Big Brew aims to raise awareness in local communities of the difference we can all make to the lives of tea producers by:
- buying Traidcraft Fairtrade tea
- campaigning with Traidcraft for more Fairtrade
- supporting Traidcraft’s vital development work through donations.
1.4 billion people live on less than $1.25 a day (the new poverty line).
It does not have to be this way; change is possible and, with your support, Traidcraft is helping make it happen. Traidcraft believes that with the right opportunities, poor people can transform their lives through trade, because trade – not aid – is the most sustainable way to fight poverty.
Why tea?
With over 20 million people in the developing world reliant on the tea industry, it is a vital focus in the fight against poverty. For example, in India over 4 million people are dependant on the tea industry to survive and in Kenya 10% of the population is employed in the tea sector.
Within the tea trade, smallholder tea farmers and workers benefit the least. Many tea farmers and workers have extremely hard lives, which are physically demanding, with low levels of pay.
Tea estate workers are often powerless to change their circumstances, especially if they are totally dependant on the estates for wages, healthcare, schooling and sanitation leaving them with little control over their lives. Smallholder tea growers often have no choice but to sell their tea through factories or middlemen with little bargaining power to earn a better price.
Low yields, poor quality tea, lack of technical and business experience and limited understanding of the tea supply chain, make it even harder to earn a decent living from tea. And, on top of all that, climate change is also having a profound effect on tea growers – in Kenya, for example, rising temperatures and reducing rainfall appears to be affecting the ability to produce tea. The many problems faced by tea pickers and growers need to be tackled in different ways if we are to achieve lasting transformation to people’s lives.
By holding a Big Brew, serving Traidcraft refreshments, raising money for Traidcraft Exchange and completing our tea action cards, you are joining with thousands of others in standing alongside the many millions of poor people in desperate need of our help.
Thank you.
