Celebrate International Women's Day with Traidcraft

With International Women's Day taking place in Fairtrade Fortnight, it's the perfect time to recognise the achievements of some of the women behind the new spring range of Traidcraft products - and the part played by UK women in buying and promoting fair trade.

Here are some of the real-life stories to celebrate.

• Tea farmer Ansamma Mathew finding a new life outside her kitchen walls.

  “Before I got these responsibilities through the tea, I was confined to inside the kitchen door,” she said. “I attended a workshop between scientists and farmers. I was really happy that I could express our feelings, our concerns. This has all happened because I joined the consortium otherwise I might be only behind the walls of my house and in our fields.”

  Ansamma is a member of the Sahyadri Farmers Consortium in India - Traidcraft's newest tea supplier.

• Mother-of-two Rumi providing for her family in Bangladesh when her husband's business closed down.

  “It would have been very difficult without the money that I earn,” she said. “I feel very happy and secure working at Swajan.”

  Rumi is one of the embroiderers at Swajan which supplies beautiful handmade cards and crafts to Traidcraft.

• Widow Narmaben Manji looking to the future with confidence.

  “I get a good price for my cotton,” she said. “I want to give my grandsons a good education.”

  Narmaben sells her cotton harvest to Agrocel in India, which supplies the Fairtrade-marked, organic cotton used in Traidcraft's new range of T-shirts.

  “Buying from Traidcraft's wide range of fair trade craft, fashion and food items connects women in a positive way,” said Mags Vaughan, Traidcraft's Director of Operations. “Since Traidcraft began pioneering fair trade in 1979 the majority of our customers and supporters have been women.

  “Today, women make up 60% of Traidcraft's staff and play a vital role in everything from developing products and working with producer groups to creating supporter resources and packing mail order parcels.

  “We have a network of more than 5,000 Fair Traders who sell Traidcraft products in their churches and local communities and 90% of them are women.

  “Whether growing tea in India or selling Traidcraft tea to friends and family, women play a huge role in spreading the fair trade message and we think that's something to celebrate.”