As I wrote at our other blog, This is Ghana Guide and Blog, we have been accepted as affiliates into a couple of fair trade shops online. I’m quite excited about this as I have worked in, volunteered in and written a lot about this field. It feels natural to be promoting the products here at G-lish. Hopefully we’ll be adding our very own G-lish products one day!

As soon as I saw this, I knew I wanted to be part of it. Ethical Superstore offers access to all the major fair trade and green brands including Cafedirect, Traidcraft, People Tree, Green & Blacks, Divine, Ecover, Freeplay, EcoZone, Solio and many more. While this shows chocolate , it is like a warehouse for eco products! Everything you need. When you buy from Ethical Superstore you get a choice of marvelous products from all over the world The full range includes gadgets, gifts, cosmetics, foods, beverages, CDs, books, DVDs plus handmade lifestyle and fashion products. They’re UK based.

And they sell fair trade coffee. Lucky you! I just ran out of fresh coffee so back to the old nescafe I swore I’d never drink. But I’m grateful, you know, for Nescafe. They wrote this, not me. I wish I had though. It’s good copy. I mean coffee. No copy. “Rich Roast is remarkable coffee: a classy beast a bit of a brute. This is coffee with absolute attitude. Imagine a sweet liquorice-toffee aroma. Add a rich scented burst of flavour – this coffee has it all. There is a profound depth an extraordinary roundness and a powerful finish. Ideal for use in any cafetire filter machine or jug. Strength guide: 5/5. Available in 227g packs. All the coffee is non GM.”  Lucky peeps. Click it people.

Fair trade coffee

If you’re from the USA, then Global Exchange is more up your alley.

Here are Bolga Baskets from my very home town for sale in the USA. These baskets are made by young and old men and women all over Bolga and its outlying villages. Who knows, these might have been produced by Godwin’s family as some of them are basket makers. Click on the baskets to see more.

There are also these recycled Messenger Bags from…Cambodia! I actually worked with this group when I worked for Traidcraft in Cambodia as part of the FTSE (fair trade for sustainable enterprises) project in 2006/07. This is like all my fair trade affairs coming back to bite me on the butt in a good way.

These messenger bags are made from recycled feed bags and lined with durable cotton. This bag is one of a kind, since no  two bags come out exactly the same. And because it’s made from feed bags, it is EXTREMELY durable. Handcrafted in Cambodia by disabled and disadvantaged women (who have lost arms and legs from land mines), each bag has one main zippered compartment, 2 smaller zippered compartments, a key ring and pen holders so it’s large eNugh to carry books and more! Use the black cotton strap to adjust to your size preference. Country of Origin: Cambodia Dimensions: approx. 15″ x 13″

When I visited I saw that the sewing machines and equipment had been reconfigured to account for people missing limbs. Some people worked on the floors, others at tables, depending. It was inspiring to see. Same thing for silk weaving there by the way. Looms were designed for people missing one or another limb so they could still weave.

Click on the messenger bags and see for yourself!

You might want to buy Mum a box of delicious fair trade chocolates for Mothers Day. My friend Liz brings fair trade chocolate and coffee when she comes to visit–we are truly spoilt. It does taste better. You can taste the quality and the fineness (is that a word?) of the chocolate. Unfortunately, we cannot buy fair trade chocolate on the street here in Ghana, but we can get fair trade products at some shops in Accra like Global Mamas near Koala. I even bought fair trade spice from Koala supermarket. We use it to flavour our tea so we can pretend we’re drinking Chai tea. You don’t have to pretend though. Check out Global Exchange’s Sale Section to find Fair Trade gifts on sale now!