March 8th is International Women's Day
Annually on 8th March, thousands of events are held throughout the world to inspire women and celebrate achievements.
8 March 2010
Many fair trade organisations have a focus on women. This is partly because they are often discriminated against and working with women brings greater benefit to families.
Rural women are responsible for half the world’s food production and produce between 60% and 80% of the food in most developing countries. 70% of those who live in poverty are women.
Read some of the stories of women whose lives have been transformed by fair trade.
Siji's storyFor Siji Jose, selling her tea on Fairtrade terms through the Sahyadri Farmers Consortium helps her to get a good price for the tea, which means she can send her children to school and put food on the family table.
Pili's storyAt Traidcraft we don't just sell fair trade products, we pioneer new ones. With our support, farmers in Eksteenskuil, South Africa, became the world's first supplier of Fairtrade raisins - and now we've helped MiFruta in Chile to become the second.
Jagwati's storyChecking Traidcraft orders at Tara Projects in Delhi not only provides Jagwati with a fair wage, but with pleasant working conditions.
Berta's storyBerta Ramirez farms with her husband, Audilio, on land which she inherited from her father 25 years ago. It is a long, narrow farm totalling 5.5 hectares, of which 1.3 hectares grow grapes.
Vy and Duyen's storyProducing products like the cat tape measures sold by Traidcraft provides valuable employment, with five people involved in creating each one.
Joyce's storyJoyce Chibouro and her family will have access to electricity for the first time this summer – thanks to the Fairtrade premium on sales of sugar.
Doricca and Mary's storyFetching water is quicker and safer for Doricca and Mary now that they have a borehole in their village, paid for with the Fairtrade premium on locally grown sugar.
Narmaben's storyNarmaben Manji, who works as a cotton farmer in India, hopes that selling organic cotton to Agrocel – one of Traidcraft’s suppliers - will help to provide her grandsons with a better future.
