Prasad and his fan club

Thank you to Chennai Accueil and the French expats in Chennai!

Just do it (again and again)

The world stands together against terrorism with the People of Belgium

Just Do It

Warmest thanks to FTF-I members

Baladarshan extends its warmest thanks to all FTF-I members for their mobilization and support towards the artisans affected by the floods.

The total amount of Rs. 40,000 has been collected from FTF-I on January 30th and 10 artisans from various flooded areas could therefore be helped by way of an individual financial assistance worth Rs. 4,000.

Fair Trade Market in Pondy - 19/20/21 February

Overcoming the Floods

SPEED Trust & BALADARSHAN teams convey their warmest thanks to all donors!

 

 

 

 

Special thanks also to all SPEED Trust former students who showed an extraordinary sense of solidarity and an amazing mobilization almost round-the-clock for 2 weeks, identifying the affected families, unloading and distributing
- 800 bedsheets
- 800 towels
- 800 mosquito nets
- 2800 sarees, chudidhars, pants
- 7000 children tee-shirts
- 7000 meals
- 1100 kgs of rice
- 500 biscuits packets
- 500 water bottles
- 50 bottles of juice
- 112 pockets of milk powder
- 700 toothbrushes
- School bags, notebooks, gas lamps, ...

In the slum areas of Gandhi Nagar, Pallavan Nagar, Vyasarpadi & Pudupet.

Chennai Floods

Along the Kuvam river, one of the biggest slums of Chennai... 

On 11/1/2015, following days and days of heavy rain, the Kuvam overflows and drowns the slum.

Thousands of families, including dozens of small-scale artisans from Baladarshan are affected.

From the beginning, SPEED Trust opens its creche and classrooms to shelter 300 refugees, to provide 2000 families with food packets, ...

 

Much more needs to be done... Help us to provide the victims of the floods with blankets, dresses, toiletries, mats, water pots, provisions, medical assistance, etc.

 

Contact: SPEED Trust
04465434228 / 04425381334 / 
speedtrustindia.secretary @ gmail.com 
 
Thank you

Fair Trade breaks poverty

1 October 2015 (Culemborg) - Fair Trade breaks the chain of poverty. Fair traders around the world, together with small producers and backed by consumers, are breaking the chains of poverty.  

Fair Trade is growing and that is our proof that we are gaining our fight against extreme poverty. The WFTO membership count doubled from 155 Fair Trade organisations in 2005 to 355 in 2014. In the same period, the turnovers of these members quadrupled from 136 million euros to 448 million euros.    

To ensure their way out of poverty, producer-beneficiaries of WFTO members receive fair prices for their products, long-term income security, capacity-building and life-skills trainings, no discrimination, no slavery, and good working condition.  

“It is unacceptable that there are still over 1 billion people living in extreme poverty and deep deprivation. That is why at WFTO we fight poverty together with the small producers through sustainable solutions. The 10 Fair Trade Principles are our weapon. It is important that the eradication of poverty is done together with those affected. And with the support of consumers and businesses Fair Trade can go even further in its contribution to poverty eradication.” – Rudi Dalvai, WFTO President      

WFTO believes that poverty can be effectively eradicated by empowering small producers, giving them fair and sustainable means of livelihoods. 

WFTO requires its members to comply with the 10 Fair Trade Principles through the WFTO Guarantee System, which regularly verifies organisational practices of trading organisations to ensure Fair Trade is being respected. 

Products that are Guaranteed Fair Trade can be recognised by the WFTO Product Label. Products carrying the WFTO Label are made and traded by Guaranteed Fair Trade Organisations dedicated to the sustainable Fair Trade economy. Every purchase of products with the WFTO Label supports small producers and their 

communities.

Notes to Editors:

The World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO) is a global network of organisations from over 75countries across Africa and Middle East, Asia, Europe, Latin America, North America and the Pacific Rim, representing the entire Fair Trade supply chain. Membership of WFTO provides Fair Trade organisations with credibility and identity by way of an international guarantee system; a place of learning where members connect with like-minded people from around the world; tools and training to increase market access; and a common voice that speaks out loudly about Fair Trade. WFTO is the home of fair traders: producers, marketers, exporters, importers, wholesalers and retailers that demonstrate 100% commitment to Fair Trade and apply the 10 Principles of Fair Trade of WFTO in their daily operations. The works and achievements of its members make WFTO a global authority on Fair Trade and a guardian of Fair Trade values and principles.   

The coming years will witness a whole variety of products carrying the WFTO Product Label, from handicrafts, to fashion, to food products. 

Behind the Product Label is a revolutionary Fair Trade system – the WFTO Guarantee System. Consistent with the goal of Fair Trade, which is to enable producers to improve their livelihoods and communities through trading within agreed set of principles, WFTO’s route to equity in trade is ensuring that organisations follow the WFTO’s 10 Principles of Fair Trade. 

The WFTO Guarantee System is based on time-tested best practices of Producer Group Internal Control System (ICS), Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS) and WFTO membership system experience. To learn more of the WFTO Guarantee System, visit our website www.WFTO.com. 

For high resolution images, interviews and other queries, please contact WFTO 

Michael Sarcauga, Communications Coordinator 

E: Michael@wfto.com T: +31345535914. 

 

Join the anti-poverty week!

www.wfto.com

 

Poverty is a prison

More than bringing parcels to prisoners, 

we must break the bars of this prison 

www.speedtrustindia.com

From our distributor in Denmark

http://www.raintree.dk/

Chennai born rapper has taken the internet by storm. But why?

Anwesha Dhar   Jul 31, 2015

Kodaikanal was the site of an infamous dump discovered in 2001 when Unilever’s Indian subsidiary Hindustan Lever was found to be dumping toxic mercury waste from its thermometer factory.
Soon after unearthing the waste material and subsequent protests that followed, Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board issued an order to the company to send back the toxic materials to the United States to be disposed of and recycled.
However, mercury being an element whose effect on health can be manifested even decades after exposure, the 2001 incident has far reaching implications. According to reports, just one gram of mercury deposited annually in a lake can, in the long term, contaminate a lake spread over 25 acres to the extent that fish from the lake are rendered unfit for human consumption. Till date, many workers have lost their jobs, while others continue to suffer from its ill-effects. Protests regarding compensation continue, but no substantial victory has been gained yet.
The outrage and coupled with lackadaisical attitude of the company and justice system led Chennai born rapper, Sophia Ashraf to compose a song regarding Unilever’s inaction with respect to the entire fiasco. The song is set to artist Nicki Minaj’s ‘Anaconda’ and has caught the internet by storm.

First published on http://www.thealternative.in/society/chennai-born-rapper-taken-internet-storm/ The Alternative (www.thealternative.in), an online platform for sustainability and social impact.

Fair Trade Forum - India

We are happy to share that Baladarshan's membership to Fair Trade Forum India (http://www.fairtradeforum.org/) has been approved !

https://fairtradeforumindia.wordpress.com/2015/06/17/welcome-to-new-members/