Traidcraft has been trading with producer groups in East Africa for more than 20 years and began development projects in the region in 1994.
In April 2005 we opened a regional office in Nairobi, Kenya. We share this office with Shared Interest, a cooperative lending society that provides financing to fair trade producers. This shared ‘fair trade office’ offers exciting opportunities for working with the fair trade movement in East Africa.
Why do we work in East Africa?
East Africa is one of the poorest regions of the world. Although endowed with great natural resources, it is suffering from the effects of economic mismanagement, inter-ethnic conflict and climate change. The steady decline in rainfall during the past two decades, combined with more frequent droughts and less predictable rainy seasons, has made life increasingly difficult for the poor. The region is in the grip of yet another severe drought, following close on the heels of the widespread drought in 2009 which affected over 23 million people.
Some facts:
- Average life expectancy in Uganda is just 54 years of age (56 in Kenya and 57 in Tanzania)
- In Tanzania over 88% of people struggle to survive on less than $1.25 (roughly 75p) a day
- In Kenya 128 children in every 1,000 do not live to see their 5th birthday
- Only 6% of people in Tanzania are educated at secondary level or above
- In both Uganda and Kenya only 42% of births are attended by skilled health personnel
(Source UN Human Development Report 2010)
Our focus in the region
The East Africa programme has three main areas of focus:
- Tea (improving the governance and profitability of tea factories; helping tea farming households to diversify their income sources; and creating fair and efficient market linkages)
- Honey (helping beekeepers to increase production levels and honey quality; and supporting access to local, regional, export and Fairtrade markets)
- Semi arid areas (improving household food security; helping families to adapt to climate change; and improving incomes from cash crops)
Across all these areas we are also focusing on the cross-cutting themes of alternative and renewable energy, business and human rights, efficient agricultural marketing, and access to business development services.
Meet some of our East Africa project beneficiaries.
Our current projects in East Africa
