August 2024 - Fair Trade and Education

Happy back-to-school season, y’all! This time of year is full of all sorts of commotion for kids and families all over the world–from rushing to get the school supplies needed for the upcoming semester, to last minute trips to get the perfect shirt for the first day of school. There are many initiatives within fair trade to improve the educational experience of children and families in countries where going to school isn’t as simple as hopping on a bus with your friends in the morning. Learn more below about how fair trade helps fund education around the world!

One of the key principles of fair trade is ensuring the rights of children by being against child labor. Unfortunately, the effects of capitalism in many countries put families in positions where they have to decide whether their children will either go to school or work from very early ages–and in many cases, they don’t have a choice. Thankfully, fair trade artisans and farmers are paid fair wages which makes it so the children of these artisans and farmers do not have to work and can go to school instead. Some fair trade organizations make it possible for parents to even work from home so that they can raise their children while working!

Many parents who work in fair trade use their earned fair wages to pay for their children’s education, including college. Some fair trade organizations even have education funds set up so that the children of their artisan partners can attend school without the burden of financial stress. Fair Trade premiums also support educational opportunities for adults, such as adult literacy programs and management scholarships for farmers who want to continue their education at universities. Fair Trade premiums also fund initiatives to build schools. It’s estimated that ensuring basic literacy skills in all people would lift 171 million people out of poverty, which would cut global poverty rates by 12%.

We are proud to sell items here in the store that contribute towards the push for education for all, all over the world. Click here to shop our collection of items that support education!

Ten Thousand Villages

Our new shampoo bars come from Ten Thousand Villages’s artisan partners at Palam Rural Centre in South India. These bars not only provide fair wages for people and their families, they also help to provide education for over 400 children in their community.

Barefoot Books

Barefoot Books strives to provide culturally diverse stories so that kids all over the world can see themselves in the books they read, and to also teach children about other cultures. In 2023, they helped children in New York receive well over 320,000 books.

Kamibashi

If you’ve ever spent time here in the store, you’ve probably seen our wall full of string dolls from Kamibashi! Many of the dolls they sell provide funds for 15 different charities through their program Kamibashi Cares. To date, Kamibashi has raised over $2,000 for Schools for Hope, which is a youth suicide prevention initiative that has tools for students, teachers, and parents.