| ECONOMIC SECURITY
Fair Trade offers women the opportunity to
work toward financial security through income-generating projects such
as weaving and sewing. A Fair Trade tea garden in Sri Lanka used
additional income from Fair Trade sales to purchase 20 sewing machines
that will increase jobs and improve living conditions for women in its
community.
"I am happy to state that Fair Trade
has given priorities to women's needs. The sewing machines and gas
cookers issued to the beneficiaries at a low interest is appreciable. I
personally have benefited by earning an additional income from the
sewing machine provided to me."
-- Koslanda Organic Tea
Garden worker, Sri Lanka
"With Fair Trade we've been able to create a
women's committee that does training and education in self esteem,
preventative health care, as well as raising small animals like chicken
and guinea pig so the women can increase their income when the money
from coffee runs out. There's a lot of machismo in our society. This way
the women have their own source of income." -- Esperanza Dionisia,
General Manager, PANGOA coffee cooperative, Peru
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