The Fairtrade Foundation, Oxfam and Traidcraft have agreed the following common definition of fair trade:
Fair Trade is an alternative approach to conventional international trade. It is a trading partnership which aims at sustainable development for excluded and disadvantaged producers. It seeks to do this by providing better trading conditions, by awareness raising and by campaigning.
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The Fairtrade Foundation, Oxfam and Traidcraft have agreed the following basic criteria of fair trade:
The precise terms of fair trade will vary depending on circumstances, but the following are key characteristics:
A clear set of criteria defining the fair trade terms is available to consumers and producers
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An organisation (auditor, body of Trustees), independent of business interests, oversees the implementation of the fair trade principles.
Zuri Design is a BAFTS registered importer and as such submits yearly application to BAFTS. BAFTS montors our trading practices.
The suppliers are selected on the basis of being poor and relatively disadvantaged by the way the commercial market operates
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There are monitoring systems to ensure that the fair trade principles and criteria are met and that individual producers are benefiting from the trading terms applied.
Producers are consulted and are able to contribute to the development of the monitoring systems
Trading terms are mutually agreed and always give greater support to the producer than they could expect from the commercial market
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Fair Trade to Zuri Design means paying all producers a wage that is fair and reflects the quality and uniqueness of their work. The price paid should mean that all people who work in the production of a product are paid a good wage that allows them to live a good standard of living.
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| Helen spent time researching the groups around Nairobi that made different crafts. This involved searching out the groups and workshops that made crafts as part of a wider community initiative so that profits benefited not only the craftsmen and women but their own communities. These groups included local NGOs, self-help groups, small groups of women and also small business. Most were located in and around the slums of Nairobi but products were also sourced in Kisii, Kisumu and Uganda. |
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| Profits from Zuri Design orders have had a wide impact over the years in local community projects. Here are a few examples; The Hairdressing and Beauty college at Xcel was refurbished and restarted in 2006/7 on the profits of supplying a leading UK Charity catalogue. The college is still up and running and doing great. Donations from their craft profits were also made regularly to their feeding centre which fed over 100 children a day from Kibera. Zakale Creations expanded and refurbished their workshop. COYREP received donations for machine maintenance. In March 2009 we started to sponser Ibra and earlier in 2010 we started sponsering Christabel. Please see our news section if you would like to sponser a young person in Kibera slum |
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| Aside from financial support to the groups Zuri Design committed in training for this group of producers. We came to realise that by forming a network of producers by introducing all the producers we bought from we would form a strong and independent group of producers. In 2007 Kathleen Scanlan spent a year in Nairobi implementing the network. A producer group committee was formed and the groups began to benefit from the network. Kathleen provided training individually for each group on: quality expectations for export, packing requirement for export, health and safety issues in workshops, as well as maximising the opportunities existing in the local markets. Also product development training. This involved the acquirement of digital cameras for a number of the groups so that cds of products could be kept. Products were also named and coded a must for the export market. Product development also included the use of the internet to follow UK trends and fashions. Groups that had no legal status and were operating loosely were encourage and supported to register as self-help groups. |
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Benefits of this training has included the following:
• The producers attend local exhibitions as a group, cutting individual costs, presenting a strong product range as developed for export and thus maximising local profits.
• Other export customers have been found – having a product database and a list of coded and named products as well as images has meant that export customers can be confidently contacted and discussions can start
• Other export customers have been gained as they are impressed with the network idea and all this makes life very easy for the new exporters! Having a ready made product selection ready to export standard
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Long term aims:
Over the last 7 years Zuri Design producers have come over a long way and fair trade has had many direct benefits on local individuals and communities. Working as a team we believe we have created a unique network and have highlighted the benefits of producers, who would not normally trade together, doing so. For the producers and their groups it has been their commitment and hard work that has enabled them to grow and develop their business/projects. From Zuri Design UK side it too has been a long commitment financially and otherwise to get the product standard and selection we now have.
We wish to highlight that this group of people from all over Kenya and UK have made a lasting contribution to poverty alleviation in and around Nairobi and that we remained committed to extending the positive impacts by strengthening the network and subsequent sales and profit re-investment in Kenya.
We aim to formally register this network and encourage other buyers to not only buy from this network but to contribute to the social aspects of the work and commit to supporting our principles and practices of fair trade.
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