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Fairtrade Fortnight 2018 encourages people to #CheckOutFairtrade

Pictured at last year’s Fairtrade Fortnight launch were first place winner of the Fairtrade Poster competition, Alan Wallace from Desmond College with his winning poster and Maria Genao, Banana Farmer with Justin Fitzgerald, Fairtrade. Fairtrade Fortnight 2018 starts on February 26. Picture: Alan Place/Fushionshooters.

Fairtrade Fortnight 2018 encourages people to #CheckOutFairtrade

by ilovelimerick correspondent Chloe O’Keeffe

Fairtrade Fortnight 2018 will be taking place from Monday, February 26 – Sunday, March 11, and promises to be a great fortnight, in helping people be mindful of making more ethical choices when it comes to shopping. The theme this year is Check out Fairtrade, “There are millions of farmers in developing countries who aren’t paid what they deserve no matter how hard they work. Many are paid prices too low to provide for their families properly. But we can end this by choosing Fairtrade this Fairtrade Fortnight,” the organization encourages.


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The Fairtrade programme ensures that producers in developing countries receiver a fair price for their products. A minimum price for negotiations between producer and purchaser is set to ensure the producers are guaranteed a sustainable business. If the market price is higher than the minimum price set, however, then the purchaser must pay the market price.

Chairperson of the Limerick Fairtrade City Committee, Dolores O’Meara, said “Thousands of farmers in countries such as Malawi, Kenya and Côte d’Ivoire all contribute to the tea, coffee and cocoa we enjoy in Ireland.  And yet many of those farmers are still living in poverty.  If people really knew the true human cost of exploitation, would they still make the same choices?”

Limerick City achieved the status of being a Fairtrade city on November 22, 2005, and the cities status has progressed with help from a committed group of volunteers with the support of the Council. This shows Limerick city’s commitment to supporting a fairer trading system with developing countries.

“Our role as a committee is to try to raise awareness about Fairtrade, and encourage Limerick people to make ethical choices and we get great support in doing this from the Limerick City and County Council Environment Dept,” spoke Dolores O’Meara.

In a celebration for Fairtrade Fortnight 2018, and Seachtain na Gaeilge Choláiste Mhuire gan Smál 2018, the Limerick Fairtrade City Committee, in conjunction with Oifeagach na Gaeilge MIC are hosting a quiz/ tráth na gceist on Tuesday 27 February 2018 in South’s Pub, Quinlan Street at 8 pm. The entry for the quiz is €20 per tables of 4, and is said to be an evening filled with fun and craic!

Fairtrade Fortnight 2018

Pictured Juliet Arku, from Fairtrade Banana Co-Operative in Ghana who will be guestspeaking during Fairtrade Fortnight 2018.

On March 6, there will be a Celebration of Fairtrade Fortnight in Council Chamber, Dooradoyle from 2.30pm. This is an invitation-only event and will be attended by Mayor Keary, representatives from Fairtrade Ireland, Juliet Arke from a Fairtrade Banana Co-Operative in Ghana. At this event, there will be a presentation of prizes to the winners of the Schools’ Fairtrade Poster Competition. These winners hail from schools in Limerick City and County.

Throughout Fairtrade Fortnight 2018 there will be a range of talks and presentations given by various people of the Fairtrade committee to school groups, the Mary Immaculate College Student-Parent group and an active retired group.

There will be a Fairtrade display in the Augustinian Church with a free raffle for a Fairtrade Hamper throughout the two-week-long event. The masses that will take place daily throughout the fortnight in Our Lady of Lourdes church will have an active input on Fairtrade from the students at Our Lady of Lourdes Fairtrade School.

Fairtrade Fortnight 2018 takes place from February 26 to March 11, and is asking all Irish people to Check Out Fairtrade and help change the world!

 

For more stories on Fairtrade go here.

For more info on Fairtrade go here.

Richard is a presenter, producer, songwriter and actor. He was named the Limerick Person of the Year (2011) and won an online award at the Metro Éireann Media and Multicultural Awards (2011) for promoting multi-culturalism online. Richard says that the ilovelimerick.com concept is very much a community driven project that aims to document life in Limerick. So, that in 20 years time people can look back and remember the events that were making the headlines.