| Name: | Stephen Morris |
| Country: | UK |
| Relationship with Traidcraft: | Member of staff |
| Number of years working at Traidcraft: | Four years |
| Favourite Traidcraft product: | A Mango Wood Mirror (Tara Projects), Traditional Vietnamese Gong (Mai Handicrafts) and a Colourful Giraffe (Arum Dalu) are all on display in my living room. |
In the four years of my life spent working for Traidcraft I have been impressed by the importance the organisation has placed on learning, supporting and investing; each one an integral component to the success of Traidcraft.
Whether it be a producer in the developing world, a customer or a member of staff, "support", "learn" and "invest" are three words which form a link between the people who keep Traidcraft growing, and with it provide the platform for the organisation to continue to have a positive effect on the lives of many.
I count myself as fortunate to work for Traidcraft and to have been given the opportunity to benefit from what seems like a unique environment to work within.
Having been made redundant in 2005 (somewhat luckily it now seems) I found myself thinking of a life outside of the printing trade. I recall scanning the jobs pages of a local newspaper and coming across an advert for a Quality Control Inspector at a locally based organisation which fights poverty through trade…
Unfortunately I had a lack of awareness around fair trade at that time but the brief description of the QC Inspector role and of Traidcraft's mission had me interested.
My wife, who was thankfully more informed than I, elaborated a little on the brief description of Traidcraft in the job advert by painting a colourful picture of how the concept of fair trade works and the handmade fair trade products she had encountered.
After delving deeper and reading about the organisation on traidcraft.co.uk, I made the decision to give it a go and apply for the vacancy; hopefully leaving nine years of ink, paper-dust and the clatter of the printing press behind me in the process - I sit here four years on writing this reflection and obviously the rest is history.
Looking back at the decision to deviate from the familiar surroundings and mundanities of a printer, whilst it was brave at the time, it ranks as one of the best decisions I have made and it is one which I am proud to have made.
In the claustrophobia of the print shop all those years ago I never dreamt that by 2009 I would have been given room to express myself in the manner encouraged at Traidcraft; to be afforded so many fantastic learning opportunities and be entrusted to provide QC support to and learn from some of our craft producers in India, Thailand and Vietnam.
Whilst in India I am fortunate enough to have witnessed the intricacies of handmade fair trade jewellery production in Delhi and the baking sun used as an essential factor in the dyeing process of block printed cotton fabric in Jaipur - whilst the unfaltering thud of hand and block prepares the next batch for the sun to work its magic on.
In northern Thailand the seemingly limitless array of ceramic ware designs were beautiful.
It's testament to the learning culture of Traidcraft that I now have an understanding of the complexities of lacquerware production in Vietnam where production of one item can take upwards of one month to complete – if the weather is kind to the artisans!
Visiting producer groups has provided incredibly important opportunities for myself and Traidcraft to understand about the production processes and the challenges our producer groups face when making the products destined for Traidcraft; be it poor weather, poor communication or power cuts; it could be logistics complications or lack of suitable facilities and resources…
It is also an important opportunity for the producers to learn about the desired quality of their products in the eyes of western consumers and the requirements of product safety legislation which is often far more stringent within the EU than it is within their own countries.
We work together with a mutual respect for one another to ensure that a good quality and safe product reaches the Traidcraft customer - without jeopardizing the uniqueness and beauty of the piece. Where there is a problem we work together to overcome it and always with the goal of achieving a fair outcome.
When visiting producers I have been touched by the kindness and hospitality shown to me and my colleagues. I've been hugely impressed with the skills the artisans possess and the fabulous examples of innovation using waste materials and natural or limited resources.
During my time in the printing trade I must have created hundreds of tons of off-cuts from printed matter and when in Vietnam I witnessed how the off-cuts supplied by a local printing firm were being used to create the magnificent recycled paper pots, photo frames and mirrors.
The Traidcraft environment and learning culture has given me the opportunity, empowerment and support to challenge myself and realise new skills.
It has encouraged me to develop new ways of thinking and I certainly believe that I have progressed as an individual during my time here; progression of which I am extremely grateful to Traidcraft and the people involved with Traidcraft for inspiring - progression of which I would not have made if I was still confined to working in a tin box ensuring that sheets of paper make their way through a printing press without getting stuck!
And whilst the impact on the lives of the producers is the area where Traidcraft receives the most recognition, it is important to also acknowledge the friendly, fair and supportive working environment of which I have been allowed to experience, contribute to and learn from here in Gateshead.
