Queensland Fair Trade Collective Christmas Shopping Market

Last weekend was the wonderful opportunity for Brisbanites to purchase
fair trade and ethical gifts. Organized by the Queensland Fair Trade
Collective , 25 stalls were gathered under one roof at Marymac Hall,
Annerley. Many shoppers took advantage of this fantastic and unique
shopping experience !!

Treemendous Christmas Festival

Friday December 11 to Tuesday December 15 th 2009

Bayside Uniting Church, 420 Wondall Rd, Manly West. Brisbane

Phone 3890 2392 & 3890 2395

Featured events

Treemendous Christmas Festival
Treemendous Christmas Festival

Animal Petting Farm Saturday 3 - 6 pm

"Follow the star " Lantern Walk Sunday evening at 7 and 8 pm on campus.

Sausage sizzle every night from 5 pm

Food and Craft on sale ( including Fair Trade craft)

Website

History of the Festival

The display of decorated trees has grown from 15 at our first Festival in 1997 to over 60 in 2007. In 2009 we hope to display between 80 and 100 trees, including the festival tree which rises to a spectacular 4 metres

Live and artificial trees, in a variety of sizes and colours, are decorated by individuals, families, church groups and community organizations. They range in style from traditional to contemporary. Some are even created from timber, plastic, fabric, cardboard, or paper. Many of the trees are enhanced by lighting and some are decorated in keeping with the Festival theme.

Summer has come early to Queensland

Summer has come early to Queensland this year and the high 30's degree heat is a good reason for packing your cossies and your towels and a picnic lunch and heading off to the beach to cool off in the ocean or bay. What better way to carry your things than with this wonderful basket made from recycled packaging tape . This basket is very strong and waterproof and looks great !

Made by the clever artisans at Mukdaharn, Thai Craft, a Fair Trade producer group in Thailand. Mukdaharn is located in Thailands northeast region, known as Isan. The country is arid and its people struggle to make ends meet. Most working age villagers leave their families for work in the more prosperous cities. Some villagers in Mukdaharn have created work in their own community by using recycled plastic tape to make strong and colourful baskets. With bamboo being scarce, bright plastic makes a good alternative for this traditional craft and the additional income derived makes these subsistent farming families less dependent on their annual rain reliant rice crop.
The basket is available from Siham Craftlink in three colours.

Walk against warming Saturday 12 th of December

Leadership for a Safe Climate

10 am 12th of December 2009 King George Square Brisbane

On Saturday 12th December, concerts and rallies will be held in cities around the world to promote the need for a safe climate agreement at the UN Climate Change Meeting in Copenhagen. Brisbane will be one of those cities and you can make the difference at Brisbane’s Walk Against Warming!

Brisbane’s Walk Against Warming will feature a march followed by a concert of donated performances by Katie Noonan & The Captains, Dallas Frasca, Marshall & the Fro, Passenger, Black Market Rhythm Co. www.walkagainstwarming.org

Siham Craftlink introduces a new line !

Siham Craftlink is now offering a new exciting line of handmade soaps made by ladies in Bangladesh. The ladies , who formerly worked in the red light area have now transformed their lives due to being involved in this programme. We at Siham Craftlink are proud to be providing outlets in Australia for these very special ladies . Due to unprecedented demand, the coconut soap has sold out within two weeks!!! More will be coming!!!

A case story from Shohojogita Fair Trade Producer Group, Bangladesh

Ruma Sarkar is the name of a dynamic college girl.
She dreamt a good dream for higher education. She is the second among 4 children of her parents. Ruma and her younger sister and brother continue studying at the local college. Last year, she took her final examination for her course Bachelor of Arts (B.A). They are living at Mirzapur village under Gazipur district which is close to the capital of Dhaka. Her father is a temporary bricks and sands supplier. Sometimes there is minimal work, as it is a seasonal business. So the income sources were limited and very hard to bear the expenses of the 6 members’ in the family. A couple of years ago, Ruma’s elder sister got married. She could not continue study because of financial crisis. Ruma proudly expressed that her mother is a very talented-woman. She knows how to continue supporting the family with the very small income they have. Her mother was optimistic and determined to continue study for her children.
But Ruma Sarkar was observing the crisis of her family silently and was searching alternative sources of a little income for maintaining cost of her higher educations (college fees, dresses, pencils, books and etc). One day she saw that one of her poor neighbors was making embroidery for SHOHOJOGITA. She had felt interest in doing something artistic like embroidery stitching.
She contacted the manager of SHOHOJOGITA. At first she got offered very simple work. Her sample was very perfect and embroiders were neat and clean. In the meantime, we received orders of Christmas stockings from Siham Craftlink- our largest Australian buyer. The first sample of Christmas stockings has been made by Ruma Sarkar. The colour-matching of threads and style of stitching was very eye-catching and perfect.
Now Ruma is the successful manager of 34 poor artisans at Mirzapur village. She is distributing work-orders, colour-matching of threads, checking quality of products and paying the wages to the producers and meeting regularly to resolve the problems of embroidery works .
For her hard work and sincereness, she is getting extra money from SHOHOJOGITA as an additional income for her study and her siblings.
She is very friendly with the other producers, as well as hospitable and dynamic approaching. All the women involved in these projects need continuity of work.
Ruma now feels confident that she will continue studying for her Master’s degree. Finally Ruma says,” I have changed my life with the help of SHOHOJOGITA. I hope that SHOHOJOGITA will continue this support to assist the poor producers .”

Lots of new and exciting Fair Trade products have arrived !

Siham Craftlink was abuzz last week with 51 boxes delivered in a
combined sea shipment from Corr the Jute Works, Prokritee and the YWCA Bangladesh.
A week prior to this a sea shipment arrived from Shohojogita and
Surjomukhi. We at Siham are anticipating the demand for fair trade gifts
this Christmas and we are well prepared!
A new range of brilliantly exciting Christmas gift ideas and
decorations will be revealed in the weeks to come, so please keep checking!!
If curiosity gets the better of you and you cant wait that long, please
contact us and we will reveal the secrets !!

A producer story from Heed Handicrafts Fair Trade Group

Teresa is a Christian woman from the Western part of Bangladesh who makes Dateleaf baskets for HEED Handicrafts. She used to be only a housewife once, but now her strong non-stop basket weaving hands makes her the only valuable earning person of her family.
Teresa liked basket making from her childhood and learntthis skill from her father. At
that time it was her hobby tomake baskets and thus she tried to help her father with her two little hands. But who knew that this skill of her would one day help her to feed her whole family. Teresa’s husband used to do little businesses and his income was not bad at all. But after 7 years of her marriage, he left her with two children behind. Teresa returned to her father’s house but there also bad luck hunted her. Her father died. All the responsibility to earn the livelihood of her two children along with her mother and one little brother fell on her. First she could not decide what to do. Then she remembered her childhood hobby and started to make date leaf baskets. She
joined a HEED Handicrafts producer group there, and started to make date leaf baskets from HEED Handicrafts throughout the year. Now Teresa has overcome the dark night of her sorrow with her
those two non-stop hands and her baskets which she makes for HEED Handicrafts. She earns about 4,000.00 Taka ( US $ 70.00) per month now. She sends her two children to school, her son is in class eight and her daughter is in class three. She has returned smile to her mother’s lips also. She taught her brother this skill and he started to make baskets for HEED Handicrafts also. Teresa and her baskets go side byside. She makes the baskets and they make her life to move
ahead.

A story that touches the soul

7/10/2009

Recently I wrote to Artisans Effort and asked if they could share a story of one of the artisans. They replied very quickly. This story reaches the soul. I now know why I am so passionate about Fair Trade. Shaista wrote the following.

We would like to share a fact with you. This is not story.

A woman with two sons lived with her husband. Her husband was truck driver and a drinker. Though his earnings were sufficient he used to blow all his money on drinks and friends. This used to create a lot of problem at home.There used to be regular fight at home. The two children used to suffer in every aspect.

The woman came to know about Artisans Effort through some one. She became a part of Artisans Effort. She is a hard working woman. She took products to make at home.

The husband did not like this too. So he got another point to fight. Poor woman used to come and take work from Artisans Effort when her husband was not in town, so that there is no fight and she and her children are not beaten up. She did this because she needed money and so there could be peace in the house.

We at Artisans Effort never knew about this story. We only knew that she had some financial problem. But one day we were all astonished to hear that she was beaten by her husband and he was trying to burn her just because his elder son did not listen to him as he was going for his tution. The father wanted him to do his work first but the son told him that after he returns from tuition he will do the work as he was already late for his classes. The mother supported the child and that was the end.The son went for his classes but the mother was beaten up and he became inhuman to his own wife. But fortunately she was helped by some of the neighbours. She was rescued. The local people informed the police.Seeing all this he fled.

After that he never returned.But now this woman lives alone with two children. We are trying to give more and more work so that she can run her family.

She is good at making hanging mobiles and some other items too.

International Day for the Eradication of Poverty

Letter from Fair Trade Australia and New Zealand

Dear Fairtrade Supporter
Truth be told, we're pretty fortunate. We know that $2 is less than most of us spend on a cup of coffee, yet that's what more than 2 billion people around the world must survive on every day.As Fairtrade supporters, we're also in a great position to be able to make our little daily purchases really count for something. Every time we choose Fairtrade, we're choosing to actively reduce poverty by investing in some of the world's most vulnerable communities. So to commemorate the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty on October 17, we're asking supporters to pledge to spend $2 a day on their favourite Fairtrade products for two weeks. Will you take the pledge?

It could be your daily coffee or tea, a chocolate treat, or perhaps a gift for a friend (did you know there are now Fairtrade t-shirts and sports balls)? It's such an easy, effective and often delicious way to make a difference in your everyday life. Buying Fairtrade means farmers and workers in developing countries actually receive a fair price for their crops and produce. Fairtrade also supports them to directly invest in their business and communities through additional funds, which means they can build the things we take for granted every day - schools, roads and hospitals. Last year alone, AU$25 million worth of Fairtrade coffee sales in Australia and New Zealand helped provide farmers with over $2 million in additional funds to spend on their businesses and their communities. Who says coffee can't change the world? Make your $2 work for a better world. Pledge now!
Thanks for being part of this,
The Fairtrade Team

To Travel to Savar

To Travel To Savar

Written 2/4/2006 During a trip to YWCA

To travel to Savar, about 30 kms from Dhaka the capital of Bangladesh is an interesting journey. Travelling anywhere in Bangladesh is an experience. There is utter chaos on the roads- cars, buses, rickshaws and the two seater open taxis all weaving in and around each other. There is the occasional policeman who puts his hand up, but no one takes any notice of him anyway. There is the occasional stop sign, but that is ignored too! The biggest vehicle seems to rule on the road. Car horns are constantly tooted and that seems to be the road rules. The rickshaw drivers have to stop immediately as the cars weave in and around them. But the Bengali people take it all in their stride- such is a day in Dhaka. To me I gave a sigh of relief whenever we reached our destination.

Leaving the noise and dust and pollution of Dhaka and driving out to the quietness of village life almost seems a relief. However the roads remain chaotic for the journey. It was with great excitement that one day we were taken by the YWCA staff to see the new village craft centre at Savar, about 30 kms from where we were staying in Dhaka. I had known of the YWCA dream for about three years to finance this new Craft Centre . It is now a partial reality. The Centre was opened November, 2005.

The dream evolved due to the concern of the YWCA staff that many of the producers from this village travelled into the YWCA Craft Centre in Dhaka by bus daily. This was a two hour journey each way. The dream was not to only create a local craft centre for these producers, but an all encompassing and forward thinking dream. At this centre there will also be built an aged peoples home ( something that is almost unheard of in Bangladesh ), so there will always be a home for YWCA staff and producers who do not have family. But the older people had better not think that they will have time to be idle because that is not the plan. A nursery and childrens centre is also going to be built for the producers children. The plan is that the older ladies will care for these children. And there is the fish pond/ dam where they will be able to catch their dinner. I suppose in time there will also be the vegetable gardens to tend.

It was expressed to us by Sabita, the General Secretary of the YWCA Bangladesh of their concern for an ambulance to transport sick people to Dhaka for treatment if necessary. We have taken this need to heart and are now fundraising for this other dream to become a reality.

When our vehicle arrived at the centre, it also meant a five minute walk down the village path to reach the entrance of the Craft Centre. Four impressive rooms have been built. One small one at the entrance , two craft sewing rooms and a health room. Every Tuesday the producers are visited by a health nurse. If needed all medication is provided free. There was recently an eye testing clinic. Six producers needed eye operations. Again all hospital expenses were paid by the YWCA. Next month the women are having gynaecological checkups.

When we visited it was very quiet as it was lunchtime. Most of the producers had gone back to their homes in the village to eat. Bengali people value their food so much that eating together is a very big occasion in their day.

The craft rooms at the centre looked so tidy and clean. The new treadle sewing machines took pride of place. Here the ladies can sit on platforms at tables to do their hand sewing. Different to the centre in Dhaka where the ladies sit on mats on the floor. There was a lot of activity going on – trucks were coming and going in preparation for the buildings yet to eventuate. But there was a feeling of tranquility here. There was a feeling of hope. This centre I feel is such a wonderful happening and has started to help and will continue to help so many women.

As mentioned in my last letter I want to share with you the story of one of the producers at the YWCA. Every producers story is special but for now I will be sharing with you about one producer. Her name is Mary Burmon .Her photo is attached ( the lady on the right )

Mary is deaf and she cannot speak. She was born into a very poor village family. Due to her physical disabilities and lack of education there were no opportunities for her to earn an income ( outside of begging and breaking bricks ) Mary has now been living at the YWCA hostel and working at the Craft Centre for 23 years . As well as the loving emotional support from the YWCA staff, Mary is able to earn an income . This income is sufficient to also support her widowed mother and two younger brothers. Her life now has hope and a purpose.

Behind every craft item there is a story. Just like Marys. When we are selling our craft items we are not only selling a wonderful unique handmade item , we are changing lives , we are giving dignity and hope to so many people. How better can it get!

Add comment August 19, 2009 sihamcraftlink

News from Shohojogita, Bangladesh Fair Trade Group

Just have to Share

This week I received from John at Shohojogita, a Bangladesh Fair Trade organization, some beautiful photos. John had travelled to a village where the ladies hand weave the most wonderful jute items. I am copying Johns words as to what he saw as he entered the village.

“I was totally surprised to see the teaching method and interest for primary education. You see the pictures…….A beautiful young married lady is teaching Ten plus innocent babies sitting on the narrow road and open sky. There is a river and the waters are flowing fastenly.”

When John visited Nomita and the ladies she trains to make the jute items, these further words were shared.

One lady said Nomita has no Umbrella……sometimes she comes to us in heavy rains and heavy sunshine. I answered the lady………today I will give an umbrella to Nomita as gifted “