out tomorrow. To promote awareness of global poverty and Fair Trade fortnight a young New Zealander,
Divya Dhar
, has organized a
social experiment
. She and the
P3 Poverty Foundation
are asking people to go into a cafe this Friday, and buy a cup of Fair Trade coffee or hot chocolate not for themselves, but for the next person who comes into the store after them.
To help them measure the success of their experiment they’re asking anybody who’s keen to do this to email them as well at
campaigns@p3f.org
.
I think this is a clever idea since it will mean that a lot of people are offered a Fair Trade coffee who have never had one before. Hopefully, the experience will show them that Fair Trade coffee is just as nice as normal coffee and, also, get them thinking about the wider benefits of buying Fair Trade.
What do you think? Will you try it?